1.Write
an essay on your understanding of the concept of Shakespearean Tragedy. Justify
/ Illustrate ‘Macbeth’ as Shakespearean Tragedy.
2.What
is Aristotelian concept of Tragedy? How far does ‘Macbeth’ fit in the Aristotelean
concept of Tragedy?
3.What
do you mean by ‘Poetic Justice’? Is there a poetic justice in ‘Macbeth’?
Illustrate your answer.
4.Can
we read Macbeth as Aristotelian ‘tragic hero’? If so, what is his ‘hamartia’?
5.What
is the meaning of ‘hamartia’? What is Macbeth’s hamartia? Compare it with
hamartia of other tragic heroes known to you (like Hamlet, Othello, Oedipus
etc).
6.What
do you understand by the concept of ‘hero-villain’? Is Macbeth a fit character
for this concept? Illustrate your answer.
7.What
sort of artistic liberties are taken by William Shakespeare in ‘Macbeth’? (Key:
Historical Macbeth vs Literary Macbeth: https://www.scotland.org.uk/history/time-macbeth
- the sequence of the murder of King Duncan and that of Banquo are purely
imaginative interpolation. The goodness given to the character of Banquo is also
questioned on the grounds that the ruling King James I was a lineage of Banquo’s
from Scotland).
8.What
is the content of the ‘letter’ written by Macbeth to Lady Macbeth? What is its
importance in the play?
9.Thematic
Study:
a.The
theme of Ambition
b.Tragedy
of Ambition – the Medievalism
c.The
Unchecked Ambition and its Power to Corrupt the nobleness within humans
d.Cruelty
and Masculinity
e.Theme
of Guilty Conscience
10.Character
Study:
a.Macbeth
– the Hero-Villain – the Valiant Villain – The Milk of Human Kindness wasted on
the altar of ambition – tragic hero
b.Lady
Macbeth – a Witch or a Victim?
c.Macduff
– the ultimate avenger
d.Banquo
e.King
Duncan
f.Malcolm and Donalbain
g.Lady
Macduff
11.The
Study of Scenes from the play ‘Macbeth’:
a.Scenes
of Three Witches
b.Murder
of King Duncan
c.Porter
Scene
d.Banquet
scene – Visitation of Banquo’s Ghost
e.Night
walking scene of Lady Macbeth
f.Final fight between Macbeth and Macduff
12.The
Study of Quotations:
a.Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act I, Scene
3: This supernatural soliciting
Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill,
Why hath it given me earnest of success,
Commencing in a truth?
b.Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 1, Scene
7: If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well
It were done quickly
c.Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 2, Scene
1: Is this a dagger which I see before me,
This handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
d.Macbeth says these lines in Act 2,
Scene 2:
Whence is that knocking? –
How is’t with me, when every noise appalls me?
What hands are here! Ha, they pluck out mine eyes.
Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand?
e.Macbeth
in Act 5, Scence 5: Tomorrow,
and tomorrow, and tomorrow
f.Banquo in Act 1, Sc 3: “Oftentimes to win
us to out harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest
trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence.
g.Lady
Macbeth in Act 1 Sc 5: The
raven himself is hoarse . . .
h.Lady Macbeth in Act 5 Sc Out damned spot. . . Hell is
murky.
13.The
Study of Cinematic Adaptations of ‘Macbeth’:
a.Write a note on any one film adaptation of ‘Macbeth’
i.What
changes are made by film makers in the adaptation?
ii.How
are these topics dealt in the film adaptation - ‘the setting’, ‘the witches’, ‘events’
& ‘theme’?
b.Some
of the well-known cinematic adaptations are:
i.Orsan Welles’s Macbeth (1948)
ii.Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood (1957)
iii.Roman Polanski’s ‘Macbeth’ (1971)
iv.Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool (2003)
v.Geoffrey Wright’s ‘Macbeth’ (2006)
vi.Justin Kurzel’s ‘Macbeth’ (2015)
14.Research:
a.Shakespeare
based Macbeth very loosely on historical figures and events. Research the true
story of Macbeth. Explain the differences between history and Shakespeare's
version. Explain the effects that Shakespeare's changes have on the overall
story.
