MEG002 British Drama

Sam
ple
SPRING SEASON PUBLICATIONS
Navi Mumbai, INDIA

Sam
ple
SPSN Series: MEG-002 British Drama
Author: Dr Vasant Kothari & Ms Inderpreet Kaur Gupta
First Published – 2020
Spring Season Publications
Kandla Road, Near Milk Dairy, Chikhli, MS, INDIA, 443201
www.springseason.in
ISBN: 978-81-943314-9-0
is registered trademark of Spring Season Publications
© 2020 Dr Vasant Kothari
All Rights Reserved
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electrical, mechanical,
Photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior Written permission of the author
All data were deemed correct at time of creation
Author/Publisher is not liable for errors or omissions
Printed at: Printwell International Pvt. Ltd., Aurangabad, MS, India
Cover Image by Max Kleinen on Unsplashed

Sam
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Content
Solution Series
1 June 15 1
2 Dec 15 17
3 June 16 31
4 Dec 16 44
5 June 17 55
6 Dec 17 59
7 June 18 68
8 Dec 18 75
9 June 19 81
10 Dec 19 87

Sam
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Preface
This book is written with the aim to provide a clear understanding of the
important topics and concepts which are extremely crucial from the exam
point of view.
A careful analysis of the topics frequently asked during examination has
been done and the book is a compilation of solved solutions of the
previous year papers, with short notes about the topics that must be read
thoroughly to attempt the exam successfully.
To get the best result from this handy reference guide, begin with reading
the short notes thoroughly to gain an understanding of the topic. Then,
after preparing extensively from detailed study texts, practice from the
solved solutions provided in the book to understand how to attempt
questions during exams.
The information specified in this book will make learning easy and
provide complete revision in a short span of time.

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1
June 2015
Q. No. 1. Critically comment on any four of the following passages with
reference to the context, in not more than 150 words each: 4x5=20 Marks
a. Now, Faustus, must thou needs be damned?
And canst thou not be sav’d.
What boots it then to think of God or heaven?
Away with such fancies, and despair;
Despair in God, and trust in Beelzebub.
Answer: These lines are taken from Dr. Faustus, a play published by Cristopher
Marlowe in 1604. This is scene 5 of the play. The scene is very long and Faustus
discusses a wide range of topics, as if he is so hungry for knowledge that he wants
to know all the secrets of the Universe at once. He is in two minds about pledging
his soul to the devil, but finally chooses evil over good i.e. Satan over God.
Faustus is back in his study, once again questioning his decision to choose Lucifer
over God. In these lines, Faustus convinces himself to stop thinking about
redemption because redemption is not possible. He tells himself that while the
love of God is transient, the love of Beelzebub, a devil, is “fixed.” Faustus reveals
a shaky confidence in his own decisions even though he continues to come back
to dark magic. (148 Words)
b. Such an act
That blurs the grace and blush of modesty,
Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose
From the fair forehead of innocent love
And sets the blister there, make marriage vow,
As false as dicers oaths – O such a deed!
Answer: These lines are an extract from Act 3, scene 4 of the famous tragic play
Hamlet written by William Shakespeare around 1599-1601. The play depicts
Prince Hamlet and his revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who murdered his
father to seize his throne and marry Hamlet’s mother.
Gertrude’s words here suggest that she doesn’t understand what Hamlet’s
accusing her of. Hamlet replies by accusing her of an act that blurs, or tarnishes,
the grace and blush of modesty. A deed that plucks the soul out of marriage and
is as false as a dicers oath. This is of course about the fact that she remarried her
brother-in-law. He tells her that he feels sick at the thought of the act she has
attempted, and he describes the innocent and virtuous love of Gertrude and
King Hamlet’s as having a rose on her forehead and remarrying Claudius has
replaced this rose with a blister. (151 Words)

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c. From this out I’ll have no want of company when all sorts is bringing me their
food and clothing (he swaggers to the door, tightening his belt), the way they’d
set their eyes upon a gallant orphan cleft his father with one blow to the breeches
belt
Answer: John Millington Synge’s three-act play The Playboy of the Western
World had its debut in Dublin in 1907. The story revolves around a pub and the
central character Christy Mahon, a young man from a farm who has killed his
father.
These lines are from Act II which begins with Christy, alone at the pub and he
decides that the pub is a perfect place to make his home. The four village girls
have heard about Christy, and want to offer him food and clothing, they flirt with
him a bit. As the girls prepare breakfast for him, Christy feels at the center of
attention and fleshes out the story of the murder. His father had ordered Christy
to marry a fat, ugly widow-woman twice his age. When Christy refused, his father
threatened him with a scythe, and Christy in turn threatened his father with a
spade. When his father struck at him, Christy feinted and then delivered the fatal
blow to the older man’s skull. (160 Words)
d. It is not in time that my death shall be known;
It is out of time that my decision is taken
If you call that a decision
To which my whole being gives entire consent.
I give my life
To the law of God above the law of Man
Answer: Murder in the Cathedral by Eliot, written in 1930s is a play commenting
on the situation in Nazi Germany.
These lines are from Part II. Becket here states that there had been times where
the loyalties in his life had been disordered. He had submitted himself to the
temporal power to secure his ends as a servant of God. He had got a calling to
serve God over all other services and now he refuses to return to the calling of the
past and scorns those who want him to turn back from his way. Here Becket
emphasises that he must die for his faith. He is not seeking death as a means of
spiritual glory but a cause and purpose to be fulfilled. He must suffer in pure love
for God, to choose martyrdom as a higher calling as his temptations are different
from those of common men. (149 Words)
e. But, you see, I was the only one who cared. His family were embarrassed by
the whole business. Embarrassed and irritated ... We, all of us waited for him to
die ... Every time I sat on the edge of his bed, to listen to him talking or reading

