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ASSIGNMENT SOLUTIONS GUIDE (2014-2015)
M.E.G.-2
British Drama
Disclaimer/Special Note: These are just the sample of the Answers/Solutions to some of the Questions given in the
Assignments. These Sample Answers/Solutions are prepared by Private Teacher/Tutors/Auhtors for the help and Guidance
of the student to get an idea of how he/she can answer the Questions of the Assignments. We do not claim 100%
Accuracy of these sample Answers as these are based on the knowledge and cabability of Private Teacher/Tutor. Sample
answers may be seen as the Guide/Help Book for the reference to prepare the answers of the Question given in the
assignment. As these solutions and answers are prepared by the private teacher/tutor so the chances of error or mistake
cannot be denied. Any Omission or Error is highly regretted though every care has been taken while preparing these
Sample Answers/Solutions. Please consult your own Teacher/Tutor before you prepare a Particular Answer & for uptodate
and exact information, data and solution. Student should must read and refer the official study material provided by the
university.
Q. 1. Discuss Dr. Faustus as a tragedy.
Ans. Renaissance means the great revival in 14th-16th centuries of art and letters, under influence of classical models.
Marlowe was a rebel and pioneer, yet he was a product of his own age (latter half of 16th century). He has introduced
Good and Bad Angels, a host of minor devils and the Seven Deadly Sins with a view to linking Faustus with the other
dramas of latter Middle Ages. Doctor Faustus is the reflection of Marlowes own character.
Faustuss insatiable thirst for knowledge, his deep interest in his passion for the classics, his fanaticism, his deep
interest in necromancy (sorcery and magic), his admiration for Machiavelli (unscrupulous duplicity in statecraft) and his
supra-mundane aspirations and strong will in the pursuit of ideals of beauty or power prove him to be a man of Renaissance.
Faustuss rejection of the traditional subjects of study and turning to magic and practising it for obtain-ing profit,
delight, power, honour and omnipotence show that he was a man of Renaissance. He dwells upon the advantages which
he will gain as a magician. His ardent curiosity, his desire for pelf and power, and his nationalism are sound qualities of
the Renaissance. Renaissance was the great age of discovery of English history. Faustuss desire for gold, pearls, pleasant
fruits and princely delicacies for far off places speak of his enlarged outlook and extended horizon.
Faustuss friend refers to the Indians in the Spanish colonies, to the argosies of Venice, to Lapland giants, and to the
annual plate-fleet which supplied gold and silver to the Spanish treasury from the New World. The scene also shows
Faustuss intention to chase away the Prince of Parma from the Netherlands. The English audience was well aware of the
historical fact that the defeat of Spanish Armed alone had prevented Parma from invading England in 1588. Thus Faustuss
dreams of power had a strong appeal for the English people.
In his last soliloquy, Faustus, offers to burn his books of magic. It gives us the impression that he attributed his
downfall partly to his wrong learning. Faustus certainly embodies the new enquiring and aspiring spirit, audacity of
thought and temper to Renaissance. He also treats the questions that troubled Italian thinkers with teasing paradoxes. It is
a natural instinct that all mortals strive to know all truths by the intellect and to enjoy all items by the will. The soul stirs
to reach out towards harmony with the cosmic order. Marlowe exercises the poetic furore without giving an astrological
account of it, but his rhetoric often commands imagery of cosmic space. Marlowe made the verbal magic efficacious in
English. It left the audience spell bound. His eloquence often endows sweetness with power and vice-versa to disarm
conventional moral judgement. In Doctor Faustus it may be claimed that what we value most at the end is not the piety of
the good, but the rhetoric of the damned.
Doctor Faustus is the first Christian tragedy in which Marlowe has depicted the human soul as the tragic battlefield.
The play has a typical morality play ending. The chorus warns the forward wits against fiendish practices. Faustus is
loquacious and takes us deep into his own being. He is exuberant and bold in his actions, thoughts, deliberations, disputing,
conjuring, philosophising, defying God and undertaking the hazards. This shows that he infused the old medieval/Christian
moral equation with the novel and ambiguous dynamic of the Renaissance. He made Faustus the first modern man and
gave him unique fascination and dignity. The story represents a soul torn between over-enthusiastic desire on the one
hand and the claims of the old teachings which if defied could grow into a sense of alienation from society.
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The legend of Faustus is an eye-opener to all Christians to beware of the pitfalls of science, pleasure and ambition
which had brought about Faustuss damnation. The Good Angel warned Faustus that he would only incur Gods wrath
upon his head if he reads the book of magic. He also asks him to think of Heaven. The Evil Angel exhorts him to proceed
with the famous art of magic and to become the commander of the earth. The appeal to vague and healthy ambitions of an
aspirant soul represent the natural ideal of the Renaissance because he shows a wish to launch itself upon the wide world.
Faustus is a child of the Renaissance. We are all praise for his love of life, trust in nature and his enthusiasm for beauty.
While Faustus makes an ecstatic speech on seeing Helen, he speaks for us all. Power, curious knowledge, enterprise,
wealth and beauty are the characteristic traits of Faustus. The same are valued most by Renaissance.
Q. 2. How would you account for a plot within a plot in A Midsummer Nights Dream as a comedy?
Ans. Love : The Central Idea of the Comedy: A Midsummer Nights Dream is a fairy play in which all sorts of
fantastic things happen. Fairies come and go, lovers now love one woman and then another, a man is translated into an asshead and is loved by the queen of the fairies. But in the midst of all this fantastic medley there is a central theme governing
the play. It depicts the various facets of the lovers and beloveds in their lovemaking. All the four stories that make up the plot
of the drama treat of love in its romantic aspect. It is Shakespeares way to represent a theme from different points of view.
In his comedies, often we find a parody of the main theme in the subplot. This is exactly what we find in A Midsummer
Nights Dream Romantic love which is the theme of the main plot parodied in the subordinate plot.
The Story of the Young Lovers
The main plot of A Midsummer Nights Dream is the story of the Athenian lovers. The story turns upon the love of
two youths and two maids. It starts unhappily a girl (Hermia) loves a young man (Lysander), but her father is determined
to marry her to another youth (Demetrius). The course of true love does not run smooth. The father in his cruel obstinacy
invokes the extreme penalty of law upon his daughter. In order to escape the harsh law of Athens on the subject, Hermia
elopes with Lysander to a woodland where the Athenian law is not in force. Demetrius, when informed of their proposal
to elope, by his beloved (Helena) follows them. Thus a curious situation arises to which there could hardly be a happy
solution except through comic humour. Here the dramatist turns to laugh at the folly of youthful love. He shows how it
depends upon the juice of a flower. Love in idleness and it were only a chance as if it lay only in the eye. Lysander hates
the woman he loved and Demetrius love the woman he hated. After a nightmare of experience, however, the lovers find
themselves happily united. Thus, love in its romantic aspect, is the theme of the main story of A Midsummer Nights
Dream. Hermia remains constant in her affection and is prepared to suffer the extreme penalty of law for the sake of her
love. Helena deserted by Demetrius remains true to him and is rewarded in the end for her constancy. The course of true
love which was rough earlier, runs smoothly in the end.
Parody of the main theme in the interlude
The theme of romantic love is parodied in the interlude. Pyramus and Thisbe love each-other, but the wall divides
them. They, however manage to converse, sign and even kiss through a chick in the wall. They also, like Lysander and
Hermia, make an appointment to meet at night, but there instead of the fairies a lion waits for them and under a fatal
mistake the ill starred lovers commit suicide. The story is not tragic one, but the manner in which it is treated, moves only
laughter. The interlude is thus a burlesque presentment of the theme of romantic love.
Blind Infatuation of Titania and Bottom
The infatuation of the fairy queen for the ass-headed Bottom illustrates in an interesting manner how romantic love
may lead to most ludicrous absurdities. Here, however we see the effect of Oberons magic juice of a unique flower which
maidens call Love in idleness.
Titania, with her eyes anointed with love juice is made to dot upon the translated Bottom. But the episode represents
symbolically the folly of blind infatuation. Love is blind, it may see in the ass-headed Bottom the grace of Apollo, just as
it sees Helenas beauty in the brow of Egypt; but then it is grotesque infatuation and becomes source of fun as in this
TitaniaBottom episode.
Theseus and Hippolyta romance passion turns into mature love
Now in human life, romantics love making is only a passing phase. The fever and madness of fancied love pass of
and the lovers accept the obligations and responsibilities of real life. This is shown in the story of Theseus and Hippolyta.
Theseus has had his wilder days. He had his affairs with Perigouna. Aegles, Ariadne and Antiopa. But the fever had
worked itself out of his blood. Nevertheless his conquest of Hippolytas heart is a romance in itself. He has wounded her
with his sword and won her love through her injuries. But now he (Theseus) has laid aside romantic extravagance. The
lover is a mad man in his eyes now of imagination all compact. He stands forth as the law abiding King, no less than the
still and tender husband. Thus, the story of Theseus and Hippolyta only holds together the plot but provides us with the
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key to the real significance of the comedy. It shows that romantic love is only incidental and a part of life and should give
place to its larger interest and responsibilities.
Sober Love of Theseus and Hippolyta
The play, written for a marriage is naturally, concerned with love. Theseus and Hippolyta image the sober love for
middle age, with a touch of passion. They have no difficulties, no trouble. The tragedies of love, except those arising from
jealousy belong for the most part, to youth and the beginning of old age. In middle age, the great outside interests of the
world modify into a quiet and sober passion. Theseus turns at once from Hippolyta to the business of the state. Hippolyta
can philosophise with ease the vagaries of love. And both not caring for the loveliness of one-another which youthful
love desires, are delighted with the pleasures of the chase. They rise early in the morning to follow the hounds. Their talk
is not of love, but of bygone hunting of their dogs, their breed, their musical cry.
