13 October 2019
10 October 2019
Hamlet as a revenge play
Assignment
Name- Hareshwari Kapdi
Course- M.A. English
Semester- 1
Roll No - 10
Topic- Hamlet as a revenge play
Paper - Renaissance Literature
Batch -2019-2020
Submitted - Smt.S.B. Gardi Department of English MKBU
Enrollment no- 206108420200020
Hamlet as a revenge play
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist.
Two revenge play:-
- Chief features of Revenge Plays:
- It deals with some crime – murder heinous and most unnatural.
- Some near relative pr intimate person is called upon to avenge the murder
- It is the Ghost of the dead who reveals the crime committed.
- Sacred duty to take revenge is accepted and revenge is taken with disastrous consequences
- There is much bloodshed and physical horror
- There is much that is thrilling and sensational use of fighting, of violence, madness, adultery, even incest.
- Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies. At first glance, it holds all of the common occurrences in a revenge tragedy which include plotting, ghosts, and madness, but its complexity as a story far transcends its functionality as a revenge tragedy. Revenge tragedies are often closely tied to the real or feigned madness in the play. Hamlet is such a complex revenge tragedy because there truly is a question about the sanity of the main character Prince Hamlet. Interestingly enough, this deepens the psychology of his character and affects the way that the revenge tragedy takes place.
Audiences watching Hamlet at the time it was first performed would recognize the play as belonging to a particular genre: they didn’t have a name for it, but modern scholars call it “revenge tragedy.” In a revenge tragedy the hero has suffered a great wrong, usually the murder of someone he loves, and the plot is driven by his desire for revenge. At the end of the play, the hero murders the person who has wronged him, and typically the hero also dies. The first really popular revenge tragedy was The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd. It was written more than a decade before Hamlet, and it was still being performed when Hamlet was first staged. Shakespeare’s audiences would have noticed that Hamlet borrows several features from Kyd’s play, including a vengeful ghost, a play-within-a-play and a hero who goes mad. But rather than simply repeating the familiar conventions of the revenge tragedy, Hamlet subverts many of the tropes to question both the genre of revenge tragedy, as well as the nature of revenge itself
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is complex and multifaceted play bringing together many themes. It is evident that in writing Hamlet, Shakespeare, to some extent, adopted the dramatic conventions of revenge tragedy. Revenge proved to be a popular theme for Elizabethan dramatists and the audience. Although it was a wild justice, Elizabethan audience considered vengeance to be a pious duty laid upon the next of kin. The old law claimed an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; vengeance demanded both the eyes, a jaw full of teeth, and above all the victim should go direct to hell there to live in everlasting torment. A perfect revenge therefore needed great artistry.
Hamlet is a play that very closely follows the dramatic conventions of revenge tragedy. All revenge tragedies originally stemmed from the Greeks, who wrote and performed the first plays. After the Greeks came Seneca who was particularly influential to all Elizabethan playwrights including William Shakespeare. The two most famous English revenge tragedies written in the Elizabethan era were Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare and The Spanish Tragedy, written by Thomas Kyd. These two plays used almost all of the conventions for revenge tragedies in one way or the other. Hamlet especially incorporated all revenge conventions which truly made Hamlet a typical revenge play.
During Elizabethan era revenge plays were well acclaimed. Most of them were a typical revenge tragedy, a melodrama with so many turns and twists to keep the audience spell-bound. “Hamlet” as well as “The Spanish Tragedy” tackled almost all those areas that were essential for the consummation of a great revenge tragedy.
Shakespeare in Hamlet employs the framework of Senecan Tragedy to convey the revenge theme. But underneath the outer framework of Senecan Revenge Tragedy, lie key Shakespearean themes of human condition, social indoctrination, the morality of the ghost’s injunction, and the ethics of revenge.