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to me, I had to fight back my tears. At the end of twelve months, I was a veteran
... you see, I learnt at an early age what it was to be angry — angry and helpless.
And I can never forget it. I knew more about — love ... betrayal ... and death,
when I was ten years old than you will probably know all your life.
Answer: John Osbornes Look Back in Anger is the first well-known example of
“Kitchen Sink drama”
These lines are from Act II Scene 1. Jimmy asks Helena if she has ever seen
someone die. She answers “no.” Jimmy then proceeds to tell her about how he
watched his father die for a year when he was ten years old. His father had come
home from the war in Spain where “certain god-fearing gentlemen...had made
such a mess of him, he didn’t have long to live.” Jimmy recounts how his family
had abandoned the old man and only Jimmy had been there to listen to his father’s
ramblings; “the despair and the bitterness, the sweet, sickly smell of a dying man.”
He tells Helena that “I knew more about -- love...betrayal...and death, when I was
ten years old than you will probably ever know all your life.” (145 Words)
Q. No. 2. Bring out the interplay of the Renaissance and Reformation strain
in Elizabethan tragedy 20 Marks
Answer: Renaissance is a French word which means re-birth, revival or re-
awakening. It began in Italy as early as the 14th
century with the works
of Petrarch and others and was greatly inspired by the fall of Constantinople in
1453, by the invention of printing in Germany about this time. Its influence
reached England in the last years of the 15th
century and the opening years of the
16th
century. Renaissance is also the supreme Romantic Movement in English
literature of language. It had transformed not only English but also European life.
During the Elizabethan era, Renaissance had made a massive contribution to
art, culture and literature. In drama, there has been massive progress or
development. There arrived a host of dramatist including Shakespeare, Philip
Sidney, Thomas Moore, Edmund Spenser, Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe,
William Shakespeare, Francis Bacon and Ben Johnson etc.
The English Renaissance produced some of the major tragic works in Western
literature. Revenge Tragedy or Revenge play is a type of drama which flourished
in the Elizabethan age under the Roman dramatist, Seneca. Its main theme was
revenge for murder. The first example of this type was Thomas Kyd’s The
Spanish Tragedy and the play Hamlet written by Shakespeare.
While most readers associate this period with the plays of William Shakespeare,
other playwrights such as Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd, Thomas
Middleton, and John Webster also made enormous contributions to the flowering

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of the genre. Most of the playwrights taken up here wrote for the professional
playhouses in London between the late 1580s and early 1630s, although the
London theater was not the only source of tragic literature. Thomas Norton and
Thomas Sackville’s Gorboduc was written and performed at the Inns of Court,
while Elizabeth Cary’s The Tragedy of Mariam is a closet drama, composed with
no intention of public performance. Nevertheless, the tragic masterpieces of this
era—works such as Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, and
Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi—were produced to serve flourishing theatrical
enterprises in London’s public and private playhouses. “Domestic tragedies” like
the anonymous Arden of Faversham were not centered upon the court but the
household and seemingly had little to do with affairs of state. Other works feature
comic subplots (Middleton and Samuel Rowley’s The Changeling) or a mordant
black humor that borders on self-parody (Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy or
John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore).
Tragedy was widely believed to be the most elevated dramatic genre, dealing with
affairs of state as well as issues of life and death, fate and free will, social
corruption and violent retribution, damnation and the possibility of redemption.
The dominant literary strain was that of revenge tragedy, with Kyd’s play
providing a template built upon and reworked upon by numerous other dramatist.
(460 Words)
OR
Q. No. 2. What is the basic plot of Romantic Comedy? Why does it end in
feasting and dancing? 20 Marks
Answer: A romantic comedy is a play that deals with love in a light, humorous
way. When looking back at the early formula we can immediately connect with
William Shakespeare. Plays like Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer
Night’s Dream gave the basic setup of early (and many modern) romantic
comedies. Two people meet, have a conflict in their way, and reunite to live
happily ever after. Romantic Comedy is one of the many kinds of comedy
performed on the 16th century stage in England.
Romantic Comedy has a main plot and a subplot. In the main plot an eligible
aristocratic man and woman fall in love with each other but cannot marry for some
reason. They may be socially incompatible or their families may have a
longstanding quarrel or it could be that the man or the woman do not even realise
they are in love, as is the case with Benedick and Beatrice in Much Ado About
Nothing. Then some external agency like the disclosure of a secret or a trick by
others brings. the lovers together. Their marriage or intention to marry is
celebrated with a dance and/or a feast in which all disharmonious elements are