Q. 3. Comment on the soliloquies of Hamlet.
Ans. A prominent critic and playwright, T.S. Eliot has expressed the view that Hamlet, so far from being William
Shakespeares masterpiece, is most certainly an artistic failure. Hamlet, the play is beyond doubt more puzzling and
disquieting in many respects than the other plays authored by Shakespeare. Hamlet is the longest of Shakespeares plays.
Most probably, Shakespeare wrote it most enthusiastically and painstakingly. It is a matter of regret that in spite of patient
revisions. Shakespeare has left in it superfluous and inconsistent scenes which are generally noticed even by hasty and
casual readers. T.S. Eliot goes to the extent and says, Both of Shakespeares workmanship and thought are in a unstable
position in Hamlet. Admitted that Hamlet is more interesting than Coriolanus or even Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeares
most assured artistic success in may respects. Probably most people have thought Hamlet a work of art because they
found it interesting. On the contrary, they have not found it interesting because it is a work of art. In other words we can
say that Hamlet is an interesting drama but it is no match for Antony and Cleopatra in artistic design. Eliot does not
hesitate the least in calling Hamlet the Monalisa (Famous painting of woman with an inscrutable smile) of literature.
To elaborate his view point further, T.S. Eliot remarks that Shakespeare found no objective correlative to Hamlets
emotion. Hamlet, the man is governed by an inexpressible and irrepressible emotion. It appears an excrescence (morbid
outgrowth) to the visible facts. The disgust in Hamlet is occasioned by his mother. However, his mother is not an equivalent
for this emotion. His disgust encompasses and far exceeds her. In this way, he can neither understand nor can he objectify
this feeling. As a result, it simply lingers on, obstructs his action and envenoms his life. There is an enormity of possible
actions. However, none of them can satisfy this feeling. Even Shakespeares way of tackling the plot in any other manner
would fail to express Hamlet for him. While assessing the reason behind Shakespeares utter failure in this play, T.S. Eliot
is of the view that Shakespeare was rewriting an old play. Thereupon, the traces of crude original remained even after the
work was finished.
Shakespeares play Hamlet can undoubtedly be criticized from different angles on various artistic grounds. The
Hamlet, who was a brave and handsome Prince of Denmark and delivered in his senses such speeches as To be or not to
be , What a piece of work is man and Frailty, thy name is woman and Wise man know what monsters women make of
man is difficult to reconcile with the Hamlet who insults Ophelia with his obscenities when Ophelia said to Hamlet, I
believed you when you said you love me, he replied, You should not have believed me. Next he said, Go and shut
yourself in a nunnery. You should not marry and have sinful children. If you do marry, marry a fool, because wise men
know what monsters women makes of men. Hamlet says to his mother, You have offended my father. He says to her
categorically, You are your husbandss brothers wife and unfortunately, my mother. He asks her to sit still and not to get
up till he has finished with her. He speaks daggers to her. He says to her, You married a villain and a murderer, a man who
steals from the people, who state the crown and put it in his pocket. Hamlet even called his uncle Claudius How now, a
rat! He wishes to ensure the damnation as well as death of his enemy. Instead of tearing off Claudiuss letter he replaced
it and asked the King of England to put and end to the life of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as soon as they reach England.
This was a heinous and condemnable action on his part which was nothing short of causing their murder because it
resulted in their actual murder later on. He does not use his scruples when he speaks of the corpse of Polonius as the
guts.
As result, a critic, named A.J.A Waldock expresses his opinion and tells us that in Hamlet an old play is wrenched by
Shakespeare to new significance so that it was inevitable that the play should show the effects of the strain. The survival of
cruder methods from the old melodrama proved a touch of positive incoherence to Hamlets character. There are numerous
inexplicable points. Hamlets age at the beginning of the play appears to be below twenty. He was at battle with the Norwegians
when he got the news that his father had died of a snakebite while asleep in the garden. Hamlet was in mourning. According
to the first grave-digger, Hamlet is thirty years old at the end of the play. At a point, Horatio poses ignorance about any thing
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in Denmark and to be a perfect stranger. At another point, he seems to know more about the causes of the armaments race
than many others. The greater portion of the main events which are supposed to carry forward the action of the play seem
like chance-events and appear as if they were the work of fortune in her most haphazard and most casual capacity. Even the
players arrive wholly by chance. Hamlet got quite a ripe opportunity to kill Claudius. He received the summons to his
mothers room. As he strode to her room to speak freely with his mother, he passed Claudius, who was kneeling and praying.
He pulled out his sword and was going to kill Claudius when he stopped thinking, If a man is killed when he is praying he
goes to heaven. And I want him to suffer forever in hell. What kind of justice would it be that Claudius, the greatest villain of
all should go to heaven, while my father is still roaming around as a spirit and is not at peace ? Ill wait for another opportunity.
In this way, the most suitable opportunity proved no opportunity at all because the King was praying. The killing of Polonius
is also a chance. Hamlets mother was scared. She thought Hamlet was going to kill her. She cried in fright, Will you murder
me? Help, help! Polonius could not see what was happening because he was hiding behind the curtain. He also thought that
the Queen was going to be killed. So he shouted, What ? Oh, help, help! Hamlet thought Claudius was hiding behind the
curtain, and as he drew his sword, How now, a rat! he said and stabbed Polonius. Is it the king? he asked eagerly. It was
a matter of chance that all of Gertrude, Polonius and Hamlet thought wrongly at one and the same time. It was also a matter
of chance that the ship by which Hamlet was going to England was attacked on the way by pirates took him as a prisoner
while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern managed to continue their voyage to England. Hamlets subsequent return to Denmark
is also a matter of sheer chance.
According to some other critics Hamlet is not only a work of art but also a triumph of art. At the outset, Hamlet has
form and its action falls into three movements. The act of exposition leading to the words murder and revenge which
fill Act I form the first movement. They establish Claudius as the mighty opposite of Hamlet. The spirit of Hamlets father
tells Hamlet in plain words, The only snake in the garden that day was your uncle! While I slept peacefully your uncle
poured poison into my ear which caused my death. If ever you loved me you will avenge my death. Dont allow Claudius
to rule over the state of Denmark. As for your mother, do not harm her even though she was party to my murder. Her own
conscience and Gods retribution will be punishment enough for her! These words were both expository and precautionary
guidelines for Hamlet.
The second movement is related to the creation of the heros personality, to proving Claudiuss guilt and two tragic
errors on the part of the hero. Hamlet was very much shocked by the Ghosts revelations. He curses his cruel fate that he
was born to revenge the evil act. Hamlets putting on an act was a part of his plans of revenge. He started behaving
strangely. He got a suitable opportunity of killing his uncle but he deliberately missed it. His uncle was kneeling down in
prayer. He did not kill him then lest he should go to heaven. In hot haste, he killed Polonius because he failed to recognize
his voice.
The third movement leads to the consummation and the finale. There are four dead bodies on the stage. Gertrude
(Hamlets mother) had died because she had drunk a cup of poison. Laertes and Hamlet had wounded each-other with
poison-tipped sword. The enraged Hamlet also stabbed Claudius with the poisoned sword. It was also a matter of chance
that the same sword took three lives. It was in the possession of Laertes. He caused a small scratch on Hamlets body.
Their swords fell down in the scuffle and by chance Hamlet picked up the poisoned sword. He stabbed both Laertes and
Claudius at a short interval. The sequence of events seems to be quite systematic. In this way, Hamlet obey the laws of
dramatic construction.
Unity is the sole requirement of all great works of art. The personality of the hero, Hamlet is the focus of the play.
It provides the play a unity. Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark is undoubtedly the centre of our interest in spite of different
interpretations of his character and different approaches of the critics to him. Hamlet is the most multilateral of Shakespeares
creations. He is presented to us by the playwright in the company of all sorts of people. We see him with Ophelia, his
beloved. He said to her, I love you. When Ophelia was dead, he got ready to be burred with Ophelia and fought with
Laertes like an animal for his genuine claim. He also declared, Forty thousand brothers could not love Ophelia as much
as I loved her. If anyone should be buried with her it is me! He is also seen with his mother whom be had adored. The sole
reason behind his indecision and delay in killing his uncle was his consideration for his mother lest she should become a
widow again. We see Hamlet with his closest friend Horatio. Horatio was watchful lest the Ghost should harm him and
got ready to defend him if anything untoward occurred there. Hamlet shared the secret only with Horatio and told him
whatever the Ghost had told him. He begged Horatio not to breathe a word to anyone and made him swear his word on his
sword. He also tells Horatio about his prospective plan to put on Hamlet has full confidence only in Horatio. When the
play was going on, Hamlet asks Horatio to watch the face of the King to ensure from his reaction whether he is guilty or
not. He desires to meet Horatio when he returned to Elsinore after his escape from the pirates. He told him everything
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including his replacement of the confidential letters. They were together when Laertes fought with Hamlet in the grave.
The King bade Horatio to take Hamlet away because they were very close to each-other. When Hamlet was on death point
due to the effect of poison on him, it was Horatio who came and knelt beside him. Hamlet made Horatio promise to tell
the whole world his story. Horatio vowed to abide by his wishes. Horatio in the end said, Goodnight, sweet prince, may
flights of angles sing you to your rest.