The opening scene sets the tone of the play – a play shrouded in mystery and horror. The ghost appears to the night guards, a shadowy figure resembling much in the dress and the armour of the late king. The appearance of the dead king’s ghost has a profound effect upon the night guards as Marcellus remarks: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”. Although Horatio will not believe in the ghost until witness of his eyes; it appearance “harrows him with fear and wonder”. It is not made to speak rather “stalks away majestically”. The ghost appears twice in the opening scene but does not vouchsafe a reply to Horatio’s questions. Hamlet is amazed at the idea of his father’s apparition:
“My father’s spirit in arms! All is not well/ I doubt some foul play.”
Hamlet himself is dumbfounded at the sight the ghost. The ghost makes the shocking revelation of its murder to Hamlet. It further enjoins on Hamlet the sacred duty of avenging his “foul and the most un-natural murder”. The ghost’s injunctions are very clear:
“Let not the royal bed of Denmark be/A couch for luxury and damned incest”.
The awful revelation of the ghost forms the soul of the tragedy and drives the entire action.
Verity points out:
“Without the ghost’s initial revelation of truth to Hamlet, there would be no occasion for revenge; in other words no tragedy of Hamlet.”
Hamlet’s mind is assailed with doubt whether or not this apparition is a demon sent from hell, or if it is truly his father’s spirit which has come from purgatory, to divulge the horrors of his murder, in the hope of revenge:
“The spirit that I have seen/ May be the devil and the devil hath power/To assume a pleasing shape.”
To verify the truth of the ghost’s statement, Hamlet first feigns madness, and then gets enacted mousetrap play to “catch the conscience of the king”. During the play Hamlet closely watches Claudius’ reaction when the actors perform the murder scene. Hamlet's plan works and his uncle in a fit of discomfort runs out of the room, where Hamlet goes after him. Now, Hamlet knows that Claudius is guilty.
Afterwards Hamlet finds Claudius at prayer, confessing his sins:
“O, my offence is rank it smells to heaven/It hath primal eldest curse upon it/A brother’s murder.”
He pulls out his sword and gets ready to kill Claudius. But suddenly Hamlet changes his mind because if he kills his uncle while he is praying he will go to heaven, and Hamlet wants him to go to hell. So Hamlet postpones the execution of his uncle at this point in the play.
The next confrontation between Hamlet and Claudius does not happen till the end of the book. Claudius hatches a plan according to which Hamlet and Laertes will have a mock sword fight, but Laertes will be using a real poisoned sword. Laertes stabs him with the poisoned sword then Hamlet takes hold of the poisoned sword, and stabs Laertes with it. Meanwhile Queen Gertrude dies from the poisoned drink intended for Hamlet. As Laertes lays dying he reveals to Hamlet that his uncle King Claudius was behind it all. Hamlet then in a fit of rage runs his uncle through with the poisoned sword. Hamlet has now finally revenged his father but too late and at the cost of so many lives.
Hamlet fulfills all the conventions of typical revenge tragedy: there is murder, adultery, insanity, incestuous marriage and faithfulness. Besides these, there is a melodramatic element also – violence and bloodshed, terrible and blood-chilling scenes – which is in line with the revenge tragedy conventions.
Hamlet is not a simple revenge tragedy. Shakespeare has woven complex threads of the contrasting characters. Shakespeare has introduced characters like Laertes and Fortinbras that are obviously foils to Hamlet. Fortinbras, the son of the slain king of Norway, is all hot for action. He finds “quarrel in a straw” and intends to risk his life even for an “egg-shell”. He travels many miles to take his revenge and ultimately succeeds in conquering Denmark. When Hamlet murders Polonius, another revenge is ready to begin. Laertes is a typical revenger who is capable of direct and headstrong revenge even at the cost of damnation.
“To hell, allegiance! Vows to the blackest devil. he declares.
If Hamlet feels “Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all”, Laertes consigns conscience to the devil, and will “cut his throat in the church”. Hamlet, on the other hand, has to convert the external action of revenge into one that is internal, free and truly moral.
Summing up, to say Hamlet merely a revenge tragedy would be to do a great injustice. It would ignore play’s artistic superiority over other plays of this genre. It is only befitting that its hero falls to the beautiful heavenly benediction of Horatio:
“And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
Concept of individualism in Robinson Crusoe
Assignment
Name- Hareshwari Kapdi
Course- M.A. English
Semester- 1
Batch- 2019-2020
Roll No- 10
Submitted to- Smt. S.B. Gardi Department of English MKBU
Paper No-The Neo- Classical literature
Topic- Concept of individualism in Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe:-
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a travelogue of true incidents.