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eliminated or made to fit in with the general joy. The presiding deity is Hymen,
the God of marriage. In short, although the action focuses on courtship, the play
ends in marriage. The characters of the subplot are from the lower strata of society
(servants, constable, Mechanicals) or behave as if they were (Sir Toby Belch in
Twelfth Night). The two major functions of the subplot are to parody the main
plot and wittingly or unwittingly sort out the problems of the characters in the
main plot. In short, there are points where the main plot and the subplot interact,
and at the end, everyone, whether they are aristocrats or not, joins in the
celebrations.
The setting for Shakespeare’s Romantic Comedy is some place remote and distant
from England, such as Messina, Padua, or Athens. This remoteness adds to the
fairy-tale quality of the comedy. The action begins in the court but since it is in
the court that the lovers’ marriage is obstructed, they leave for some place that is
close to nature, such as a forest or village or some ideal pastoral setting that
encourages love and fertility. Having found fulfilment, they return to the court or
city, which is transformed by their joy into a healthier place that no longer stands
in the way of love. The purpose of Romantic Comedy is to emphasise accepted
social values. Thus love, which ends in marriage, is allowed, but adulterous or
obsessive love is not. Anything that threatens the harmonious functioning of
society is gently eliminated or corrected. But the chief function of Romantic
Comedy is to entertain, not correct. (469 Words)
Q. No. 3. Critically analyse Hamlet’s soliloquies in the play. 20 Marks
Answer: A soliloquy is a speech that an actor gives while he or she is alone
onstage and allows for the audience to hear the character’s innermost thoughts. A
dramatic device which helps in communicating with the audience or readers; the
secret working of a character’s mind and the mental make-up of that character. It
is the character revelation of the speaker and also what the speaker thinks of other
characters.
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the tragic hero reveals his inner conflicts and
introspective attitude in each of the lengthy soliloquies. Hamlet is a dynamic
character whose thoughts have dramatically changed. Each soliloquy develops
further into Hamlet’s motivations, or lack of confidence and proof. Each soliloquy
is created by brilliant imagery, thoughtful language, and understanding of
Hamlet’s delay of action.
There are as many as seven long soliloquies of Hamlet in the play. The first of
these occurs before he has seen the Ghost. The second soliloquy occurs just after
the Ghost leaves him, after charging him with the duty of taking revenge upon the
murderer of his father. Here Hamlet resolves to carry out the command of the

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Ghost. In the third soliloquy Hamlet accuses himself for his delay in executing
the Ghost’s revelation and seeks a confirmation of the Ghost against Claudius.
Hamlet’s fourth soliloquy is the most famous and philosophical of his soliloquies.
The fifth soliloquy occurs when he is about to meet his mother. He describes his
revenge motive like Nero, the Roman emperor. His sixth soliloquy occurs on his
way to meet his mother in closet. This time the Ghost is visible to Hamlet and
invisible to his mother. It seems to symbolize the affinity between husband and
wife. The Ghost here represents Hamlet’s own conscience urging him to revenge
and to some extent, scolding him for his inaction. Hamlet’s last soliloquy is
occasioned by his seeing young Fortinbras on his to invade Poland for very small
plot of land.
Hamlet’s soliloquies show that he is pre-occupied not only with thoughts of
revenge but also with the problem of his procrastination and irresolution. Without
the soliloquies, the play would be hollow and highly dramatic. The interpretation
of our hero and his character, and his true emotions very much depends on them.
Hamlet’s soliloquies are vital in establishing the mood, characterisation and
themes of the play. The soliloquies are triggered by self-doubt and distress at the
corruption of Denmark. It explores the dimensions of the human character through
Hamlet’s sordid contemplation. The play becomes a dense examination of how
external difficulties affect man psychologically. The soliloquies serve the
dramatic purpose of revealing the hero’s character. These soliloquies deepen his
tragic character by portraying him as a “thinking man”. Without these soliloquies
Hamlet would debase into cheap melodrama. (460 Words)
OR
Q. No. 3. Discuss The Alchemist as a classical tragedy in which unities of time,
place and action are strictly followed. 20 Marks
Answer: The classical unities, Aristotelian unities, or three unities represent a
set format of dramatic tragedy that was introduced in Italy in the 16th Century and
was significant for three centuries. The three unities are:
1. unity of action: a tragedy should have one principal action
2. unity of time: the action in a tragedy should occur over a period of no
more than 24 hours
3. unity of place: a tragedy should exist in a single physical location
The Alchemist is one of Ben Jonson’s four great comedies. It is a satirical comedy
which revolves around tricksters Jeremy, Subtle, and Dol as they deceive a series
of increasingly naive victims, by pretending to be doctors, astrologers, and
alchemists. They dupe them and steal their money and valuables.

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The plot structure of the play is admirably woven out of intricate causes and
effects. Johnson also pays attention to the other two unities of time and place to
make the structure of the play almost perfect.
The action follows the rise and fall of the plot to make Subtle, Face and Doll rich.
While the play has been praised for having one of the most perfect plots in English
Literature, throughout the play there is a superseding sense of creativeness which
contributes greatly to comedic effect. At the end, all seven plots collide to make
the dominance of plot evident. The action is quite spontaneous. The chaotic and
incidental nature of the progress of the play increases the dramatic tension and
realism.
The adherence to time is intimately linked to the unity of action that Jonson
presents. Here the idea of time as an omnipresent concern is due to the pace of the
action of the play, in which Subtle and Face are racing against the clock.
Therefore, the unity of time can be seen to have a distinctly functional effect. The
synonymous nature of the time is highlighted from the prologue in the “two hours
we wish away.” Time here is a constant concern for the dramatis personae where
the parallel nature of time is immediately established. Time is and was a social
construct. The Renaissance idea of time is visible in the play. Jonson presents a
world in which identity is forever shifting; people literally change their ‘face’ in
every situation.
The imaginative leap between the locations may be more useful than just seeing
it as flouting the unity of place. The Alchemist is set in the very real location of
Blackfriars itself. He utilises the audience’s imagination to blend the real and
imaginary world. The physical and concrete geography that Jonson locates The
Alchemist in, Prospero’s non-specific magical island seems to be wildly
imaginative. The urban setting of the play is distinctly visible which demands a
deleterious view of history; the moment of the present is the only thing that exists.
Past here doesn’t exist. Jonson unremittingly unites time and place to create a
fundamental dichotomy between the non-specificity of the dramatis personae.
(490 Words)
Q. No. 4. Make a critical assessment of Jimmy - Alison relationship from a
feminist perspective. 20 Marks
Answer: John Osbornes Look Back in Anger revolves around a young married
couple Alison and Jimmy Porter, as they deal with class conflict and a
deteriorating marriage in 1950s England. Alison belongs to a traditional upper-
class background. Jimmy comes from a working-class background, though he is
highly educated. The couple lives with Cliff Lewis, a jovial working-class man
and Jimmy’s long-time friend.