Hamlet is also seen in the company of his schoolfellows, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as he once knew them and
as he learns to know them, when they become courtiers. The King sought their services to find out why Hamlet has
undergone a strange transformation because all the three of them were brought up together. Hamlet tells them that the
beautiful world seems to him both foul and repellent. This means he did not rely on them and gave them a roundabout
answer. He also caused their death at the hands of the King of England by replacing the confidential letter and pinpointing
their names to be put to an end. He is a very different person with Claudius. He has hated him throughout the play. Hamlet
hated Claudius because he was a mean, cunning and sly man. He had married Hamlets mother so on after the death of the
King and has succeeded him as King. He suspected his uncle of killing his father for the throne. The Ghost and the players
confirmed his suspicions. He posed madness simply to take revenge on his uncle. His uncle also tried to do away with him
with his might and main. He had committed Poloniuss murder on account of miscalculation. He had great love for
Ophelia before he posed madness. Then he insulted her and murdered her fathers. These two factors brought about her
death. Hamlet claimed to be buried with Ophelia and fought with Laertes to exhibit his lost love and his claim for burial.
Later on, he realizes his folly and apologies to Laertes for the manner in which he had spoken to him in the graveyard
(Forty thousand brothers could not love Ophelia as much as I love her) and Laertes accepts the apology. The readers laugh
with Hamlet at Osric and hold our breath in the dread presence of the ghost. His behaviour is the most charming when he
is with the laymen, such as the players (actors in the play) and the grave diggers. Though his sociloquies he confides to us
his many moods. We know what he and other think of one-another and what he thinks of himself.
We will do injustice to Shakespeare if we say that the character of Hamlet has been portrayed by him incoherently.
In spite of certain contradictions, the rest of the play is quite clear. We can fairly call Hamlet as the wavering, irresolute
and speculative youngman who lacks in the capacity of executing his premeditated action. The figure of Hamlet is an
immortal figure of art and poetry. He is unique and supreme embodiment of the universal in the individual. His figure as
it shaped itself in Shakespeares mind is one of the few world-characters. According to Goether, in this play, Shakespeare
has depicted a great deed undertaken by a soul who was ill-matched for its performance. Coleridge also holds similar
views and says, In Hamlet, we view a great intellectual activity and a proportionate aversion to real action consequent
upon it.
Hamlet is a brave and handsome prince of Denmark. He was at battle with the Norwegians when he got the news
that his father had died of a snakebite while asleep in the garden. He was terribly shocked. However, a dark suspicion got
into his mind that his uncle has killed his father for the throne. His fathers ghost confirmed his suspicions by telling him,
The only snake in the garden that day was your uncle who poured poison into my ear while I slept peacefully, and caused
my death. It transformed the noble prince into an angry man. The Ghost also says, If ever you loved me you will avenge
my death. Dont allow Claudius to rule over the state of Denmark. Do not harm your mother even though she was also a
party to my murder. Her own conscience and Gods retribution will be punishment enough for her. This revelation
creates a vacillation in his mind. His doubts get confirmed in his mind but make it unsteady. He is now filled with fury at
the sins of his uncle and mother. (Both of them were party to the murder and got married soon after the late Kings death.)
The words of his fathers Ghost Revenge this evil act kept resounding in his ears every time. He had, however no way
of proving that his uncle was the real culprit.
Hamlet is fearless and careless of death. Nevertheless, he vacillates because of his extreme sensitiveness and
procrastinates because of his excessive thinking. All of the Hamlets soliloquies show that he is too self-analytical and
introspective. He blurts out, O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I. To be or not to be is the question ..... now could I
drink hot blood. Now might I do it pat, now he is praying and so on. Hamlet does a lot of action which may be called
impulsive. We can also call Hamlet an image of self-reproach and irresolution. Hamlet is pre-eminently a tragedy of
thought and successfully carries out this purpose. Hence, we can label it as an artistic masterpiece.
Hamlets madness was only feigned. After his encounter with his fathers Ghost, Hamlet reveals his plan to his
never-failing friend Horatio that he will now put on an act, and see if he can catch those villains. He calls himself ill-fated
to be born to revenge the evil act. After his meeting with the Ghost, all Hamlets thoughts centred around plans of
revenge. The grief of his fathers death and the cause behind it made him behave strangely. To allay any suspicion his
uncle might have, and realise that he knew more about his fathers death and its cause, Hamlet decided to pretend he was
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mad. When Hamlet was talking to his mother, the Ghost of the old King reappeared and said, Do not torture her any
more. She will suffer enough on her own. Ive come to tell you not to falter in your action. Leave her alone, the real villain
is Claudius and you must kill him. Hamlet started talking to the Ghost. His mother said, Have you really gone mad that
you speak to the wall ? Hamlet clarifies his position and says, Mother, dont try to fool yourself that I have gone mad, and
that it is not your own guilty conscience that makes you frightened. Repent while you can Heaven wants me to avenge the
murder of my father. I am not really mad, but dont let the King know this.
Shakespeare borrowed the conception of madness from Hamlets original story. He has turned it into a safety-valve
for the Princes hysteria and melancholy. Shakespeare makes use of the devices of simulation and dissimulation. We must
not confuse Hamlets assumption of the antic (grotesque trick or posture) disposition with Ophelias virtual madness.
Nevertheless, the feigned madness had its effect and disturbed his mental equilibrium (equipoise) in some degree.
We should not regard the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia as sullying (disfiguring) the play and meddling
with its artistic quality. We may accept that the relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet was enigmatic (puzzling). The
Prince was knee deep in love with Ophelia before his mothers incestous remarried with Claudius who was a mean,
cunning and sly man. He was compelled to give up thoughts of love when the duty of avenging his fathers murder was
laid upon him. He also ceased to love her when he thought she had deserted and betrayed him. Ophelias brother Laertes
and her father Polonius warned her against Hamlet because they did not take it for granted that the Prince would marry
her though he had been visiting her frequently and had claimed his love for her. Polonius had told her to act coldly
towards Hamlet. Laertes had also advised her to reject Hamlets advances. Hamlet insulted Ophelia when she met him in
the castle. He said, You should not have believed me when I said I loved you. Go and shut yourself in a nunnery. You
should not marry and have sinful children. If you do marry, marry a fool, because wisemen know what monsters women
make of men. These words break Ophelias heart and she starts sobbing. She says, Oh, he has really gone mad! Woe to
me, that I lived to see this day!, to show his deep love for Ophelia, Hamlet jumps into her grave and claims his right to be
buried with her. He fight like an animal with Laertes who intervenes. He says, Forty thousand brothers could not love
Ophelia as much as I loved her. If anyone should be buried with her, it is me!
The theme of the play is quite clear-cut. There is no ray of obscurity in it. The son intends to avenge his murdered
father. The tragedy lies in Hamlets vacillation and procrastination. There were two quite solid and potent reasons behind
his indecisiveness. He had no way of proving for certain that his uncle had really murdered his father. Besides, he did not
aspire to make his mother a widow for the second time. Moreover, his fathers ghost had enjoined on him not to harm or
hurt his mother even though she was a party to his murder. The same theme lingers throughout the play and catches
everybodys attention. The theme of Hamlets irresolution and Claudiuss counterplotting shown its heightening effect.
The elemental passions e.g. love, the instinct of self-defence, revenge and filial (due from son or daughter) piety are
successfully dealt with. The theme is developed by the essential method of dramatic action consisted in great crises and
happenings such as the appearance, revelations and guidelines by the Ghost of the murdered King; the play-scene which
revealed the guilt of the present King and the Queen and Hamlets interview with his mother when he used fiery and
dagger-like words and charges her of infidelity towards her late husband and putting her to shame by saying, At your age
you should have had more sense. The play ends with the consummation of vengeance upon the culprit by the hero. It
means that the poetic justice has been done. Hamlets tragic death also does not aggrieve or pain us. It rather satisfies our
natural desires because it can be interpreted as the only salvation of his tortured spirit. Hamlet stands supreme in our eyes
and estimation as an interesting character as he is an integral part of action in the play.
There are many other factors which also contribute to the greatness of the play. The pathos of Ophelias fortunes is
one of them. When Hamlet behaves with her in a strange, odd and insulting manner, she pities and curses herself and says,
Oh, he has really gone mad! Woe is me, that I lived to see this day! The introduction of the supernatural, one of the
permanent dramatic motives is another factor. The Ghost of Hamlets father reveals to him the names of his actual
murderers and urges him not to spare his uncle but not to harm his mother. The Ghost reappears when Hamlet starts
chiding his mother and upbraiding (reproaching) her of marrying a villain and a murderer who has stolen the crown and
put it in his pocket. The churchyard scene is grimly humorous. The grave-digger says, I am digging my own grave.
Hamlets jumping madly into the grave with the desire of his being buried alongwith his beloved Ophelia is also grimly
humorous. It also creates a grim situation when the Queen throws flowers into the grave saying, sweets for the sweet. I
had hoped you would be my son Hamlets bride and that I would decorate your bridal bed with flowers. But it is your
grave I am scattering flowers on. We find a wide range of character with contrary and contrasting characteristics in this
play. Horatio is Hamlets tested and all time friend. He knows all of Hamlets ins and outs and never betrays him. Laertes
is vindictive (revengeful) character and is a puppet in Claudiuss hand. He does not feel satisfied when Hamlet tenders to
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him his apology for his behaviour at the churchyard. He feels contented only when he stabs Hamlet with a poisoned
sword. Fortinbras demands the territory which his father had lost to the late King of Denmark. Claudius sends a despatch
to the King of Norway asking him to restrain his nephew from embarking upon his reckless adventure. This action of the
King bears fruitful results. The players also prove as foils to Hamlet. The scene of the murder of Gonzago shown by them
bears close similarity to the murder of the late King of Denmark. It shook Claudius to the skin and his foul deed was
thought to be exposed. All these scenes and characters provide us diversity of impression. They also develop the theme in
different ways. Ophelias real madness can be contrasted to Hamlet self-imposed and assumed madness. It appears,
Ophelia had drowned herself in a brook of her own accord. Hamlets motive of taking revenge was natural, logical and
pure. On the contrary, Claudius was a selfish, vicious, voluptuous, corrupt and incestuous fellow who resorts to intrigue
and seeks help of other agencies in getting Hamlet murdered. He asks the King of England to murder Hamlet as soon as
his ship reaches there. He also instigates Laertes to stab Hamlet with a poisoned sword. The Queen Gertrude is selfish and
incestuous. She gets her husband murdered and shares his nuptial bed after a short span of time. She pitied Hamlet for his
strange behaviour and wishes him to treat Claudius as his own father. She never asks Claudius to treat Hamlet as his son.