Individualism in Robinson Crusoe
While he is no flashy hero or grand epic adventurer, Robinson Crusoe displays character traits that have won him the approval of generations of readers. His perseverance in spending months making a canoe, and in practicing pottery making until he gets it right, is praiseworthy. Additionally, his resourcefulness in building a home, dairy, grape arbor, country house, and goat stable from practically nothing is clearly remarkable. The Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau applauded Crusoe’s do-it-yourself independence, and in his book on education, Emile, he recommends that children be taught to imitate Crusoe’s hands-on approach to life. Crusoe’s business instincts are just as considerable as his survival instincts: he manages to make a fortune in Brazil despite a twenty-eight-year absence and even leaves his island with a nice collection of gold. Moreover, Crusoe is never interested in portraying himself as a hero in his own narration. He does not boast of his courage in quelling the mutiny, and he is always ready to admit unheroic feelings of fear or panic, as when he finds the footprint on the beach. Crusoe prefers to depict himself as an ordinary sensible man, never as an exceptional hero.
At the center of Robinson Crusoe is a tension between society and individuality. As the novel begins, Robinson breaks free of his family and the middle-class society in which they live in order to pursue his own life. If he were to stay at home, he would live a life already arranged for him by his father and by the constraints of English society. By setting out to sea, Robinson prioritizes his sense of individuality over his family and society at large. Robinson gets exactly what he asks for (and more than he bargained for) when he finds himself stranded alone on his island. There, he lives entirely as an individual apart from society and is forced to struggle against nature to survive. He becomes self-sufficient and learns how to make and do things himself, discovering ingenuity he didn't know he had. Thus, one could say that being separated from society leads to Robinson becoming a better person. Robinson himself seems to come to this conclusion, as he realizes that his experience brings him closer to God and that living alone on the island allows for a life largely without sin: he makes, harvests, and hunts only what he needs, so there is nothing for him to be covetous of or greedy for. And while he is alone, he does not suffer from lust or pride.
Robinson comes around to liking his individual existence on the island so much that, at times in the novel, it is unclear whether he even wants to be rescued and returned to society. And when he finally does return to England, he notes how much worry and stress issues of money and property caused him. Nonetheless, there are some problems with Robinson's valuing of individuality over society. For one, while Robinson values his own personal liberty, he doesn't respect that of others. He hates being a slave, but is quick to sell Xury into the service of the Portuguese captain. Similarly, he treats Friday as his inferior servant. This maltreatment of others can be related as well to Robinson's narcissistic style of narration. His narrative is always about himself, to the degree that he hardly even gives the names of other characters. We never learn the name of his wife, for example, whose death Robinson describes quickly and unemotionally at the end of the novel before hastening to tell us more of his own adventures. And finally, Robinson's intense individualism is inseparable from his painful isolation. He feels lonely in Brazil, and then is literally isolated (the word comes from the Latin word for island, insula), when he is stranded on his island all alone. His only companions are his animals and, while he learns to enjoy life on the island, he still feels a deep desire for the human companionship that he lacks. Thus, the novel values individuality, but also shows the dangers of narcissism and isolation that may come with it.
While Defoe presents individuality as important, Robinson does decide to leave his island in the end. And, as we learn when he returns, he turns his haven of individualism into a society—a thriving colony with a substantial population. Society may curb an individual's independence, but it also provides valuable companionship. While Robinson rejects the claims of society in favor of individuality in the beginning of the novel, he ultimately comes around to trying to balance the two.
Think of the island on which Robinson Crusoe is shipwrecked in Daniel Defoe's famous book and you're likely to think of a sun-drenched Caribbean idyll with sandy beaches and palm trees. In short, not a bad place to be shipwrecked.
But the island that supposedly inspired the book is nothing like that. It's in the Pacific, nearly 700km off the coast of Chile, and is frequently shrouded in mist.