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The phrase “look back in gender” was popularised by playwright and critic
Michelene Wandor in her assessment of ‘sexuality and the family in post-war
British drama’. It was in part a feminist comeback to the conceited association of
post-war drama with John Osborne’s 1956 play Look Back in Anger which
became synonymous with the notion of the ‘Angry Young Men’ not women!
During World War II, many British women had taken to new roles in the labor
force. After the war ended, most were expected to move back into their traditional
roles in the household, but many still held jobs outside the home. The play makes
a clashing view of gender. On one hand, Jimmy’s angry, destructive, and typically
masculine energy drives much of the action and dialogue. On the other hand,
female characters act in their own interests, independently of men, noticeable both
in Alison and Helena when they leave Jimmy.
The most vivid among all relationships is the one shared by Alison and her
husband Jimmy. Both are down-to-earth and ordinary persons, unafraid of
showing their emotions. Jimmy’s intrusion in Alison’s life, his harassing attitude,
his cynicism and Alison’s reluctance to understand Jimmy make the marital bond
appear a mutual massacre. Both of them suffer in isolation and the relationship
verges on a breakdown. For Jimmy, marriage is the most demanding, fulfilling
and dehumanizing of all relationships. He loves Alison, but she falls short of his
expectation. His is vexed by her timidity.
Femininity in the play is highly associated with upper class-ness, and masculinity
with lower class-ness. This leads to clashes between the genders that also have an
economic dimension. The muddled gender roles in the play add to the sense of
realism that made it such a sensation when it was first performed. Characters defy
social convention. Alison disobeys her parents to marry Jimmy. Helena slaps
Jimmy at the very start of their affair, and later walks out on him. An unmarried
man Cliff lives with a married couple. He flirts with Alison, but Jimmy doesn’t
particularly mind.
The real tension evolves from the series of sufferings that Alison experiences the
pain of loving Jimmy and the pangs of her separation from him. This is
supplemented by her desperate anguish of losing her unborn child. However,
despite all the discordant notes in the Jimmy Alison relationship, the close of the
play exhibits a profound tenderness and renewed harmony. (463 Words)
OR
Q. No. 4. Examine the Playboy of the Western World as an extravagant
comedy and bildungsroman. 20 Marks
Answer: Playboy of the Western World by Synge can be called a tragic-comedy.

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A tragic-comedy is a play which has the chief plot as tragedy but closes cheerfully
like a comedy. The action seems to end in a tragic catastrophe until an unexpected
turn in events brings out the happy ending. Here the tragic and comic elements
are interwoven.
On one hand Playboy of the Western World is extravagant comedy, with elements
of strong farce in the resurrection of Christy’s father, and in the deflation of a
boastful man. As such, it embodies the classic elements of reversal and
recognition. And yet it is a comedy which ends unhappily for Pegeen who is
unable to marry Christy, the Playboy. Another way of looking at this play is to
regard it as a satirical comedy. It is a satire on the proverbial willingness of the
West to give shelter to the criminal and murderer. In that case Christy, the
Playboy, becomes a comic Oedipus, the man who killed his father.
The play can also be categorised as a tragedy, with Pegeen as the heroine-victim.
Pegeen found her man, made him, won him in the teeth of opposition from her
own sex, and then lost him. Pegeen’s loss at the end is absolute and beyond
comfort, because she has lost his body too; while the complacent Shawn sees the
obstacle to his marriage with she removed.
Some of the situations in the play are uproariously funny. For instance, Shawn
slipping away from Michael’s hold and leaving his coat in Michael’s hands cannot
fail to make the audience in a theatre roar with laughter. Other funny situations
are Pegeen and Widow Quin each pulling Christy’s boots; Christ’s holding a
mirror behind his back; Christy hiding himself behind the door when he sees his
father alive and coming towards the she been; Philly searching for some more
liquor when he is already semi-drunk; and above all, Christy’s biting Shawn on
the leg and Shawn’s screaming with pain.
Most of the characters in the play make us laugh because of their absurdities or
weakness. Drunkenness is most often amusing and we here have four heavy
drunkards-Michael James, Philly, Jimmy, and Old Mahon. Michael and his
friends make it a point to go to a wake in order to drink the free liquor that is
served there. Old Mahon once drank himself almost to a state of paralysis when
he was in the company of Limerick girls.
In spite of all this, The Playboy is a comedy, and a boisterous, rollicking comedy
at that. A play which amuses us at every step and makes us laugh again and again
cannot be called a tragedy just because it ends in the frustration of the hopes of
the heroine. The heroine’s frustration at the end is almost neutralized by Christy’s
departing speech in which he thanks the people of Mayo for having transformed
him into a hero. (470 Words)