When Hamlet fights with Laertes in the churchyard, the Queen asks Laertes to let the mad boy go. Hamlet was not foul in
his action. He loved Ophelia passionately and it was his rightful claim to be buried with Ophelia. She knows this fact
perfectly well and was dreaming of decorating her nuptial bed on her marriage with Hamlet. Instead of snubbing Laertes,
she exhorted him not to grapple with a madman. Thus even the casual and unexpected occurrences in the play turn into a
larger design. In this way, randomness becomes a requital (vengeance), retribution, a recompense for evil. It was a matter
of sheer chance that Polonius get stabbed in place of Claudius, Gertrude drinks the poison in place of Hamlet; the two
courtier are put to death in place of Hamlet; and Laertes dies when he is stabbed with his own sword.
The most celebrated-and arguably the most discussed-soliloquy in English literature is Hamlet's "To be, or not to be"
speech (III.i). Linwood E. Orange (1965) views it as Hamlet's attempt to convince Claudius and Polonius (who are
overhearing his words) that he is truly mad and contemplating suicide. James Hirsh (see Further Reading) also claims that
the "To be" soliloquy is not an interior monologue; the critic emphasizes the impersonality of its first section and regards
it as an instance in which the speaker knows he is being overheard and uses his words to mislead the eavesdroppers into
believing that he does not intend to exact vengeance for the murder of his father. Like Orange and Hirsh, Edna Zwick
Boris (see Further Reading) judges this speech to be "a staged soliloquy"; Boris argues that Hamlet is fully aware that he
is being observed and overheard, and that the speech is primarily directed to Claudius. Harold Jenkins (1989) outlines
various stages of Hamlet's argument in this speech, from consideration of the alternatives of relief from "the pains of
living" to "fear of the unknown." For Jenkins, the soliloquy is an impersonal debate: the prince's search for a resolution of
a universal conflict. Analyzing the juxtaposition of philosophy and religion in this soliloquy, Arieh Sachs (see Further
Reading) describes Hamlet here as a "would-be Stoic" who is essentially a Christian. Like Sachs, Francesca Bugliani (see
Further Reading) interprets the speech as an expression of Hamlet's doubts about Stoicism, and whether rationality and
imperturbability are preferable to passion.
During the course of the play, Hamlet has six other extended monologues. In a book that focuses on the way eleven
different twentieth-century actors delivered Hamlet's soliloquies, Mary Z. Maher (1992) remarks that directors and
performers have frequently interpreted these passages as attempts to woo the audience, to establish ties with it that will
turn playgoers into collaborators or, at least, sympathetic judges. James Cameron Andrews (see Further Reading) links
Hamlet's soliloquy in I.ii ("O that this too too sallied flesh would melt") with the monologue in I.v that begins "O all you
host of heaven." Andrews calls attention to the association of "foul play" in the second soliloquy with Hamlet's suspicions
regarding his mother's sexual misconduct expressed in the first. W. Schrick x (see Further Reading) connects Hamlet's "O
all you host of heaven" soliloquy to the theme of revenge, asserting that in this speech the prince takes on the burden of
avenging his father's death, even though his religious beliefs incline him to leave vengeance to divine providence. Stephen
Booth (see Further Reading, 2002) offers a close reading of the "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!" soliloquy at the
close of Act II, scene ii. Booth emphasizes the complexity of this speech, its lack of clarity, and the richness of its
language. Both Fredson Bowers (1962) and Maurice Charney (1977) evaluate Hamlet's monologue in Act III, scene ii that
follows the dumb show of "The Murder of Gonzago" and which begins "'Tis now the very witching time of night."
Bowers argues that the function of this speech is to inform the audience that Hamlet's confrontation with Gertrude in the
following scene is linked to his hope that he can make his mother see the incestuous nature of her marriage to Claudius.
Charney similarly associates this soliloquy with the closet scene (III.iv), but in contrast to Bowers, he argues that the
speech demonstrates that Hamlet has become so contaminated by the idea of revenge that his attitude toward his mother
is dominated by cruelty and thoughts of matricide. Gideon Rappaport (1987) analyzes Hamlet's "Now might I do it pat"
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soliloquy (III.iii), as Claudius kneels in an attempt to pray. Emphasizing the importance of reading this passage in relation
to its dramatic context, the critic contrasts Hamlet's apparent rationality here with the prince's corruption and descent into
evil as he struggles to determine how to pursue an ethical course of action in a universe that is "morally complex."
Anthony J. Gilbert (1995) assesses Hamlet's "How all occasions do inform against me" soliloquy (IV.iv) with respect to
the question of whether dramatic soliloquies, Shakespeare's and others', represent moments of truth telling. Gilbert calls
attention to what he regards as Hamlet's evasive, ambiguous language in this passage, concluding that the speech
demonstrates that "Hamlet is incapable of knowing why he does not act." Ralph Berry (1989) argues that a principal
function of Hamlet's soliloquies is to impose "his viewpoint upon the audience" by speaking to it directly, as if its members
were psychological counselors or analysts. Both Berry and Rappaport address the question of why Hamlet has no
monologues in Act V; their conclusions are similar: the absence of externalized complaints signals that by this point in the
play the prince has matured, finally acknowledging his responsibility to take action.
Q. 4. Discuss Jansonian comedy with reference to Alchemist.
Ans. The Purpose of the Present Comedy
In the prologue to Every man in his Humour, Jonson had written that the aim of his comedy was to sport with
human follies, not with crimes. It was his object to expose human follies to laughter and, by this means, to rid people of
those follies. Thus he had a moralising purpose.
An Entertaining Comedy
The Alchemist purpose is a comedy par excellence. It is a highly entertaining comedy. It makes us laugh a good deal.
Some elements are as under
1. Dapper Held Favourite. The episode in which Dapper is made to believe that he is a favourite of the Queen of
Fairies and that he is, in fact, her nephew, is very amusing indeed.
2. Dapper Befooled. Dapper is befooled by the conspirators to such an extent that he allows himself to be gagged
by them and then stowed away in the closet.
3. Disguise of Surly. The episode in which Surly appears in the disguise of a Spanish Don, pretending that he
knows no English, is again very amusing.
4. Pretended Madness. The pretended madness of Dol, is one of the most amusing situations.
5. Outwitting. The outwitting of Subtle and Dol by Face constitutes another comic situation.
The Moral Object of the Play
The moral purpose behind the play becomes evident when we examine the ultimate fate of the various characters. In
the case of Subtle, Face and Dol, the author has depicted crimes. All these three persons are real criminals who deceive
and cheat their clients and rob them of as much money as they can. Subtle claims that he is an alchemist. He is capable of
manufacturing of the elixir or the philosophers stone which can make people wealthy. He is actually a pretender. He is
rightly described towards the end by one of his victims as the alchemical cozens. These victims are as under
(1) Mammon. He has promised to provide Mammon with the philosophers stone on a particular day, when that day
comes, he finds a way of evading the whole issue by accusing Mammon of having wrecked the whole alchemical process
by his sinful indulgence in sexual pleasure on the sacred premises.
(2) Anabaptists. Subtle cheats the Anabaptists who have also been given promise that they would get the philosophers
stone which would enhance their power, influence, and prestige. He also assures that he can manufacture Dutch dollars
for them. He forces them to buy what he calls the Orphans goods. In fact these goods are the metallic articles sent to
him by Mammon for conversion into gold.
(3) Dapper. Dapper and Drugger too are Subtles victims. Dapper is assured that he would be provided with a
familiar or an attendant spirit to enable him to make money through gambling.
(4) Drugger. He has been assured of commercial prosperity through the prescriptions offered by the alchemist.
(5) Face. Subtle hatches a plot with Dol against Face. Ultimately Subtle is completely outwitted by Face and has to
flee from Lovewits house. He is not able to take away with him the slightest bit of the accumulated booty. Thus the fate
of this villain is a lesson for all those who try to make money by crooked methods.
(6) Dol. Dol shares Subtles fate. She is prostitute; she disguises that she is subject to fits of madness; she disguises
herself as the Queen of Fairies to throw dust into the eyes of Dapper; she agrees to rob Dame Plaint of her jewellery; she
also is rightly punished as she gets nothing from the accumulated booty.
Comedy of Humours Meaning
In the prologue to The Alchemist, Jonson mentions the whore, the bawd, the pimp, and imposter as persons representing
some of the humours. Jonson applied the term humour metaphorically to what is now called a mans obsessions or his
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complex. He endowed each of his characters with some or the other particular whim or affection. It might also be some
exaggeration of manner, speech, or dress. His play Every Man in his Humour is a brisk comedy of character. It is designed
to make sport with human follies, not with crimes. Every character has this particular humour, his prevailing mood or
rather his oddity, mental habit or fad. Some examples are as under
1. Fathers Humour. Old Knowell in this play is excessively worried about his sons moral health and his activities.
It is the fathers humour thus to make himself miserable.
2. Merchants Humour. The humour of merchant, Kitely is to be a jealous husband.
3. Young ones Humour. Two young, self-confident, and foolish men of fashion exist only to be dupted.
4. Magistrates Humour. An honest optimistic magistrate has firm faith in the virtues of a cup of wine.
In The Alchemist, he made an elaborate study of human gullibility, and the humour represented here is also the
master passion of greed which afflicts each of the dupes in the play.