Robinson Crusoe Island is the largest of the Juan Fernandez Islands, a tiny archipelago that is now Chilean territory. Its link to Daniel Defoe's book dates back to 1704 when a British buccaneer ship called at the island.
The ship was leaking badly and its crew was sick and exhausted. One of the sailors, a young Scotsman called Alexander Selkirk, said it was madness to continue their voyage and argued his case with the captain.
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What happened next is unclear. Either Selkirk refused to rejoin the ship, or was forced off it by the captain. Either way, he remained on the tiny, uninhabited island as the ship sailed off into the distance.
Selkirk lived here alone for the next four years and four months, surviving on fish, berries and wild goats until another British ship passed by in 1709. By then, he must have been quite a sight. The captain of that ship described him as "a man Cloth'd in Goat-Skins, who look'd wilder than the first Owners of them".
The current residents of Robinson Crusoe Island know all about that. Rudy Aravena, a 35-year-old hotelier, was almost killed by the tsunami of 2010.
"We were asleep and a friend of mine who's in the navy woke us up and shouted 'get out, a tsunami is coming!'" he recalls. "We got dressed with anything we could lay our hands on, with no shoes, and we ran for the hills. We got out just in time."
Meaning of Subaltern - The character of Eklavya concept of Subaltern
Assignment
Name- Hareshwari Kapdi
Course- M.A. English
Semester- 1
Batch- 2019-2020
Roll No- 10
Submitted- Smt S.B. Gardi Department of English
Paper No- Indian writing in English
Topic- what is the meaning of Subaltern? the character of Eklavya with special reference to the concept of Subaltern.
# Introduction:-
T.P. Kailasm (1884-1946) was a dramatist, poet and short story writer in kannada and english.
∆ His popular play are:-
- Fulfilment
- The Purpose.
- The Burden
- The Karna
- The Keechaka
- T.P. Kailasama's The Purpose is biased on 'Mahabharata'
- In the Mahabharata highlight the character of Arjuna but in The Purpose highlight the character of Eklavya.
- Kailasama tried to high-light something which in original myth was neglected.
- Essentially the purpose of this thesis has been to propose an assessment or interpretation of T.P. Kailasam's "private mythology", of its genesis, its justification and its value. This mythology was, of course, largely influenced by the circumstances of his time. Indeed, we have noted earlier in this thesis that Northrop Frye looked on myth as a means of recounting "a society's history, religion or social structure"
First of all let us look on T.P.Kailasam’s views on “The Purpose”:
Kailasam had as intimate a knowledge of The Ramayana as he had of The Mahabharata. But, with the exception of The Burden, all the published plays of Kailasam are inspired by The Mahabharata. Shriranga remarks,
- “This Kannada Playwright, who wrote complete plays in English did not write a single play purely in Kannada.”
- Kailasam was brought up upon the Indian epics and they were always a living presence to him:
“These scenes and words you’ll see and hear
I’ve seen and heard before;
As king or priest, poltroon or peer,
- Somewhere…some when of
# What is Subaltern ?
Sub + altern
| |
Under Other
∆ Subaltern means:-
- Effeminate
- Desultory
- Junior
- Celibate
- A Subaltern is someone with a low ranking in a social, political, or other hierarchy. It can also mean someone who been marginalized or oppressed.
- The meaning of Subaltern, the 'subaltern' is used in post-colonial theory the exact meaning of the term in current philosophical and critical usage in disputed.
# Ekalavya as Subalterns
- If we think about these two characters. So these are Subalterns.
- Ekalavya is from lower cast and because of his low caste he can't get an education.
- They have no right to learn. He is smarter than Arjuna and yet he can't be great Archer because of his caste.
- So Eklavya can't stud Archery from Guru Dronacharya, because he was Nishadha boy. At that time, only high class or king's sons learn archery, and Drona was Guru only Arjuna not any other. So we can say that Nishadha is Subaltern cast or group of people and Eklavya was as a Subaltern person. Even his Purpose to learn archery is good and he was smarter than Arjuna yet he cannot because great archer because of his caste. He learned archery by himself, yet he compromised with Arjuna as a cost of Gurudakshina and lost his thumb it's not only lost his thumb but lost his archery also.