b.Research
the Great Chain of Being in Elizabethan times. Explain the Great Chain of Being
and develop a thesis about its effects on Macbeth. How is this way of viewing the
world evident in Macbeth? Provide examples from the play
c.The Politics
of Aloofness in "Macbeth" BALDO, JONATHAN. “The Politics of Aloofness in
‘Macbeth.’” English Literary Renaissance, vol. 26, no. 3, 1996, pp. 531–560. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43447533.
d."Macbeth"
and the Play of AbsolutesReid, B. L. “‘Macbeth’ and the Play of Absolutes.” The Sewanee Review, vol. 73, no. 1, 1965, pp. 19–46. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27541080
Download Sophocles's Oedipus, the Rex View these Short Video Lectures and respond to the questions given below. Give your responses as ‘Comment’ below this blog. Please attempt the quiz also. The link of the quiz is given below embedded videos.
Questions to Respond: (Give your responses in Comment below this blog)
1.How far do you agree with Plato’s objection to freedom of expression and artistic liberty enjoyed by creative writers? Name the texts (novels, plays, poems, movies, TV soaps etc which can be rightfully objected and banned with reference to Plato’s objections)
2.With reference to the literary texts you have studied during B.A. programme, write brief note on the texts which followed Aristotelian literary tradition (i.e. his concept of tragedy, catharsis, tragic hero with hamartia etc)
3.With reference to the literary texts you have studied during B.A. programme, write brief note on the texts which did NOT follow Aristotelian literary tradition. (i.e. his concept of tragedy, catharsis, tragic hero with hamartia etc.)
4.Have you studied any tragedies during B.A. programme? Who was/were the tragic protagonist/s in those tragedies? What was their ‘hamartia’?
5. Did the ‘Plot’ of those tragedies follow necessary rules and regulations proposed by Aristotle? (Like chain of cause and effect, principle of probability and necessity, harmonious arrangement of incidents, complete, certain magnitude, unity of action etc)
Presentations, Quiz and Points to Ponder on T.S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land'
1) "Shantih" in The Waste Land. Author(s): K. Narayana Chandran. Source: American Literature, Vol. 61, No. 4 (Dec., 1989), pp. 681-683. Published by: Duke University Press. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2927003
2) The Waste Land and the Upanishads : What Does the Thunder Say? Author(s): M. E GRENANDER and K. S. NARAYANA RAO. Source: Indian Literature, Vol. 14, No. 1 (MARCH 1971), pp. 85-98. Published by: Sahitya Akademi. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23330564
'The Waste Land' by T.S. Eliot
The literature is not only the mirror image of society. It can neither be limited to the metaphor of photographic representation, nor be limited to the lamp which brightens the corner of society or human nature. Sometimes, literature is the x-ray image of the society. The black and while skeleton of society. The ugly-but-real-at-its-core face of society is captured on transparent paper. The writer's eyes like an x-ray machine, penetrates deep and captures the nuances of social decay, moral decay and cultural decay. The rotten state of human life in the early quarter of the Twentieth century is meticulously captured by T.S. Eliot in 'The Waste Land - quite aptly known as 'The Modern Epic'. The root cause of this decay (social, moral and cultural) is spiritual degradation and sexual perversion. Is spiritual degradation the cause of sexual perversion or the effect of sexual perversion is due to spiritual degradation? It is not easy to answer this is simple cause-effect relationship. They both are interdependent. They have walked hand-in-hand, in past, they walk together in present and they will, if the lessons are not learnt from literature. People question the usefulness of 'Arts' in life. Can we find the answer art (verbal) like 'The Waste Land'.