Purpose
Jonson points out in the prologue to The Alchemist that his purpose in representing such humours in his comedies
was to make people realize their own shortcomings, follies and absurdities and thus to try to cure themselves of these
undesirable humours.
The Humour of Avarice in the Various Characters
The first type of humour is that of Avarice in various characters. An obsessive desire for easy money is common to
all Subtles clients. The nobleman, the countryman, the little clerk, the churchmen, the small shopkeeper. Jonsons net is
cast widely enough over society to include all these.
(1) Dapper. The first client who appears in the play is Dapper, a lawyers clerk. He is more interested in making
money through gambling, he wishes to give up his real profession and become a whole-time gambler. He has come to the
alchemist to be provided with an attendant spirit who would enable him to win money at horse-races, at card-parties, and
at dice-parties. He gets an assurance from Subtle to be provided with the required familiar who would make Dapper win
all the money at gambling parties so that all the other contestants would be reduced to bankruptcy. Dapper feels convinced
by Subtles and Faces assurances, and goes home to sharpen his senses with the use of vinegar, as directed. Then he
comes back. He is so deeply charmed that he allows himself to be blindfolded gagged and stowed away in the toilet in the
hope that he would be granted a personal interview with the Queen of Fairies. In the end an interview between Dapper and
the Queen of Fairies is arranged. We know that she is no other than Dol in disguise. In this way Dapper is robbed of
whatever he had got.
(2) Drugger. Drugger, a tobacconist wants commercial prosperity. He wants to expand his business. He too is given
a formulae for attaining success in his commercial enterprises. He is also provided with a thriving sign by Subtle.
(3) The Anabaptists. Ananias is sceptical about Subtles powers to produce the philosophers stone. But Tribulation
tries to convince his colleague, Ananias of the miraculous powers of Subtle. The two Anabaptists agree to pay some
additional money to Subtle for providing them with the philosophers stone. They hope that it would place so much
wealth at the disposal of the brethren at Amsterdam that they would be able to buy countries and to extent the influence of
their sect over large areas. They also agree to buy what Subtle describes as Orphans goods. However, we know well
that there are actually the metallic articles sent by Mammon to Subtles establishment to be converted into gold. They
accept from Subtle counterfeit dollars. They recognize the distinction between the coining of dollars and the casting
of dollars.
(4) Sir Epicure Mammon. Sir Epicure Mammon had been given a promise that the philosophers stone would be
placed in his hands on a particular day. Subtle told him that he had already commenced the alchemical process which
would yield the philosophers stone or the elixir. On the appointed day, Mammon arrives at Subtles establishment. Subtle
tells Dol that Mammon aims at making people rich through the philosophers stone and also to cure the sufferers of all
their diseases. Mammon is an ambitious person. He speaks of the luxurious life which he would acquire through the
philosophers stone. He would make surly also a rich man. Be rich, says Mammon to Surly, This day thou shalt have
ingots. Mammon would eat the most expensive foods served in plates of gold studded and embellished with precious
stones of various colours. He gives a detailed account of the dishes. His food would include tongues of carps, dormice,
camels heels, oiled mushrooms, and the teats of a fat pregnant sow. These foods would be served not in ordinary utensils
but in dishes of agate, set in gold. These would be studded with emeralds, sapphires, hyacinths and rubies. However, he
is told that the collapse of the alchemical process is due solely to his own sinfulness and goes back with empty-hands.
Q. 5. How is Playboy a tragicomedy?
Ans. Critics have regarded The Playboy of the Western World as a comedy with strong farcical elements or prob-
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ably a tragedy. In spite of its having some tragic elements, this play is a rollicking (boisterous/jovial) comedy. It is replete
with abundance of humour of situation, of character and of dialogue. The remarks and comments of all the characters are
amusing even though they are sarcastic or ironical and have satirical content. Certain situations in it are extravagantly
funny. Though the play abounds in humour and wit yet it has serious aspect too. It is depressing that an ordinary good-fornothing fellow is glorified as a murderer. Christy leaves the shebeen triumphantly. The women of Christys village used
to call him, The looney (a scamp/rascal/knave lunatic) of Mahons. PEGEEN (the principal female character in the play)
feels aggrieved on losing him. She says, Ive lost the only Playboy of the Western World. Christys departure is a
comedy for him because it may mean a new, romantic life for him. It was a tragedy for Pegeen since she has lost her ideal
lover and prospective husband.
The story of the play is improbable. The people believe that Christys act of giving a hard blow to his father is in
itself heroic. The same people adopt a hostile attitude to him when he kills his father in their own presence. It is also
difficult to believe that timid, clumsy and worthless fellow is transformed into a virtually self-confident, brave and selfassertive young man and dominates even his formidable father within a day.
The author admits that he has used the language of actual conversation of the people of Ireland and of the Aran
Islands. Hence his speeches are neither extravagant, nor impossible. Most of the characters are also drawn in a realistic
manner with the exception of transformation in Christy. Exaggeration is not considered illegitimate in a comedy. The
character of Shawn is perfectly convincing with his dastardliness (cowardice) and his subservience (subordination) to the
local priest. Pegeen is combination of practicality and imaginativeness. There is nothing impossible in her except the
change in her attitude towards her fiance on meeting Christy and towards Christy when he had given his father, a hard
blow in the shebeen. Her hostility seems incredible. It was realistic on the part of Widow Quin to feel interested in Christy
because both of them were murderers. The similarities and contrast between Pegeen and Widow Quin, and between
Christy and Shawn reinforce the realistic effect and make the presentation all the more striking to our minds. In spite of
having some common traits they are also poles apart. Out of the two widowers and drunkards, (Michael and Mahon) one
is jovial and kind-hearted while the other is choleric and spiteful.
The Title
The word Playboy denotes the hero who can play successfully with language, triumph in the play of athletic
contest and excel in the play of flirtation and courtship. The word Playboy was initially spoken by Widow Quin out of
mockery who has been huddled in terror behind the door while she talks to his father. She calls him the Walking Playboy
of the Western World. She also calls his father The poor man. Again she used the word Playboy in the contest of
Christys victory in the games, still with the irony of her superior awareness. She tells Christys father how the people
were cheering the Champion Playboy of the Western World old Mahon (Christys father) disbelieves this description of
Christy whom he considered as a worthless fellow. Out of ridicule the crowd called out Theres the Playboy when they
came to know that Christys father was alive. We find a different meaning of the Playboy when Pegeen Wails at Christys
departure and says, Oh my grief, Ive lost him surely. Ive lost the only Playboy of the Western World. There is no irony
in her statement.
The Western World here means Western Ireland only. This term is misleading to the readers who come to the play
for the first time since they misunderstand the western world as the western countries like Britain, France, Italy and the
U.S.A.
Q. 6. Comment on the plot of Pygmalion.
Ans. The Threefold Theme of the PlayShaws play Pygmalion has a threefold theme instead of a single theme.
Three strands have been interwoven in the construction of the play as under
(1) The first is the phonetic experiment undertaken by Professor Henry, Higgins and its success.
(2) Professor Higgins imperceptiveness; and his lack of human warmth resulting disappointment for Eliza.
(3) The third is the problem concerning satisfaction of the material and emotional needs of those who, through
education, have been lifted to a higher intellectual and cultural level. These three themes may be discussed as
under
The Phonetic Experiment
Henry Higgins is a professor of phoneticsthe science of speech. He has studied the different ways wherein the
English language is spoken in different regions of England as well as in different cities such as London. His knowledge is so
profound that he can judge, by the manner of pronunciation and accent of a man from which part of England he comes in the
beginning of the play he feels much. Distressed on hearing the manner in which the flower-girl, Eliza is speaking the
language. The flower-girl is speaking the London dialect known as Cockney. This dialect deviates so much from standard
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English that the Professor regards the flower-girl as a disgrace to the English language. Being confident of his own capacity
to teach standard English to those who take lessons from him, he declares that in a short period of three months only he can
pass this flower-girl off as a duchess at an ambassadors garden party. The flower-girl visits him and becomes his pupil on the
next day. She begins to take lessons from him in speaking English. Higgins discovers that the girl has a quick and receptive
ear. Hence she would pick up the correct pronunciation of words and the correct accent at a rapid speed. After three months
or so of this instruction and training, the girl is subjected to a test. The test is taken at the house of Higginss mother where a
few guests have assembled. The girl proves to have acquired a satisfactory command of English language, but that she has
not yet learnt what kind of subjects should be talked about at a gathering of upper-class people. Listeners can see through
that she is a girl of low birth. As a result, Higginss mother tells him that although the girl is a triumph of his and the dressmakers art, she is not yet presentable. In other words Eliza knows how to dress elegantly and that she has learnt to speak
English correctly with a proper accent, but she is not yet fit to move in the upper-class circles of society. The reason is the
things that she talks about would expose her to be of low birth. Higgins gives some further training to the girl. In another test
in an embassy reception, Eliza scores a splendid success. Her poise, her bearing, her carriage, her dress and her manner of
speaking English impress everybody profoundly. A Hungarian linguist opines, that this girl has royal blood in her veins, the
hostess at the party is so deeply moved that she declares that this girl must be a princess at least. Thus the Professor of
phonetics has achieved success in his undertaking.