- Intense focus.
- Dedicated self-learning.
- Willingness to tolerate mistakes. Self-criticism to learn from mistakes.
- In the Purpose we find that Eklavya from low caste, he was Nishaada boy and Arjuna was king's boy, price and he was Arya.
Indian Caste System
- In post-colonial theory the term Subaltern describe the lower class people and who are at the margins of a Society. We find that many people are Subalterns and many cast also in our India.
- Parihas and Tribal people are also marginalized or Subaltern.
# Example of Subalterns
- Ekalavya in the Purpose.
- Karna in the Mahabharata.
- Rosencrants and Guidenstern.
- In lagaan movie in kachara has belonging to low cast.
- In Ghulami movie Dharmendra is Subaltern.
Ekalavya was a complete confident soul. Who knew what he wanted. He wanted to learn Archery- everything there was to know about it Arjuna wanted a different thing . He wanted to be better at archery than everyone else. Arjuna competed with all archers while Eklavya only competed with himself.
- He surrendered the right thumb to Guru Dronacharya; but it was not driven by the'blind faith'.
Ekalavya indeed was the great Archer,per excellent, Not only archery. He was the master of yoga, one of the ancient martial arts with a sincere commitment to it. Practices gave him the specific goal of his mind, and that's why it spells he pursued perfection. It was not at all the self-interested belittlement that made Eklavya cut the thumb of his right hand for Dronacharya. This one action that made him immortal was prompted by a particular state of mind. The state of absolute doubtless, about his intent, and of course, in the belief that his progress was contingent on the blessings of his contingent on the blessings of his guru. And surprising thing was that, after giving Gurudakshina, Eklavya started practicing archery, using his other fingers.
The severed thumb that Eklavya presented to Drona was to thank him for the journey rather than the destination. And destination was everything to Arjuna. Arjuna was in the game in order to be a player. Eklavya had gone beyond the game and the players into something larger. Ekalavya was a complete confident soul who knew what he wanted. He wanted to learn Archery- everything there was to know about it. And that's why by birth or by caste, in Mahabharata. Eklavya was not superior to Arjuna; but in every aspect of the strength of soul , he was unquestionably superior to Arjuna and Guru Dronacharya too.
# Comparison between Arjuna and Eklavya:-
The similarity between both the characters is that both want to become the world's best archer. Thought the aim is Same, the purpose for it is different. Arjuna has the personal purpose and Ekalavya's purpose is to save the animals. So, we can say here that this all the things are about "The Purpose" or based on the "The Purpose" that how the Purpose is different from each other. So, here we can say that the title of this play is appropriate and we'll chosen by the Playwright of this play.
Now let's talk about contrast or difference between these two characters Eklavya and Arjuna.
# Conclusion
In 'Can the Subaltern speak?', spivak propounds her theory of Subaltern. The Crux of her theory is that the Subalterns cannot speak. The tenets of Theory became controversial as they were interested with false conviction. The Subalterns were subjected to colonial rule and only colonizer had the voice.
Wordsworth:- The theme of Poetry
Assignment
Course- M.A. English
Semester- 1
Batch- 2019-2020
Roll No - 10
Submitted to- Smt S.B. Gardi
Department of English MKBU
Paper No- Literary theory and criticism
Topic-Wordsworth: The theme of Poetry
# Introduction
William Wordsworth was a Romantic Age poet. And we also said that he was a dominant figure of the Romantic Age. He was a Romantic poet with high quality. And here we will discuss about his theme of Poetry. But when we start about this topic we first have to know something about his life.
Wordsworth gives his famous definitions of Poetry as,
" The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings; It takes it's origin from emotion recollected in tranquility".
# His Famous Works:-
- Prelude
- Lyrical Ballad
- Upon the west minister bridge
- Daffodils
- The Rainbow
Let's see what according to Wordsworth should be the theme of poetry in detail.