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Q. No. 5. Bring out the full significance of the title Waiting for Godot.
20 Marks
Answer: Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, is a tragicomedy in two acts by
published in 1952 in French as En attendant Godot and first produced in
1953. Waiting for Godot was a true innovation in drama and the Theatre of the
Absurd’s first theatrical success.
The characters of this play are waiting for Godot therefore the title of the play is
‘Waiting for Godot’. Here we can comprehend that Godot is someone important
therefore the protagonists are constantly discussing about and waiting for it. So,
it has its existence into the title of this play so here we can see rule of Aristotle
about tragedy that, tragedy’s name can be based on some important character’s
name. This play’s title itself indicates waiting for something, quest for something,
and wishes for something. This title indicates that something will happen and we
need to be ready for it. It creates an anticipation for the audience throughout the
play. The title has its impact on the play throughout. This sentence is often used
by the main character, Vladimir when Estragon questions him.
“What are we doing here?”
Vladimir replays: “Waiting for Godot.”
In French Godot means ‘Eau (water)’, meaning something which is life of life and
in English language Godot means ‘God’ again powerful factor, which is deeply
rooted in our life. In Irish language this word, Godot is usually used for ‘God’ too.
This provides meaning to the play’s title. The play displays nothingness though it
gives a vague idea about human life and society. This play creates nothingness in
human mind.
‘To wait means to delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence.’ The
title shows lack of action on the stage. It is merely about waiting for something
named Godot nothing else. It is also known as action less plot and because of that
it is also known as an absurd play. Readers may consider that Godot represents
God and that the play is centered on religious symbolism but that too is vague as
no clear indication of the title is present. This play is merely presenting boredom,
waiting, ignorance, pain, suffering and these types of things only. Human life is
full of alienation, loneliness, in quest of something, mainly in quest of his/ her
identity only.
We can relate to two characters of the play, Vladimir and Estragon. They have no
past, no future, what they are doing in present is not clear. They are just waiting
for Godot to come that is true but why? It is not clear either. They don’t even

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know who is Godot and where he comes from. They just know that he will come
and they have to wait for him at any cost. (450 Words)
OR
Q. No. 5 How is Pygmalion, an early 20th century play set in England
meaningful to you in India at the end of the millennium. 20 Marks
Answer: Shaw’s play Pygmalion is an attack on the pre-World War I British class
system, which is in some ways similar to India’s current caste system. Although
now illegal, the effects of the caste system are still widespread in India. Both the
British class system and the Indian caste system believe that the you belong to the
class you were born in and people must silently accept the social order they fit in.
Both consider lower class to be inferior when compared to higher castes or classes.
The social hierarchy is an unavoidable reality in Britain, and in India. It is
interesting to watch it play out in the work of a socialist playwright. Shaw includes
members of all social classes from the lowest (Liza), to the servant class (Mrs.
Pearce), to the middle class (Doolittle after his inheritance), to the genteel poor
(the Eynsford Hills), to the upper class (Pickering and the Higgins). The general
sense is that class structures are rigid and should not be tampered with, so the
example of Liza’s class mobility is most shocking. The issue of language is tied
up in class quite closely; which can be observed through the fact that Higgins is
able to identify where people were born by their accents itself. British class and
identity are very much tied up in their land and their birthplace, so it becomes hard
to be socially mobile depending on the accent and a certain location.
In Pygmalion, we observe a society divided/separated by language, education, and
wealth. Shaw gives us a chance to see how that gap can be bridged, both
successfully and unsuccessfully. As he portrays it, London society cannot simply
be defined by two terms, “rich” and “poor.” Within each group there are smaller
less obvious distinctions, and it is in the middle, in that gray area between wealth
and poverty that many of the most difficult questions arise and from which the
most surprising truths emerge.
Pygmalion, like most of Shaw’s plays, is super-didactic—it’s meant to teach the
audience. In this case, Shaw wants us to think about the problems caused by our
“common” language, and how language can separate people from different places
and classes, even different parts of the same town. Shaw wrote Pygmalion in
1912, at a time when the British Empire was still around and when people from
all over the globe were expected and sometimes forced to communicate in
English. More than a century later, the ability to speak a narrowly definition of
“proper English” still has a huge impact on people’s lives...and people are

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continued to be judged by their accents, castes and class which can still be
evidently noticed in India. (452 Words)
Q. No. 6. What is the role of the chorus in Murder in the Cathedral?
20 Marks
Answer: The word ‘chorus’ is derived from the Greek word Choros that implies
a dance accompanied by singing. It came to be incorporated at the festivals held
in the honor of Gods, especially to honor God Dionysus and eventually it became
an important part of Greek drama. The chorus acted as a mouthpiece of the
dramatist which had a powerful impact on the audiences. The chorus expressed
the anxieties, fears, and judgment of the average citizen marking their opinions as
verdict in history. In Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral, 272 lines out of total of 1443
lines are given to the chorus which forms nearly 19 percent of the play.
Eliot’s representation of women in his initial works was insensitive. He was even
labelled by some as a ‘misogynist’. However, in the course of time when we
consider his later works, we find that Eliot has produced women in a brighter and
more respectful vision. To justify this statement, we can take the example of his
consideration of women characters to form part of the chorus in Murder in the
Cathedral. The women chorus putting their feminine traits of emotion and
subtleness brings out the subject of martyrdom of Thomas Becket. The women
chorus seems to seize the opportunity to question the dominance of logos, the
point of reference of truth which is the ‘man’. The text is largely male-centric as
the setting dates back to medieval times. At the outset of this drama, we get a
sense of the rigidity of male hierarchy in the society of the twelfth century
England, where the female counterpart takes the position of the ‘other’. Her status
therefore in the twelfth century society makes the audiences of the play assume
her position to be of limited scope. The logocentricism is felt through the dialogue
of the second priest who goes on to address women as foolish, immodest, and
babbling. To counter this explicit patriarchy, the speech of the women chorus
starts with the first-person pronoun, hence giving way to the assertion of female
writings.
The significance of the chorus also lies in T.S. Eliot’s approach to hide his
dramatic weakness of fine characterization and of a well-knit plot. The reasons as
to be largely dependent on the chorus for the action of the play were- one, that
Eliot did not have too many historical accounts of the incident of St. Thomas
Becket’s martyrdom, the second reason was that Eliot wanted to focus on themes
of martyrdom and death in the play through the women chorus and the third reason
being, the writer who had already become adept in writing some of the best poems
could write the verses better than framing a drama. (445 Words)

