ENGLISH

( Subsidiary 3 )
Third Paper [ (S-3) SEG - III : Drama ]

What role does the supernatural play in Macbeth ?

Analyzing the effects of the supernatural elements in Macbeth is a good approach to the play. That might
begin by looking at the witches' prophesies to Macbeth and Banquo at the beginning of the play. The most
important of these is the prophesy that Macbeth will become king and that Banquo's sons will be kings.
Predicting the future is a supernatural act, but mere humans make these prophesies come true. Macbeth and
Lady Macbeth, upon hearing the witches' prophecies (Lady Macbeth through her husband's letter), decide that
it is Macbeth's fate to become king. So they take the "near'st way" to this position by murdering Duncan. It is
Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's belief in the truth of the prophesies that propels them to murder. Instead of
letting the prophesies come true on their own, they make them happen. And, of course, Macbeth makes a very
poor king indeed, creating chaos in all of Scotland.
You then might look at Macbeth's second encounter with the witches. They again predict the future. This time
Macbeth's reaction is quite different. Instead of acting to fulfill the prophesies, he acts to prevent them.
Macbeth now believes that he can change his fate.
So, you might view the witches as having several roles: that of instigators, temptors, and prophets. But clearly
the decision to murder is Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's.

What is the significance of the porter's scene of Act 2

Scene 3 in Macbeth?
In the porter scene of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Inverness, Macbeth's castle, is depicted as hell. This depiction is
an echo of what's just occurred in the castle (Duncan's assassination), as well as foreshadowing of what's to
come as the editor stated above.
The porter scene serves other purposes, as well. First, the scene is comic relief. The play achieves a height of
intensity when Duncan is assassinated, Macbeth feels tremendous guilt, he forgets to leave the bloody daggers
in the chamber with the grooms, etc. Suspense and intensity are at a high level here.
But intensity cannot stay a a high level forever, and the body of Duncan will be discovered soon. Shakespeare
must lower the intensity quickly, so that he can raise it again when the body is discovered. The porter scene,
with its comedy, accomplishes this.

The scene is more than comedy, however. Most notably, the theme of equivocation is expounded on during the
scene. The porter explains that an equivocator is one who could lie on both sides of the scale of justice, and
sound believable in both cases. A tailor who skimps on his material, substituting cheap cloth for expensive, is
also an equivocator. "Drink" is an equivocator.
Trace the evolution of secular drama in England from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance

The Middle Ages

Theatre continued to be popular through the fall of the Roman Empire. With the onset of the Middle Agesfrom 500-1500 A.D., however, the Church had different views of the
mythological gods and saw theatre as evil. Most theatre was outlawed, and drama was only performed by traveling groups of actors.
Eventually, though, the Church saw the value of the ritualistic nature of drama, and began to reenact short Bible stories during mass. Mystery plays were stories from the
Bible. Miracle plays focused on saints. Over time, these plays transformed into something known as morality plays. These plays promoted a godly life, but they did not teach
the Bible stories exclusively. Instead, the morality plays worked as an allegory, which is a literary device where the characters or events represent or symbolize other ideas
and concepts.
Morality plays, which featured a hero who must overcome evil, were allegorical in nature. In the case of the morality plays, the hero represented mankind. The other
characters served as personifications of many things, including the Seven Deadly Sins, death, virtues and even angels and demons - anything that wanted to take over
mankind's soul. In the end, the hero would choose the godly route.
An example of a 15th century English morality play is Everyman. In the play, God sends Death to strike down the sinners who have forgotten him. Death finds the main
character, Everyman, and tells him he is to begin his journey from life to death. Everyman asks if he can bring someone with him, and Death agrees. Unfortunately, Everyman
cannot persuade any of his friends, who include Fellowship, Beauty, Kindred, Worldly Goods, to go with him on his journey. Finally, Good Deeds says that she will go with him.
Together they go into the grave and ascend into heaven. The moral of this story is that good deeds will help every man get into heaven. It is a subtle turn from the straight
biblical stories, but it allowed for more secular forms of drama during the Renaissance.

The Renaissance
You might already know the word Renaissance means 'rebirth'. In the case of drama, the Renaissance, which lasted from approximately 1400-1700, was the rebirth of interest
in theatre across Europe. In fact, the Renaissance introduced many of the elements we still think of when we imagine a theatre: indoor theatres, an arched stage, a curtain
dropped between scenes, more elaborate set design. All of these changes were implemented during the Renaissance. More importantly, however, the purpose of drama
transitioned from stories told by the Church to stories made primarily for entertainment for both royalty and commoners.
Usually when we hear the word Renaissance, especially in conjunction with drama, we think of Shakespeare's England. What most people don't know is the Renaissance
actually began in Italy, where music, song and dance were implemented into the plays produced in the new indoor theatres. From there, the rebirth of the arts moved to other
countries in Europe. The French imitated Italian theatre and boasted the talent of playwrightMolire, whose plays poked fun at the people in important positions.
In Spain, they kept some of the religious dramas, but also began performing action-based plays. It wasn't until later that the Renaissance was embraced in England during the
reign of Queen Elizabeth I and continued through the reign of King James I and King Charles I. Theatre flourished during this time, producing several great playwrights. These
included Christopher Marlowe, who was known for writing tragedies, and Ben Jonson, who was known for writing comedies. Of course, most well known of all was William
Shakespeare, who wrote both and is still popular today.

Show how the Sleep Walking scene brings out the nemesis of Lady Macbeth.