The Message Conveyed by the Experiment
The success of the above phonetic experiment conveys to us the lesson that the natural ability or talent of a human
being requires a favourable environment and opportunity for its full development. Hence the government or society
ought to provide such opportunities to the needy persons. If Eliza had not been picked up by Higgins, she would have
spent all her life in the gutter, living no better than an animal. The needful opportunity a congenial environment and
atmosphere make her develop into a fine lady. Eliza is transformed into a polished and cultured woman. This woman has
all capability to move in the highest circles of society without being suspected of being a low-born person. This
transformation brought about in the flowers-girl by the Professor entitles him to be regarded as another Pygmalion. In fact
Shaw always felt disappointed with the way in which the English people spoke their language. He had a sensitive ear
well-trained to value musical sounds. He was gifted with a sweet speaking voice by nature. It was his wish that a new
English alphabet, based on phonetic principles, should be brought into existence to provide a separate symbol or sign for
each spoken sound. This reform would bring about correct pronunciation by everybody and would make everyone speak
English with the proper accent also. Shaw has illustrated his aim by presenting Professor of phonetics who successfully
teaches an illiterate girl the proper way of speaking English, using correct grammar and correct pronunciation. As such
Shaw has rightly use the name of Pygmalion for this Professor of phonetics.
Q. 7. What features make murder in the cathdral a Christian play?
Ans. The four Tempters in the play, Murder in the Cathedral are not independent entities, but the four aspects of
Thomas Becket himself. Becket has returned to Canterbury after his seven-year long absence. He had been living abroad
on foreign charity. He tells the priests that his immediate task would be to deal with shadows and to contend against
those shadows.
Four Tempters come to visit Becket one after the other in succession immediately afterwards. The mention of the
word shadow provides a clear-cut clue that they are nothing else than figments or his own imagination. Each shadow
symbolizes a certain aspect of Beckets individual mind and personality. In a nutshell, , the four Tempters are only
personifications of Beckets own desires and proclivities and objectify the inner thoughts of Becket himself. They can
also stand for internalized facets of his own consciousness.
A mental conflict begins to occur in Beckets mind when he returns to Canterbury. He is meditating upon the
specific course of action, which he should pursue now out of four distinct courses of action open to him. He is wavering
in his mind. He is at a loss to find out which one out of the four courses of action he should adopt. All the four courses of
action open to him have been provided visible and concrete shape as a Tempter. They appear before him in the form of
four temptations. They come one after the other, each arriving when his predecessor has departed in despair and
disappointment. Becket is wholly aware and conscious of the first three courses of action which are suggested to him by
the first three Tempters. However, the fourth course of action suggested to him by the fourth Tempter has been present in
his unconscious or subconscious mind. As a result he tells the fourth Tempter that he had expected only the first three
Tempters. He least expected the fourth Tempter. Hence we can regard the entire dialogue taking place between Becket
and all the Tempters as simply a prolonged mental conflict in Becket. T.S. Eliot reveals the mental conflict to the audience
through a visible encounter between Becket and the Tempters.
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The first two tempters who offer a life of pleasure and a life of worldly power to Becket refer to his past life. On the
other hand, the third and the fourth Tempters who offer Becket an alliance with the barons and personal glory through
martyrdom suggest courses of future action. All the four tempters link this play with the moralities of the middle ages.
Human vices e.g. pride, lust, gluttony etc. were personified in the Morality Plays of those times (Middle ages). Human
vices appeared on the stage like human figures bearing these names.
The first Tempter represents the natural sensual man. He loves merriment, athletics, music, gala company, delicious
food, jocundly, and romance. The first Tempter present himself from Becket and says, Ive come without observing any
formality and any feeling of acridity in my heart. I beg to be excused for my frivolous manner which Becket is like to
disapprove in a solemn mood. The first Tempter says You should once again take to the life of gaiety as you had let in the
past in the company of King Henry when you happened to be the Chancellor. You can once again enjoy a carefree life of
mirth, sportfulness and gaiety since you have developed understanding with the King.
The first Tempter reminded Becket that at one time in the past he used to play flutes in the meadows and violin in the
hall. He used to enjoy hearty laughter, float apple blossoms on water and exchanged wit and wisdom. He also used to
whisper in chambers and sing of nightfall. Becket agrees and says, Those pleasures which he had once enjoyed were really
unforgettable. The first Tempter got inspired and painted a more vivid and alluring picture of the life that Becket had once
led. He assured Becket that he could lead a similar life again because reconciliation has taken place between him and King
Henry. In the past, when Becket and King Henry, used to be friends, Becket was called Gay Tom and Becket of London.
They used to spend the evening together on the river in the past. Let there be once again merrymaking, witty talk and
pleasure. Let the clergymen and the laymen (laity) return to a life of mirth and sportfulness. Let there be spring in winter so
that the snow in the branches of water may look like the blossoms of spring. Let ice-flow along the ditches to mirror the
sunlight. Let love in the orchard give a fresh impetus to the sap in the trees. Let Mirth match melancholy.
Becket replies that in the life of an individual man, the past can never return. A wise man knows it fully well that he
cannot influence the course of events therefore, he should sever his connection with past pleasures and start a new life. The
Tempter warns him not to reject the attractive offer and says A man will often love what he spurns. He promises to lend to
Becket his full support in case he accepts the offer of those pleasures. Becket rejects his temptation outrightly and says to the
Tempter, It would be better if you were to repent of your sins and follow the path shown by JESUS CHRIST instead of
talking in this foolish manner. The Tempter says emphatically to Becket, Youre making a mistake by rejecting my offer
vainly you dont know that safety does not lie in pride. Moreover, you never adopted this type of stiff manner towards sin and
sinners in the past. You were rather friendly with the sinners. The man who tolerates sins eats the best dinners. Becket says,
Its too late in my life for me to think of the pleasures of my youth. A life of sensuous delights no longer attracts me. Becket
dismissed the temptation with the greatest ease. The first Tempter, thereupon decides to leave Becket to his fate. However, he
says to Becket, Youll have to pay a much higher price for the pride which you take in your religious piety because he is
inclined to indulge in higher vices (his pride in his religious piety and in his ascetic way of life).
The Second Tempter now arrives. He reminds Becket of the meetings which Becket had held with King Henry at
various places (Clarendon in 1164, Northampton in 1964, and Montmirall in 1169) with a view to discussing the possibility
of a pact between the secular and the ecclesiastical authorities. He say to Becket, You had made a mistake by resigning
Chancellorship and the secular power attached to it which have brought to you a permanent renown. You could receive a
ceremonial and impressive burial on your death and a monument of marble might be built over his grave.
He also tells Becket that worldly power should not be misunderstood as madness. He also suggests that Becket
should exercise secular authority in this world and practise piety and asceticism in the life to come. He should regain
Chancellorship in order to administer the country once more under the patronage of King Henry. In this way, he can
protect the poor, penalise the mischievous and unruly elements in the country, strengthen the laws, dispense justice to all
and rule the country for the good of the people. His career as an Archbishop only bestows upon him the meaningless
spiritual power since it wholly devotes him to religion and binds him to lead a life of earthly damnation. Becket would
merely be a powerless servant of a powerless Pope without secular authority. Becket is afraid that the Bishops whom he
had excommunicated would join the barons and oppose him if he accepts Chancellorship again. The Tempter says, The
opposition of the Bishops and the barons would be countered by the support extended to you by the King and the
peasantry. Becket says, A man devoted to the service of God can derive no pleasure or glory from worldly power. The
Tempter says, There is no point in losing oneself completely in the worship of God power is present. Holiness hereafter.
Real power lies in the present for him who is ready to wield it.
Becket declines to accept the second Tempters offer of the CHANCELLORSHIP because he possesses spiritual
authority which is more important as it empowers him to admit people to heaven or to send them to hell according to their
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merits and demerits. As Archbishop, he derives the power from Pope. to bind and to loose; to send the sinners to
damnation and to condemn even Kings. It would be silly on his part to agree to serve among the servants of the King by
forgoing the supreme power in England. Becket considers the Tempters offer seriously and rejects it. The second Tempter
leaves Becket to his fate because his pride is intolerable and that the Kings men would soon pounce upon him. Becket
feels happy to have spurned his offer. It would mean a degradation for him to return to the object service of the King by
deserting his dedication to the service of God.
Then arrives the third Tempter. Becket is not surprised to see him as he had been expecting him. The Tempter says,
Im not a frivolous person nor am I a politician. I do not idle away my time or spend it in political intrigue at the royal
court. He describes himself a country. According to him, the country lords are the backbone of the nation. They are not the
plotting parasites who hover around the King. He clarifies it to Becket that it would be absolutely futile to strive to win the
Kings favour once again because a friendship once broken can never be re-established. They had been friends at one time
but turned enemies to each-other with the passage of time. The mention of past friendship with Henry II moves Beckets
heart. He exclaims O Henry, Omy King. The Tempter suggest him to form an alliance with other forces in the country.
The Tempter says, King Henry belongs to ANJOU (in FRANCE), while Becket is a Norman. Let Becket make King
Henry destroy himself through the battles that he is fighting in France. The King does not understand the ENGLISH
barons. He advises Becket to join the powerful party represented by the barons. The barons will be highly benefited from
their alliance with the Church because the Popes blessing would be a powerful protection for them. They must not allow
the King to wield under or overdue authority over them or over the Church. Becket replies that he does not trust either the
barons or the King. He can trust none else, but God alone.
Becket was not sure whether the barons would co-operate with him fully in opposing the King and diminishing the
Kings growing power. He also realizes it that there is no reason why the King should be allowed to wield authority over
the barons, the Archbishop and the Church of England. They (Church and barons) should rather have their own jurisdiction.
Becket rejects the Tempters offer because he dare not oppose the King who at one time had been friendly to him
and because he had no faith in the barons. How dare he break the power of the King, Whose authority he had at one time
strengthened. He knows it fully well that the barons are like wolves. Therefore, he would not like to prove himself a traitor
to the King for their sake. It would not be a sound policy for him to make and then to break because he would break
himself through this process. He also remembers the days when the King used to favour him and he used to rule as the
Chancellor and had distinguished himself not only in the art of administration but also in the skills of the battlefield. The
courtiers used to walk at his door like attendants. Viewing and considering all the above factors Becket rejects the third
Tempters offer.