2. Universal Human Laws in the Modern Epic 'The Waste Land'
Are
myths subtle codes that contain some universal truth? Are they a window on the
deep recesses of a particular culture? Or are they just entertaining stories
that people like to tell over and over? The
Waste Land not only makes extensive use of myths but also makes, a myth – the
myth of the hollowness of Human Beings in Modern Times.The
rituals of the modern men are mythified – which in turn attempts to legitimize
it.Or
rather it would be better to say: the rituals (sexual
sins) are illegitimized in epic which is
heavily drawn as modern day myth – the myth of decay, desolation and
degeneration of human values, civilizations and cultures.As
the poem operates in a dismantling way, rather than legitimizing, it illegitimizes the
rituals of the Modern Times.
3. Autobiographical Elements in T.S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land'
It
is well said that “Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not
upon the poet but upon the poetry” . . . and . . . “Poetry is not a turning
loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of
personality, but an escape from personality”.Consciously,
the poet should make such attempts . . . But the
Un/Subconscious is not under the control and commands of Conscious Mind. It
finds it outlet in the expression. At the very moment when, quite consciously, the poet has surrendered itself
to the process of creation, it leaks out – it finds its moment of expression. T.S.
Eliot, the high priest of the school of depersonalization is also not free from
the ‘Un/Subconscious overflow of powerful self . . . Which can only be
recollected in tranquility by the biographical critics’.
Three kinds of children of Praja-pati, Lord of Children, lived as Brahman-students with Praja-pati their father: the gods, human beings, the demons.—Living with him as Brahman students, the gods spake, 'Teach us, Exalted One.'—Unto them he spake this one syllable Da. 'Have ye understood?'—'We have understood', thus they spake, 'it was damyata, control yourselves, that thou saidest unto us.'—'Yes', spake he, 'ye have understood.' Then spake to him human beings, 'Teach us, Exalted One.' —Unto them he spake that selfsame syllable Da. 'Have ye understood?'— 'We have understood', thus they spake, 'it was
datta, give, that thou saidest unto us.'—'Yes', spake he, 'ye have
understood.' Then spake to him the demons, 'Teach us, Exalted One.' —Unto them he spake that selfsame syllable Da. 'Have ye
understood?'—'We have understood', thus they spake, 'it was
dayadhvam, be compassionate, that thou saidest unto us.'—'Yes*, spake he, 'ye have understood.' This it is which that voice of god repeats, the thunder, when it rolls 'Da Da Da,' that is damyata datta dayadhvam. Therefore these three must be learned, self-control, giving, compassion. ~ Charles Rockwell Lanman, former Wales Professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University and Eliot's teacher of Sanskrit and Buddhism
1) What are your views on the following image after reading 'The Waste Land'? Do you think that Eliot is regressive as compared to Nietzche's views? or Has Eliot achieved universality of thought by recalling mytho-historical answer to the contemporary malaise?
T.S. Eliot and F. Nietzche
2)Prior to the speech, GustafHellström
of the Swedish Academy made these remarks:
T.S. Eliot and S. Freud
What are your views regarding these comments? Is it true that giving free vent to the repressed 'primitive instinct' lead us to happy and satisfied life? or do you agree with Eliot's view that 'salvation of man lies in the preservation of the cultural tradition'?
3) Write about allusions to the Indian thoughts in 'The Waste Land'. (Where, How and Why are the Indian thoughts referred?)
4) Is it possible to read 'The Waste Land' as a Pandemic Poem?
Key to draft your response:
1) Introductory paragraph > Write about the poem in 50 words > Write about the central theme of the poem.
2) Sub-heading for your response to point no.1 > then explain the point > thereafter express your views.
3) As above for other three points . . .
Video Recordings of Online Remote Teaching:
Reading 'The Waste Land' through Pandemic Lens - Part 1
Film Screening:‘The Birthday Party’- a British dramafilm (1968)- directed by
William Friedkin(The Birthday Party) - based on an unpublished screenplay by 2005Nobel LaureateHarold Pinter, which he adapted from his own playThe Birthday Party(Pinter, The Birthday Party).
·Harold Pinter – the man and his works(Pinter, The Birthday Party)
·Comedy of Menace: Whose plays are known so? Who termed it? What are its peculiar characteristics? How is it different from Absurd Theatre?