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OR
Q. No. 6 Discuss the gender issues in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. List the
many instances of Shakespeare’s sympathy for women in the play. 20 Marks
Answer: Like many Shakespearean comedies A Midsummer Night’s Dream
sensationalizes gender conflicts that develop from complex household and
passionate romantic relationships. Shakespeare actually uses this idea of love and
romance to explore several themes related to gender roles in society and
relationships. The play is full of sexism and misogyny, or a prejudiced attitude
towards women. Though he thinks ahead of time and offers his female characters
some strength to voice their opinions.
Shakespeare’s female characters are represented across a variety of social classes.
Through the characters and portrayal of Hippolyta, Helena and Hermia we can
visualize the societal restrictions imposed on women during the Elizabethan era
and how they defy the stereotypical notion of how women were treated by men.
Throughout the play the female gender is treated like a commodity. Women are
treated like objects to be sold or traded. An example would be of the characters
Theseus and Hippolyta. Theseus, the Duke of Athens, sailed to the land of the
Amazon, and rather than accepting their gift of peace he kidnapped Hippolyta, the
queen of the Amazonians, and forced her to marry him. Though she is seen as
submissive it is also significant that Hippolyta is given more voice in the last
scenes of the play.
Through the characters of Egeus and Hermia, Shakespeare highlights the
downgrading of women. Hermia’s father, has made up his mind to marry Hermia
to Demetrius but Hermia refuses to do so. Egeus then complaints to Theseus,
hoping Theseus will be able to help him. In doing so, Egeus is shown to regard
Hermia as a commodity.
Another example of female oppression in the play discusses about how Demetrius
has a history of leaving women after sleeping with them, and no one has ever
confronted him. Helena openly admits that she is not behaving as a woman who
is supposed to act by following Demetrius. Demetrius threatens Helena with
physical assault for bothering him. Shakespeare lived in a patriarchal culture in
which authority and privilege rested in the hands of the father of the family, which
indicates that women were inferior to men.
The role reversal between Helena and Demetrius indicates that in Ancient Greece,
women were discriminated as incapable to make proper judgments and needed a
male guardian. By getting Helena to play the role of men, Shakespeare creates

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comic relief as the audience sees it as ridiculous and absurdly funny. In addition,
some members of the audience may feel sympathetic for Helena instead.
Hippolyta empowers the female gender by going against how women were
supposed to be submissive and agreeable to their husbands. Inducing sympathy
and challenging the audiences’ perception of women could have been
Shakespeare’s intentions to promote equal treatment regardless of gender.
(456 Words)
Q. No. 7 Write short notes on any two of the following: 2x10=20 Marks
a. Dr. Faustus as the tragedy of a Renaissance man
Answer: Renaissance is an important event in European history that stretched
from the 14th century to the 17th century. It was preceded by the Middle Ages in
Europe and eventually led to the major events of the Age of Enlightenment. This
shift eventually led to the developments of the Enlightenment and set the stage
for the modern western worldview. It originated in Italy and spread to other parts
of Europe. The main theme of Renaissance was the idea of Humanism.
Faustus is hungry for gaining limitless knowledge and super-human powers,
which can be only accomplished by choosing evil over good, by disregarding God
and choosing unholy ways for wish fulfilment. Faustus may argue intellectually
that pledging his soul to the devil may be a smart decision but deep down to his
soul he is well aware of the deceit towards doctrines of Christianity. The conflict
between his mind and soul can be externalised by the Bad Angel and Good Angel
respectively. Here the forces of good and evil are trying to overpower each other.
His proud declarations, supreme thirst for more knowledge and power, inclination
towards worldly pleasures lead towards his tragic end. In his last soliloquy,
Faustus blames his divine knowledge for his downfall and even wishes to burn
his books. He falls for lust and sensual desires too. Even in his last days, he spends
time indulging in debauchery. Hence Doctor Faustus is the tragedy of
Renaissance. Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus embraces the spirit of Reformation. This
is a direct satire on Christian beliefs which makes it tragedy of the Renaissance
and reformation. (260 Words)
b. Lucky in Waiting for Godot
Answer: Lucky is the most miserable character in the play. He is the contrast of
Pozzo and his loyal slave. Pozzo is of the view that Lucky’s existence and identity
is because he is his slave, without him Lucky would not be able to survive.
“Lucky” is ironic, especially since Vladimir observes that even “old dogs have
more dignity.”

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Lucky has two sides to his personality. One is a calm and obedient that obeys his
master’s commands and wishes to please him. On the other end he is violent and
unpredictable. In Act I, when Estragon attempts to help him, Lucky becomes
violent and kicks him on the leg. He is a terrible dancer with the most un-aesthetic
moves. He is totally unable to prove his intelligence and speaking ability while
giving a speech. Lucky seems to be more animal than human, and his very
existence in the drama is a parody of human existence.
In Act II, he re-enters completely dumb, and continues the way he was in Act I
where his speech was virtually incomprehensible. Now he makes no attempt to
speak at all. Whatever part of man that Lucky represents hopelessness and loss
unlike other characters who are waiting for Godot to change their destiny.
(207Words)
c. Gertrude in Hamlet
Answer: Gertrude, is the beautiful Queen of Denmark and the mother of Hamlet
in the play. She seems to be a woman with a lot of complex relationships and an
alley of secrets. A lot of her intentions and questions on her remain unanswered
even in the play. Was she involved with Claudius before the death of her husband?
Did she know about Claudius’s plan to commit the murder? Did she love
Claudius, or did she marry him simply to maintain her status as the queen of
Denmark?
The Gertrude who is presented in Hamlet is a woman driven by the urge to
maintain her status as well as by her tendency to use men to fulfill her instinct for
self-preservation—which, of course, makes her extremely dependent upon the
men in her life. Hamlet’s most famous comment about Gertrude is his furious
condemnation of women in general: “Frailty, thy name is woman!”
Hamlet develops hatred for Gertrude as she seems morally frail. He feels that she
has performed debauchery against his beloved father, who loved her so much.
She never exhibits the ability to think critically about her situation, she makes safe
choices and she needs protection and guidance from male figures, which can be
exhibited through the way she runs to Claudius after Hamlet confronts her.
She is at her best in social situations when she exhibits charm and grace,
her only characteristics, to woo men so that she can maintain her status and way
of living. (248 Words)
d. Prof. Higgins in Pygmalion
Answer: Professor Higgins, is the protagonist in Pygmalion who comes across as
a very oblivious and impolite man. He unaware of societal etiquette and regardless