The fourth Tempter arrives now. He approves of Beckets dismissal of the offer of the first three Tempters. He offers his
friendship to Becket who does not even recognise him. Becket is surprised at his unexpected arrival. The Tempter says, The
King would not trust any man who has once become his enemy. Therefore, the revival of their friendship is out of question.
Even if you become his supporter once again, the King would utilise his services as long as necessary and would then crush
him. You should not expect any fealty (loyalty) from the barons because theyre lesser men than the King. Hence, their envy
is more dangerous than the Kings anger. The barons aim at private profit only whereas the King aims at doing some good to
the public. Beckets becomes bewildered. He is at a loss to decide which of the two is the right action for him.
The Tempter advises Becket to continue pursuing the course of action which he has already chosen for himself.
Pleasure, worldly authority and the exercise of power are insignificant as compared to the possession of spiritual power.
One who exercises authority over the people under the Kings supervision has to practise secrecy, cunningness and
diplomacy. Secular authority concerns itself with epidemics, revolutions, new conspiracies, battles, broken treaties etc.
The Archbishop, on the other hand holds the keys of heaven and hell and the power to bind and to loose. He even enjoys
spiritual power over the Bishops and even over the King and can wind or unwind the thread of eternal life and death. The
Tempter aspires to direct Beckets mind to the glory which he as a martyr will enjoy after death. On seeking and achieving
martyrdom, Becket would become a saint and would continue to rule over the hearts of people even after his death. The
Kings are forgotten soon after they quit or die or are followed by others, but saints and martyr rule from the tomb. On
being received as a saint and martyr in heaven after his death, Becket would dismay his enemies and frighten them.
Moreover, countless devotees and pilgrims would come to his tomb, bend their knees in humble prayer and pay him
homage. He would then astonish his devotees with his miracles but would frighten his enemies from generation to
generation, his enemies (King etc.) would be suffering torments in hell.
The Tempter says that he is telling him (Becket) all these things because he has already thought over them during his
meditation and is in a position adopt the better of the two courses of action. He has the realization that nothing lasts in this
world and events simply continue to take place and the wheel continues to turn for ever.
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Then the forth Tempter strikes a discordant note and says Even a saint cannot expect everlasting devotion from the
people. Even the faithful devotees forsake a saint when miracles cease. There is every possibility that the people would
forget Thomas Becket, the saint or think of him only as a man who played a certain part in history.
The Tempter resumes his original argument and says, No earthly renown and no earthly pride of King/emperor can
be compared with the heavenly grandeur of a martyr and a saint. Hence he urges Becket to follow the path of martyrdom
and to attain sainthood in heaven by making him the lowest on earth but high in heaven (dwelling in the presence of God)
Hypocrisy vitiates martyrdom. It involves the sin of pride through a deliberate quest for martyrdom and sainthood. In his
subconscious mind, Becket has been nourishing the same desire and the same suggestion of the Tempter has made a great
impact on him. However, he realizes that by aiming at sainthood and at personal glory he would be committing the sin of
price which is punishable with damnation. Therefore, he ask the Tempter to suggest him the way which does not lead to
damnation in pride. The Tempter reminds Becket of his own words Suffering and action ironically. Beckets reaction to
the temptation to spiritual pride and to the glory of martyrdom is delayed unless the Chorus has spoken once again and he
says, This last temptation is the greatest treason, to do the right deed for the wrong reason. Thereupon Becket rejects the
Fourth Tempter too.
To conclude, we can say that the entire dialogue between Becket and the four Tempters symbolizes an introspective
process. The visit of the Tempters provides an external and visible form to Beckets mental conflict Becket becomes
worthy of martyrdom by winning victory over the temptation especially the last. Hence the temptation scene has a great
dramatic importance.
Q. 8. Comment on the exitentialist element in Waiting for Godot.
Ans. Waiting for Godot is an existentialist play because it has clear tints of existentialism in it. If we study the term
existentialism we would come to know that it is a philosophical doctrine which lays stress on the existence with his
concrete experience and solidities. However, Waiting for Godot is an existentialist play for it embodies Christian
existentialism. Christian existentialism stress the idea that:
I God only, man may find freedom for tension.
For Christian, existentialism religious leads to God, whereas according to the Atheistic Existentialism, it is based on
the idea of Jean Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger who state that:
Man is alone in a godless universe.
The comparative study of both philosophies helps us to prove Waiting for Godot as a Christian existentialistic play.
We know that man is confronting the problem of his existence as a being. He is striving for his survival and to control
the bridle of the pacing time. He is struggling to save his "individuality" and this very idea leads to the philosophy of
existentialism.
The word Existentialism stands for ones awareness of ones beingness. It stands for a vital principal of life.
"Waiting for Godot" resembles the existentialist literature because it deals not only with existence or identity but also with
the momentary and the internal time. The time mentioned in "Waiting for Godot" is related to man's mental condition. For
instance, the major problem for the tramps is to make time pass in such a way that they are least bothered by it. Vladimir
and Estragon constantly complain of the slowness of time passing and do their best to hurry it with their futile diversions.
Estragon says:
Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, its awful.
But we know that outside the natural time, its consequences flow on. For example, the tree has grown five or six
leaves. Pozzo has grown blind and Lucky dumb. Here Estragon remarks:
They all change, only we not.
It should be noted that waiting the natural course of time, they think they would believe themselves from all of their
problems without doing any effort. They might die naturally and save the effort of hanging themselves.
There is a distinction between the momentary and eternal time for it deals with the question of existence and identity.
This difference can also be seen in this play. In Waiting for Godot physical time is sometimes taken seriously and
sometimes it is ridiculed or condemned. Estragon once succeeds in confusing Vladimir about the passage of time as well
as about the day of week. In the same sentence the tramps speak of a million years ago and in the nineties. We have no
reason to be certain that the second description is anyone factual than the first.
Doubts about time make the tramps doubtful about their existence and identity. One tramp claims to be of the part, it
is doubted by the other. Their own identity and existence in time is also questionable. One day seems to have elapsed
between the first act and the second, yet it becomes extremely difficult to differentiate this day with the previous by any
important physical evidence.
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The play Waiting for Godot has all the traits of existentialism both Vladimir and Estragon represent the man in
general who is facing the problems of his existence in this world. They are interdependent like all other man. Hope for
salvation is the subject of play and is the problem faced by the whole human race. Representing the man in general, the
two tramps realize the futility of their exercise and we note that they are merely filling up the hours with the pointless
activity. Hence their 'waiting' is mechanical and deals with problem of existentialism.
To conclude we say that the whole picture shows a pretty hopelessness. Neither time nor existence, neither reality nor
memory or the past have any meaning or significance. Acts are meaningless, time does not flow consecutively, memory
seems deceptive, existence is an impression or perhaps a dream and happiness is extremely and affliction is crystal clear
through the situation of two tramps. They are on the point of becoming hollow philosophies of existence but demand no
other equipment in an audience than the bond of common perception.
Q. 9. Disucsss Look Back in Anger from the feminist Perspective.
Ans. The theme of the play Look Back in Anger is familiar enough. Jimmys marriage with Alison, rapidly breaks
down though they shared certain affection and played the bear and squirrel play quite often only on the flimsy ground that
she kept ironing clothes endlessly, and had regular correspondence with her mother without mentioning his name (as if
Jimmys name were a dirty word). Jimmy calls Alison as a woman with the passions of a python and whenever he happens
to have sexual intercourse with her. She just devours him whole every time as if he were some large rabbit. He also calls
her Lady Pusillanimous. He gets annoyed when Helena comes to story in his flat. He can hardly stand that woman
(Helena) who was his natural enemy. He embitters Alisons life and makes it hellish. The poor lady could neither break
the wedding, nor seek divorce because she had married him out of love and floating her parents opposition (women have
eightfold sex and love-marriages are mostly broken marriages).
Cliff Lewis is Jimmys partner in his flat. He is even tempered and is a nice fellow. He is a mediator between Jimmy
and Alison. He too cracks under the strain of Jimmys continuous verbal assaults. A married person usually does not
tolerate the presence of a third person even if he may be a gem. It is human nature and weakness.
The middle-class people do not like to get their daughters married to a person belonging to lower strata of society. Even
if the marriage is solemnised against their wishes, they do not care a fig for the sentiments of the bridegroom. Alisons
mother never mentioned Jimmys name during her correspondence with Alison. Her father also took her away in Jimmys
action. It means the animosity between Jimmy and Alisons parents was responsible for robbing Alison of her mental peace.
The play Look Back in Anger is thoroughly autobiographical. Like the author, the hero was also involved in the
Class-war. Like Osborne, Jimmy was also born in a puritan (working class) family. Both were proved of their humble
origin. Jimmy was a man of social, rather than a sexual nostalgia (sever homesickness, sorrowful longing for conditions
of a postage, regretful or wistful memory of earlier times) in Jimmys rhetoric about colonel Redfern (Alisons father).
The colonel feels that the sun does not shine for him any more. After having held a position of authority in India before
her liberation, he now feels absolutely unimportant and unwanted. His life in India seems to have vanished like a dream.
He pities why his previous life does not go on for ever. (He was a commander in a Maharajas army in an Indian state
before India became independent). Even though Jimmy had no world of his own, he took pleasure in regretting the
passing of someone else.
Jimmy is profoundly sentimental. His impotent anger was not generated by the loss of good, brave, causes. It was
rather induced by an intangible yet irreparable personal loss e.g. his fathers death when he was only a boy. His anger was
also aggravated by Jimmys proletarian and Alisons upper-class upbringing. It created incongruity in his thinking and
behaviour. It has diminished their marriage and has rendered them sexually inarticulate. The bears and squirrels game
compensates their failure to maintain cordial relations and strengthens their relations.