·Explain ‘Pinteresque’ – Pinter pause and use of ‘Silence’ in the play: a particular atmosphere and environment in drama.
·‘The Birthday Party’ – an allegory of ‘artist in exile and other interpretations
·‘The Birthday Party’ as a Political Play with reference to Harold Pinter’s Noble Speech: ‘Art, Truth & Politics[1]’. (Pinter, Art, Truth & Politics: Excerpts from the 2005 Nobel Lecture)
While – Viewing Tasks:
·Harriet Deer and Irving Deer’s article[2] on Pinter's "The Birthday Party": The Film and the Play. (Deer and Deer)
·A comparison of the film and play versions of ‘The Birthday Party’ affords us a rare opportunity to gain insight into how a reconception of a play into film may affect the dramatic experience it communicates. Mark the way Pinter treats the texture of the play.
·Observe how Pinter gives us the texture-the sounds and sights of a world without structure, which is the heart and soul of the play also.
·How many times the ‘knocking at the door’ happens in the play? Is it creating menacing effect while viewing the movie?
·How are ‘silences’ and ‘pauses’ used in the movie to give effect of lurking danger – how it helps in building the texture of comedy of menace.
·Comment upon the use of things like mirror, toy drum, newspapers, breakfast, chairs, window-hatch etc in the movie. What sort of symbolic reading can you give to these objects?
·How effective are scenes like ‘Interrogation scene’ (Act 1), ‘Birthday Party scene’ (Act 2) and ‘Faltering Goldberg & Petey’s timid resistance scene’ (Act 3) captured in the movie?
Post-Viewing Tasks:
·Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie?
·Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel it while reading the text?
·Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? Where you able to feel the same while reading the text
What do you read in 'newspaper' in the movie? Petey is reading newspaper to Meg, it torn into pieces by McCain, pieces are hidden by Petey in last scene.
Camera is positioned over the head of McCain when he is playing Blind Man's Buff and is positioned at the top with a view of room like a cage (trap) when Stanley is playing it. What interpretations can you give to these positioning of camera?
"Pinter restored theater to its basic elements: an enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of one another and pretense crumbles." (Pinter, Art, Truth & Politics: Excerpts from the 2005 Nobel Lecture). Does this happen in the movie?
·How does viewing movie help in better understanding of the play ‘The Birthday Party’ with its typical characteristics (like painteresque, pause, silence, menace, lurking danger)?
·With which of the following observations you agree:
o“It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party."
o“It's impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version directed byWilliam Friedkin”[3].(Ebert)
·If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of movie?
·Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?
Do you see any similarities among Kafka's Joseph K. (in 'The Trial'), Orwell's Winston Smith (in 'Nineteen Eighty-Four') and Pinter's Victor (in 'One for the Road')?
The famous interrogation scene from the movie 'The Birthday Party':
The film version of the play can be viewed here:
Want to listen amazing video-speech by Harold Pinter on the occasion of his being awarded Nobel Prize in 2005?
Pinter, Harold. "Art, Truth & Politics: Excerpts from the 2005 Nobel Lecture." World Literature Today May-Jun 2006: 21-27.
—. The Birthday Party. New Delhi: Faber And Faber (penguin India), 1960, 1991.
The Birthday Party. By Harold Pinter. Dir. William Friedkin. Perf. Robert Shaw, et al. Prods. Max Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky. Continental Motion Pictures Corporation, 1968.
[1]Art Truth &Politics: Excerpts from the 2005 Nobel Lecture Author(s): Harold Pinter. Source: World Literature Today, Vol. 80, No. 3 (May - Jun., 2006), pp. 21-27Published by: Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40159078.
[2] Pinter's "The Birthday Party": The Film and the Play. Author(s): Harriet Deer and Irving Deer. Source: South Atlantic Bulletin, Vol. 45, No. 2 (May, 1980), pp. 26-30Published by: South Atlantic Modern Language Association. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3199140