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of Higgins’s educational background, he has poor manners that decrease his
position in society.
As far as his academic knowledge is concerned, Higgins is a great linguist and
studies phonetics and the peculiarities of the dialects, as well as the ways different
people speak. Besides, it is Professor Higgins who has created the Universal
Alphabet. The best example of the professor’s intolerant behavior is his attitude
towards Eliza and Mrs. Pearce. For instance, he never respects Eliza, no matter
who is around them.
The professor merely diminishes Eliza’s worth. In fact, he doesn’t hold too many
characteristics of the hero of the story, who is morally correct and treats everyone
equally in a given situation which Higgins can’t maintain. Probably, the fact that
may explain such behavior is Higgins’s concentration and engagement in the
study of language. The professor is so concentrated on his researches that he
ignores the needs and interests of other individuals. He is a very cynical person
upon how he views the world and people around him.
Henry Higgins is one of the most complex characters in the story. Even though he
is uncouth he has a large heart and his actions are harmless towards other
characters. This is the main reason why society still tolerates him and is not
against his ways. (240 Words)

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Content
Short Notes
1 Christopher Marlowe: Dr. Faustus 1
2 William Shakespeare: A Midsummer’s Night Dream 8
3 William Shakespeare: Hamlet 14
4 Ben Johnson: The Alchemist 20
5 JM Synge: The Playboy of the Western World 26
6 Bernard Shaw: Pygmalion 31
7 T.S. Eliot: Murder in the Cathedral 40
8 John Osborne: Look Back in Anger 46
9 Samuel Beckett: Waiting for Godot 51

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Chapter 01
Christopher Marlowe: Dr. Faustus
Quick Facts
Title
“The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus”
Or
“Doctor Faustus”
Author Christopher Marlowe
Type of Work Play
Genre Tragedy
Language English
Written 1590’s
Performed 1592-93
Published Philip Henslowe (Uncertain)
Age Elizabethan Age
1.1 Christopher Marlowe (1564 - 1593)
• Marlowe was the great literary legend
• Graduated from Corpus Christi College in 1584
• First play was “Dido, Queen of Carthage”
Marlowe- As a Dramatist
• Created classic dramas
• Grand characterisation
• Verity of themes and subjects
• Vital characterization that anyone can feel the emotions of characters
• Signature style was Blank Verse
• Rejected old rhythmic lines of Romantic Drama
• Gave unity and form to the drama
• Works famous for Pictorial Quality, Ecstatic Quality and Vitalizing
Energy
Famous Plays
• Jew of Malta
• Tamburlaine the great
• Massacre at Paris

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Short Notes
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1.2 Renaissance and Elizabethan Tragedy
1.2.1 Renaissance
• Renaissance is a French word which means re-birth, revival or re-
awakening
• Began in Italy as early as the 14th
century
• Made massive contribution to art, culture and literature
• Inspired by the fall of Constantinople in 1453
• Invention of printing in Germany happened about the same time
• In drama, arrived a host of dramatist including, Philip Sidney, Thomas
Moore, Edmund Spenser, Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe, William
Shakespeare, Francis Bacon and Ben Johnson
1.2.2 Elizabethan Tragedy
• Describes the type of tragedy that may be applied to Shakespeare’s
writing
• Hero must always contribute in some way to this downfall, resulting in
tragedy
• Heroes are described as people of high degree and of public importance
• These characters are examples of mankind, but most have a least one
tragic flaw, which leads them to their downfall
• Characters use soliloquies to express themselves
• Dominant writing form was blank verse
1.3 Play Summary (Act I - V)
1.3.1. Act 1
• Dr. Faustus is in his study, thinking of what field of learning he would
teach
• He rejects logic, medicine, law and divinity
• He believes black magic, can make him command of emperors and
kings
• A Good Angel appears to him, trying to persuade him to quit magic and
focus on the word of God. But the Bad Angel tempts him to go
forward, reminding him of the power and riches that magic can bring
him
• Faustus learns magic and tries his magical power for the first time to
conjure the devil
• Mephistopheles appears, tells Faustus about Lucifer and hell and tells
him to reconsider his decision

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• Faustus sends him back to Lucifer with the proposal to exchange his
soul for twenty-four years of unlimited power
1.3.2 Act II
• Faustus is reconsidering his decision about selling his soul
• Good and Bad angels reappear
• Mephistopheles tells Faustus that Lucifer wants him to write a bond
and sign it with his blood
• Faustus tries to write, his blood congeals, another sign appears on his
arm that reads “Homo fuge,” Latin for “O man, run”
• Faustus ignores both signs to not sell his soul and signs the bond
• Faustus rethinks of repentance, turns to God for mercy but Lucifer,
Beelzebub, and Mephistopheles appear and tell Faustus to stop thinking
of God because this is against the agreement
• Lucifer presents a show of the Seven Deadly Sins and Faustus forgets
about repentance
1.3.3 Act III
• In Rome, Faustus and Mephistopheles disguise themselves as cardinals
and come before the Pope
• When the pope and his attendants sit down to dinner, Faustus and
Mephistopheles make themselves invisible and snatch dishes and food
from the table
• The churchmen think that there is a ghost in the room
• They beat of group of Friars and leave
1.3.4 Act IV
• Faustus demonstrates his magical powers for Charles V of Germany
• Benvolio doubts him and is punished with a pair of horns
• Benvolio seeks revenge and attacks Faustus with the help of Fredrick
and Martino
• They cut of Doctors head but he gets it back and drives them away with
the help of Mephistopheles
• Faustus keeps on thinking about his time left before he must surrender
his soul
1.3.5 Act V
• An old man appears asking Faustus to repent
• Faustus is in a dilemma, Mephistopheles appears and threatens to tear
his flesh