The glorious prospect of kingship has proved illusory, and he envies Duncan, sleeping peacefully in death, with his
reputation intact. Instead of honour, love, obedience, troops of friends he has curses and mouth-honour (lip-service;
Act 5, scene 3). The queen's death reminds him of the brevity and meaninglessness of life: ...a tale/Told by an idiot, full of
sound and fury/Signifying nothing.
While he is forced to wait for his enemies, they are seen moving inexorably northwards, their numbers growing all the
time. It is a popular cause, almost a moral crusade and many unrough youths are fighting for the first time. Caithness
notes how wild and unrestrained Macbeth's actions are, but Angus passes the most damning judgement. He notes how
Macbeth feels his secret murders sticking to his hands (echoing Macbeth's words on the night of Duncan's murder, and
those of Lady Macbeth more recently). Every minute, says Angus, a new revolt breaks out, and those who serve the tyrant
do so only out of fear. A good king (like Duncan) has great moral stature but Macbeth lacks this - so his royal title
appears as ridiculous as would ...a giant's robe/Upon a dwarfish thief.
When Birnam Wood does come to Dunsinane, Macbeth supposes that no mortal can harm him, and when he kills Young
Siward he is more confident still. Macduff's disclosure may strike audiences as a silly or hair-splitting distinction, but the
point is well made by Macbeth that they are juggling fiends...that palter with us in a double sense. He has been thinking
of the reference to woman while all the time the critical word was - and Macduff was ripped from the womb untimely.

Write a short note on the theatre in Elizabethan England.

The best place to start when discussing Elizabethan Theater is at how the union of Art and commercial opportunity under a relatively
stable English monarchy advanced the English language.
The late 16th to early 17th centuries were unique in English history in that the conditions were right for the distinctly social/cultural
nature of drama (as opposed to poetry). Public theatrical presentations were the site of the largest gatherings and social mix of
foreigners, rural visitors, and Londoners, with the possible exception of church gatherings. The genre of drama/theater as literature
benefited from the explosion of printing presses, notably in quarto publications of playscripts, which were circulated throughout
England. So drama/theater enjoyed patronage as Art while at the same time providing a commercial base for economic growth.
The linguistic contributions of plays, especially neologisms (newly coined word or new use of words), kept plays popular for all the
centuries following Elizabeths reign, and the insights into human conduct, demonstrated in the striking characterizations of the dramas,
moved the nascent philosophies (newly emerging philosophies) of human nature into the Age of Reason.

How does Shakespeare create the Venetian setting in The Merchant of Venice

Venice is an exciting, cosmopolitan setting for the play because it's a hotspot for trade. While Jews had been legally banned from England since 1290,
Venice had laws in place to protect non-Venetian traders who supported the city's economic well-being. When the Jewish moneylender Shylock seeks
his bond, for example, Antonio admits:
The Duke cannot deny the course of law.
For the commodity that strangers have
With us in Venice, if it be denied,
Will much impeach the justice of his state;
Since that the trade and profit of the city
Consisteth of all nations (3.3.29-34)
In other words, the Duke can't make an exception for Antonio by denying Shylock his rights; it would have a negative affect on the city's livelihood.
Although people from all kinds of nationalities and religious backgrounds did business in Venice, Shakespeare's setting is chock-full of religious strife,
especially between Christians and Jews. This culminates in a big legal showdown over whether or not Shylock should be able to collect his pound of
flesh from Antonio. We should also point out that, although 16th-century Venice was more tolerant of foreigners than Elizabethan England, Jews in
Venice were confined to ghettos at the time Shakespeare wroteThe Merchant of Venice. (Shakespeare, however, doesn't ever acknowledge this in the
play.)

What is the role of Banquo in Macbeth

In many ways Banquo is a mirror image of Macbeth. Indeed, early on, the two men are strikingly similar: both men
are brave warriors; they are good friends; they are both promised things by the witches; they are both honored by
the King. And it is because they are so similar that they are easily compared.
Where they differ serves well to define each man: where Banquo has a son, Macbeth has a wife: where Banquo is
rather indifferent to the witches' prophecies, Macbeth is obsessed.
By Act Two, these differences in the two men will lead Macbeth to kill King Duncan, and in Act Three they will lead
Macbeth to kill Banquo and try to kill Fleance, Banquo's son.
How do Tony Lumpkins actions bring about a happy ending to She Stoops to Conquer ?
Often classified as a romantic comedy because of Miss Hardcastle's "stooping" in her attempts to entice Charles Marlow as well as
Marlow's nervousness, She Stoops to Conquer is also in the category of a comedy of manners because there are the humorous
attempts of the characters to preserve proper standards of behavior which is sharp contrasted by how they really act.
Certainly, then, by its definition this comedy of manners effects the main conflict: the characters' behavior is in conflict with the
standards of their social class. Hardcastle's son Tony prefers a girl from the alehouse over Miss Neville. Because of this, he aids Miss

Neville in her plans to marry Hastings against the wishes of his mother. And, the shy Marlow believing Kate Hardcastle is a barmaid,
speaks with vulgarity to her because it is only in such a persona that he can he be comfortable.
The climax comes with the arrival of Sir Charles Marlow in Act V. For, the mistaken identities reach their highest emotional peak as Sir
Charles talks with Hardcastle about the engagement of his son with Kate, but when young Marlow enters, he does not want to become
engaged with Miss Hardcastle; further, he contradicts the opinion of Mr. Hardcastle that he and his daughter are fond of each other
because he believes in Kate's deception that she is a poor relative and does not know who she truly is. Young Marlow tells Hardcastle,
Sure, sir, nothing has passed between us but the most profound respect on my side, and the most distant reserve on hers. You dont
think, sir, that my impudence has been passed upon all the rest of the family.