This play is built along traditional line. Jimmy depends heavily on his past for the raw materials of his rhetoric.
Besides, he has a tendency to repeat himself. Though he was a university graduate yet society did not provide him
meaningful and honourable occupation. An upper class family opposed his marriage with their daughter who loved him
simple on the films ground that he belonged to a working-class family. His fathers death also broke his back and give him
experience of love, betrayal and helplessness. Most of his speeches were based on these incidents. The behaviour of his
landlord with Alison and of the landladys robbing attitude also never fade from his memory. Though he learns a good
livelihood through running a sweet-stall yet Alisons parents do not consider him a suitable match even for their household
and uneducated daughter.
The action of the play begins on an English Sunday afternoon. It is a static occasion for Jimmy who feels bored. The
posh Sunday newspapers, Alisons ironing board and her endlessly ironing clothes and the bloody Church-bells rob
him of his mental peace. Osborne shows technical maturity in opening the first and third acts of the play in identical
settings. Helena, also adopts the same routine of ironing clothes. She is in corrigible and aggressive. She lacks forbearance.
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Like a bellicose or belligerent woman she slaps Jimmy when he threatens her. She is a kill-joy and abets Alison and gets
their domesticity disrupted. This sort of apt craftsmanship is entirely appropriate to the theme of the play.
Hughs mother is a proletarian substitute for Jimmys own mother (from whom he had felt himself estranged). But
she (Huges mother) lives and dies offstage. Jimmys first mistress, Madeline was another mother-substitute for him. She
is also an offstage character. Her portrayal is a technical flaw on Osbornes part. Alisons miscarriages is also over-timely.
This mishap means that the bears-and-squirrels game would become even more vital as a means of making the old
existence endurable. It is the technical flaw not to show a squalling (screaming) child in Jimmys attic to change the
situation and bring about the reconciliation between Alison and Jimmy.
Helenas arrival twists the situation in Jimmys house a great deal. When Jimmy makes mocking and disparaging
comments on Alison, Alisons mother and on Helena, she says that he deserves to be slapped for talking in this unpleasant
manner. Jimmy says that, if she slaps him, he will not hesitate to slap her in return. This sort of behaviour on the part of
the guest and the host is quite unbefitting for both of them. Helenas instant seduction of Jimmy after causing Alisons
departure and her sudden renunciation soon after Alisons return are unsatisfactory and condemnable incidents.
Cliff describes himself as a no-mans land between Alison and Jimmy but he is a more credible person than Helena.
Jimmy trusted his solidarity even though he kissed and embraced Alison. He instils both stability and a sense of pity into
the play to the extent to prove Jimmys severity more effective. The very incongruity of Cliffs friendship with Jimmy
makes it more acceptable.
Helena is an outrightly despicable and third-rate character. The illicit relationship between Jimmy and Helena lends
the play a formal shape. Nevertheless, their mutual attraction is given very little dramatic substance. It is an attraction of
opposites in terms of a passionate clinch (gripping part following a moment of violence, and the shared sadomasochism
(seeking pleasure in inflicting cruelty upon others and upon oneself) of asexual encounter between social enemies. Helenas
seduction of Jimmy seems trite (commonplace). Her proclamation of being an Anglican (believer in good and evil) at the
time of her final departure is only a dramatic convenience. Her leave-taking is a dramatic resolution. Though Helena is a
potential soul-mate to Jimmy yet he ultimately reconciles himself to a kind of animal relationship with Alison. Helenas
and Alisons self-realization and Jimmy sense of isolation restore the situation to a normal. Helena leaves hold of Jimmy
and Alison gets reconciliated with him.
Look Back in Anger is basically a well-fabricated problem play of considerable psychological insight. Even the
posh papers vex him. There is no human enthusiasm left in human beings. There are no good and brave causes in the
world. He is of the confirmed opinion that woman bleed men to death. Jimmys emotional need for brave causes was
characteristic of a prevailing mood in the year of the Suez War and the Hungarian Revolution. Osbornes Look Back in
Anger was regarded as the harbinger of the New Left, of anti-apartheid and the campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. It is
doubtful whether Jimmy himself was also an active campaigner to support these movements though he had made the
sociological remarks. However, this play is apparently a variation on the eternal triangular theme.
Q. 10. From among the plays you have read choose any one that you have liked giving reasons for your choice.
Ans. The morality was one of the early forms of drama which originated from the mystery and miracle plays. It
flourished during the middle ages. The popular miracle plays presented a Biblical story with named characters. The
morality plays on the other hand conveyed a moral truth or lesson by means of personified obstruction. Basically, they
dealt with some problem of good and evil.
Doctor Faustus marks the culmination of English morality tradition. It vindicates faith, humility and obedience to
the law of God. It has been described as the most obvious Christian document in all Elizabethan drama. It is wholly
conventional in its Christian values. It illuminates the fundamental tenets of Christianity. It is far from being iconoclastic
and enforces the basic Christian values. Therefore, it has a claim to be rated as a morality play.
The basic beliefs of Christianity are inherent throughout this play, though the doctrine of damnation pervades it.
Faustus makes a bargain with the devil with a view to seeking earthly learning, earthly power and earthly pleasures. It
makes him go down to horrible and perennial perdition. The cursed hero gives up higher values for lower values. Heaven
struggles with hell for his soul which has lost the battle by dint of its moral and psychological weaknesses. He is not a
noble victim of a tyrannical Deity because God is merciful in his gifts to Faustus until the latter becomes the victim of his
own insatiable desires. God is everytime willing to forgive him if he repents. Faustus goes down to damnation simply
because he deliberately refuses all aid. He takes pleasure in his indulgence in cheap, sadistic fun which bring about
deterioration and coarsening in his character.
The chorus, Faustuss individual recognition, the Good Angel, the Old Man, the action itself and even Mephistophilis
establish the moral value of this play. The prologue tells us that Faustus meets a tragic end on account of his pride in his
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attainments and by his preference of forbidden pursuits to the pursuit of salvation. The Good Angel (the voice of God) His
inner consciences urges him to lay aside the damned book of magic and to read the scriptures at the very beginning of his
temptation. But Faustus follows the dictates of the Evil Angel who encourages him to continue his study of magic and
earn profit and delight, of power, of honour, and omnipotence. It would also enable him to satisfy his material appetites by
gaining vainglory. He is egocentric.
Mephistophilis apprises Faustus that Lucifer fell because of his aspiring pride and insolence and anticipates his
fall too. But the foolhardy is not afraid of damnation and reprimands Mephistophilis for cowardice. He is proud of his
manly fortitude. He is not a superman. He wants to live in all voluptuousness for 24 years in return for selling his soul to
the devil. He will enjoy himself the utter satisfaction of his will and senses. Though he is sure of his eventual damnation,
he regales in the prospects of his sensual aspirations.
Had I as many souls as there be stars,
I'd give them all for Mephistophilis.
(Act 1, Scene iii)
Then we notice emotional and intellectual instability in Faustus. He wavers between God and the devil. He resolves
to worship Belzebub without the least fear of damnation.
To him (Belzebub) I will build an altar and a church
And offer lukewarm blood of new born babes.
The struggle between Faustus heavenly powers and his uncontrolled appetites continues throughout the play. Both
the Angels reappear and play their diverse roles of urging him to set aside or to go forward in the famous art of magic. He
pledges his soul to the devil out of his free will and free choice just for material benefits and pursuits of sensual pleasures.
He is well aware of the hard fact that God will throw him down to hell because his senses have deceived him.
Mephistophilis and his associate devils offer crowns and rich garments (sensual satisfaction) to Faustus in order to
distract his mind from spiritual concern and to deaden his conscience. He even offers him beautiful courtesans to satisfy
his sensual appetite. Once Faustus accuses Mephistophilis for his misery and proclaims that he will renounce this magic
and repent. The Good Angel also urges him to ooze Gods pity through repentance. But continual exercise in sin has
hardened his heart and renders him unable to repent. It shows his egocentric temperament. The very idea of holy things is
defeated by sweet pleasure sensuous pleasure alone becomes a remedy for his spiritual despair. The very thought of his
pleasure drugs his conscience. It makes him resolve never to repent. Again he finds himself in spiritual distress. The Good
Angel tells him about his scope in repenting but the Evil Angel threatens him. Faustus calls upon Christ to save his soul,
whereupon the devils appear and remind him of his promise. The devils provide him sensual satisfaction and he vows
never to name God or to pray to him.
Faustus is again shown in a state of spiritual distress in the Horse-courser scene. He realises that he is a man
condemned to die. He has become an incorrigible hedonist. He shows Helen, by his magic to his scholars. The Old Man
urges him to give up his wicked life. It shows that there was still a scope for repentance because No mans sins are too
great for God to forgive. The Old Man prevents him from committing suicide because he can yet look forward to divine
grace by avoiding despair. Faustus desires to ponder over his sins, but he is weak-minded. The Old Man fears that his
hopeless soul will be ruined. Again he undergoes an acute mental conflict. His soul reminds him of the devils threats to
tear his flesh for disobedience to Lucifer and he surrenders. He confirms with blood his former vow. He blames the Old
Man outright and begs the devil to torture him. He further aggravates his sin by making love to Helen (the devil in female
guise) and thereupon forgoes the last possibility of redemption.
Faustus is sure that his offences can never be pardoned. By virtue of his world known wonders, he has lost heaven
itself. His blatant egoistic vanity leaps forth even in his self-approach. He confesses for baseless pleasures. He must now
endure the horrible torture of hell. The beautiful spirit of Helen has lured him away from thoughts of repentance. Faustuss
high-soaring ambitions have led to his fall. This realisation shows that Doctor Faustus is a thoroughly Christian
Document (Morality play).
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