Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Q. 1. Explain the following passages with reference to their contexts and suplly brief critical com-
Context: In Act II, Scene I, the old man Mephis tophles enter into a context for faustus.
Comment: Act III & IV: The Comic Diversion of Tragedy: The Act III and IV contain solely comic
scenes, although they do not have either the function of taking the plot ahead, or providing a parody to the main plot,
The comic scene that follows Faustus two scenes in the papal court is another one of low comedy. The clown
Robin and Dick enter and flatter themselves on their successful stealing of a silver cup from the tavern. Their in
stealing is a parody of Faustus snatching of the dishes from the hand of the Pope in the preceding scene. The vintner
who comes to demand the cup back is again shown some tricks by Robin and Dick. But the vintner is unconvinced
of the innocence of the clowns. Robin then raises Mephistopheles to punish the vintner. Mephistopheles obliges by
appearing before them but he vents his anger at the two clowns rather than at the vintner. He transforms one of them
The scene is not without its thematic connection with the main Faustus scenes. In the first place, the clowns
reduce Faustus practice of magic to its lowest denominator. Their punishment by Mephistopheles also prefigures
Faustus own at the hands of the devil that he serves. More immediately, however, the metamorphosis of the clowns
into a dog and an ape ironically comments on Faustus earlier dreams of transcendence through magic. For, like the
clowns, he too has been practising magic to pursue his baser appetites, and the metamorphosis he has undergone
through magic has helped to make him merely an itinerant magician who delights in playing petty tricks with petty
mortals. Gone is the earlier titanic aspirant of the opening of the play. An inner degeneration has overtaken Faustus
Acts III and IV, like II and III, are also separated by the entry of the chorus. This time the chorus informs us that
after visiting various cities and royal courts Faustus returned home to the delight of his friends and admirers, who
were missing his company badly. He gave them great joy and satisfaction with the accounts of his travels and new
discoveries in astronomy.
Ans. Ref. These lines have been taken from Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream.
Context: This is part of Helena s dialogue. Helena asks Lysander to put his vow of love to her (Helena) and the
And there within, Sir, are the golden mines great Solomn’s ophir!
Ans. Ref.: These lines have been extracted from Ben Johnson s The Alchemist.
Comment: Face sends Mammon and Dol into another room where Mammon may be able to make love to Dol.
Then he asks Mammon, O what else sir? And that you ll make her royal with the stone, And empress; and yourself
king of Bantam. These words motivate Mammon and he takes his action as appropriate.
He looks at the Drugger s forehead and tells him that a ship is coming from the Port of Hormuz. It will bring a
commodity of drugs for Drugger. As a result Drugger would become a rich man. He indicates the lines on his
forehead and says this is the west, and this is the south.
(d) I hit a blow on the ridge of his skull, laid him stretched out, and he split to the knob of his gullet.
Ans. Ref. These lines are from J.M. Synge s The Playboy of the Western World.
Comment: Act II begins the following morning, as Christy, alone, counts the pub s crockery and glassware. He
decides this would be a fine place to call home, and then looks into the wall mirror to confirm that he is indeed a
handsome man, as others have recently described him. He trying to conceal the mirror from the girls.
Context: In Act IV, Eliza said this dialogue to Higgins. This statement angered Higgins and actually provoked a
Comment: Higgins had ceased to ignore Eliza after she says this, and his responses indirectly demonstrate his
affection towards her. When she said The like of you and the like of me , it emphasized once again the distinction
between the two classes. Eliza believes herself to be common and ignorant and not worthy of Higgins. The fact
that she provoked a response out of him by pointing this out showed that Higgins truly did care about her.