# According to Wordsworth: The theme of Poetry.
William Wordsworth is known as a nature poet. Because his most poems are about nature. His best poem in my sight is "Daffodils". In this poem his point of view about nature is point of view about nature is very clear and he defined everything clearly. He used nature elements beautifully.
# Definitions of Poetry
For all good Poetry is the Spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling; and though this be true, poems to which any value can be attached were never produced on any variety of subjects but by a man who being possessed more than usual organic sensibility, had also thought long and deeply.
# Theme of Poetry:-
# Theme of nature:
- Nature provides the ultimate good influence on the human mind.
- The good relationship with nature helps individuals connect to both the spiritual and the social worlds.
- For example
"One summer evening I found
A little boat tied to a Willow tree
Within a rocky cove, it's usual home ".(The Prelude)
# Childhood as a Theme :
- In Wordsworth's Poetry, childhood is magical, magnificent time of innocence.
- Children from an intense bond with nature, so much so that they appear to be a part of the natural world, rather than a part of human, social world.
- For example
" She dwelt among the untrodden ways"
"Strange fits of passion have I know".
# The power of human mind:
- Wordsworth praised the power of the human mind.
- For example
" Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey".
# Rustic life
- Wordsworth always use simple and rustic life in his poem.
- The lives of ord Iinary men and women, farmers' rural poor.
- For example
"Solitary Reaper"
Wordsworth view on Theme and subject matter of Poetry
Let us briefly review Wordsworth view on the theme and subject matter of Poetry:
# Object (Subject matter of Poetry) :-
The principle object, then proposed in these poems was to choose incidents and situations from common life, and to relate and describe them, thoughout, as far as possible in a selection of language really used by men, and, at the same time, to throw over them a certain colouring of imagination whereby ordinary things should be presented to the mind in an unusual aspect; and further, and above all , to make these situations and incidents interesting by tracing in them , truly thought not ostentationusly, the primary law of our nature: Chiefly as regards the manner in which we associate ideas in state of excitement.
# Humble and rustic (subject matter of Poetry) :-
Humble and rustic life was generally chose, because in that condition, the essential passions of the heart find a better soil in which they can attain their find a better soil in which they can attain their maturity, are less under restraint, and speak a plainer and more emphatic language: because in that condition of life, our elementary feeling co-exist in a state of greater simplicity, and consequently, may be more accurately contemplated and more forcibly communicat ; because the manner of rural life germinate from these elementary feelings, and from the necessary character of rural occupations, are more easily comprehended, and are more durable; and lastly, because in that condition the passions of men are incorporated with the best beautiful and permanent forms of nature.
# Language:-
The language, too of these men has been adopted- purified indeed from what appear to be it's real defects, from all lasting and rational causes of dislike and disgust- because such men communicate with the best objects from which the best part of language is originally derived; and because, from their rank in society and the sameness and narrow circle of their intercourse, being less under the influence of social variety, they convey their feeling and notions in simple and unelaborated expression. Accordingly, such a language, arising out of the repeated experience and regular feeling is a more permanent, and a far more philosophical language, than that which is frequently substituted for it by poets, who think that they are conferring honour upon themselves and their art, in proportion as they separate themselves from the sympathies of men, and indulge in arbitrary and capricious habits of expression, in order to furnish food for fickle appetites, of their own creation.
than that which is frequently substituted for it by poets, who think that they are conferring honour upon themselves and their art, in proportion as they separate from the sympathies of men, and indulge in arbitrary and capricious habits of expression, in order to furnish food for fickle appetites, of their own creation.
Wordsworth believed that,
" The first principle of Poetry should be pleasure and so the chief duty of Poetry is to provide pleasure through a rhythmic and beautiful expression of feeling. All human sympathy he asserted is based on a subtle pleasure principle that is the naked and native dignity of man".
Wordsworth's poetic Creed initiated the Romantic era emphasized feelings, instinct and pleasure above formality and mannerism. More than any other poet before him, Wordsworth gave expression to inchoate human emotion.
# To wind up
Ultimately, we may clarify that the theme of Poetry should be about Nature as well as rustic life. Further, he discusses that the language of Poetry must be easy & simple so that the reader can understand very well at the first reading.
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