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Short Notes
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• Faustus curses the old man and summons “Helen of Troy” to make him
forget his last hours of despair
• Lucifer, Beelzebub and Mephistopheles gather to witness Faustus’ last
night
• His fellow scholars tell him to turn to God but he is unable to do so
• He is alone, fearfully waiting for Satan to take his soul
• Good and Bad Angels appear and good angel blames him
• Faustus is now repenting his choice in the final hour
• The three scholars discuss about the dreadful night and find his torn
body
• They promise him a Christian burial
Play Summary - Christopher Marlowe: Dr. Faustus
Introduction – Beginning - where characters and settings are introduced
Dr. Faustus is dissatisfied with his knowledge
Summons devil Mephistopheles by practicing Black magic
Rising Action – Where the character faces a series of conflicts
Faustus signs a contract with Lucifer in his blood
Exchanges his soul for 24 years of service from the devil
Considers repentance at the thought of living in hell after 24 years
Does not repent
Goes in magical journeys, conjures up images of dead with the help of devil
24 years are about to end, urged to repent, but he does not
Climax – The most exciting part of the story; outcome
Scholars pray for Faustus after he summons up the image of Helen Troy
Falling Action – Events leading to the end of the story
Night before the expiration of contract Faustus feels remorse, but does not
repent
Resolution – End of the story
Faustus dies and is dragged into hell for eternal life
Scholars hold a funeral for him
1.4 Tragic Conflict/Dilemma/Agony of Faustus
• Two types of conflict are interwoven in the play by Marlowe: One
between rival views of nature of evil and the other between the choice
of good and evil, and the depiction of internal or spiritual conflict in the
mind of his conceited and go-getter hero Doctor Faustus.

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His struggle is visible in three phases:
• Conflict between Mind and Soul: In the first phase, his hunger for
knowledge pushes him to ignore the good angel and choose black art of
magic, which leads Faustus into a vicious bargain with the Devil
• Struggling to Escape his Impending Doom: In the second phase
Faustus realises that his heart is too hardened to repent. He starts
listening to the voice of his soul, but the evil angel reminds him that if
he breaches the contract with the devil, he will be torn into pieces
• Final Downfall: The final phase closes with the monologue of Dr
Faustus which he begins just before an hour of his final downfall. This
reveals the deep agony of a horror-struck soul which has lost hope for
redemption and is doomed to eternal damnation
1.5 Dr. Faustus as the Renaissance Tragedy or Tragedy of a Renaissance
Man
• Faustus is hungry for gaining limitless knowledge and super-human
powers, by disregarding God and choosing unholy ways for wish
fulfilment
• Faustus may argue intellectually that pledging his soul to the devil may
be a smart decision but deep down to his soul he is well aware of the
deceit towards doctrines of Christianity
• The conflict between his mind and soul can be externalised by the Bad
Angel and Good Angel respectively
• His supreme thirst for more knowledge and power, inclination towards
worldly pleasures lead towards his tragic end
• In his last soliloquy, Faustus blames his divine knowledge for his
downfall and even wishes to burn his books
• He falls for lust and sensual desires too. Even in his last days, he
spends time indulging in debauchery
• Hence Doctor Faustus is the tragedy of Renaissance
• Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus embraces the spirit of Reformation, which is
a direct satire on Christian beliefs which makes it tragedy of the
Renaissance and reformation
1.6 Characters
1.6.1 Dr. Faustus
• Faustus is the protagonist of the play
• Proud, ambitious, and self-confident man; represents the spirit of the
Renaissance

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• Rejects the medieval religious viewpoint
• Has great desire for knowledge and power
• Intentionally blinds himself to the implications of his pact with Lucifer
• Beset with doubts and keeps vacillating between repentance and his
insistence on the pact with the devil
• Eventual fall means that man cannot ignore his limitations or ignore
religion
• Symbol of Western civilization, in its search for power and knowledge
at the expense spiritual loss
1.6.2 Mephistopheles
• Mephistopheles is the devil himself
• One of the dominant characters in the play as he appears in most of the
scenes as Faustus
• Lure’s Faustus into signing the contract with the devil
• After the pact, he becomes Faustus’ servant for twenty-four years
• Mephistopheles functions as the representative of hell and Lucifer and
is a fallen angel who keeps Faustus on the dark side
1.7 Themes
1.7.1. Renaissance: Refer to 1.5
1.7.2 Tragic Conflict: Refer to 1.4
1.7.3 Tragic Flaw in the Hero
• Purpose to evoke sad emotions, such as pity and fear
• Makes the audience experience catharsis, relieving them of their pent-
up emotions
• Leads to his demise or downfall bringing tragic end
• Gives wisdom to the audience to avoid such things in their everyday
lives
• Examples of the heroes who became victims of their own fate:
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus
• The hero is fair and virtuous, and is always supporting the moral good
• Further in the plot the protagonist may undergo some change, forming
the climax of the story
• He is the emotional heart of the story, helping the audience connect
with it on a basic level

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