Studies in English Language and Literature

Yes, we must admit that Macbeth, in the psycho-analytical five-act tragedy Macbeth , was out and out a corrupt man stuffed with over ambition and desire to commit regicide. However, we cannot ignore the fact that Lady Macbeth was no less in being a heinous criminal. Some of the critics have compared her with Clytemnestra, Medea etc. Some of the thinkers call her to be the fourth witch. She was, later on, plagued with somnambulism or sleepwalking. Apart from that, she used to speak in her sleepwalk. That is to say, we may utter that she was plagued to be a somniloquist as well. She constantly used to wash off blood from her hands in sleep, although they were totally clean then. Actually, this gesture had a long root in her past activities. Her brutal, monstrous and murderous activities made her do so later on. She was no less ambitious than Macbeth himself. She has justly been called to be the fourth witch in the play. We come across Lady Macbeth's ailment in Act V,  Scene i of the ...

  A psycho-analytical five-act tragedy named Macbeth  by William Shakespeare evinces how in Act I, Scene iii, the three witch sisters hail and greet Macbeth. The first witch said, "All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!" The second witch then uttered, "All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!" Thereafter, the last or the final exclamation or hail came from the lips of the third witch: "All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be King hereafter." From these three prophecies, Macbeth could easily accept the first one, because the Thane of Glamis was no more. However, the Thane of Cawdor was still alive. Actually, Macbeth had over ambition deeply rooted and seeded in his mind. Unless and until we have something in our heart, that thing can never be raked up to the surface level. Macbeth, on one hand, feared the third prophecy, because he knew that it would be a foul play on his part to achieve that. On the other hand, he could not avoid the ambition ...

Your name Your address Contact No. Email id Date To The Editor Name of the newspaper City of publication Subject: Terrorism Dear Sir/ Madam, Could you please lend me a little space in your editorial column to ventilate my views in protest against increasing terrorism? I shall be highly obliged if you kindly do so. I feel too much worried regarding this issue that has become the order of the day nowadays. Terrorism is increasing day after day, month after month and year after year. But what is the use of such slaughter? We call ourselves to be 'human beings', but are we so, for sure? There lies a beast within each of us under our humanitarian disguise. Nothing but self-realization and philanthropy can change this terror-stricken world into a peaceful place for dwelling. The more we fight or take revenge, the more will terrorism arise. We better cut this notion from the very root of our mentality. Only then will we be able to behold a new dawn of a new earth and of a better tomor...

Comment on the role and function of the Fool in King Lear ./ Character of the Fool in King Lear . Ans. While going through the play King Lear by William Shakespeare, we come across a character called the Fool. Broadly speaking, the Fool is not at all a fool, but an intelligent jester in King Lear’s court. His purpose is to crack practical jokes. Then why did Shakespeare introduce a comic character in a tragedy? It is so because the Fool is to serve the act of comic relief. Moreover, he is to act as a choral figure to represent sanity, honesty, morality and conscience. In King Lear , the Fool was a ‘licenced’ jester of the king. Again, we must note that the Fool is full of practical wisdom, utter sanity and intense brilliance. He followed the king outside in the stormy night. In other words, wherever there was the king, there was the Fool. We may indirectly call him to be the king’s alter self. The Fool shattered the vanity of the upstart Kent into pieces. Somet...

The Blackfriars Theatre was set up to retrieve the idea of the private theatre in London. It was the brainchild of James Burbage. It was hoped that it would not be worsened by the climate and that it would attract a small audience paying good prices. Unlike the public theatre, it was to be acted in open air. This kind of private theatre was not to rely upon a larger audience paying their puny fares. Burbage acquired the dining hall at Blackfriars Monastery and changed it into a playhouse. Needless to mention, the area where the theatre was set up was a fashionable residential one. Moreover, the people who lived there raised objection in fear that the area would be turned into a bear garden of noise and hullabaloo and that it would spoil the peace of the neighbourhood. The residents appealed to the Privy Council to decree that the building could not be used for performing the plays. The venture was halted for the time being, but the performance began later.  Each pu...

Sender's complete address Date of writing My dear friend,      I have not heard from you for a long time. Hope, you are well. By the grace of God, we all are hale and hearty too. Recently, I came to know that you are feeling depressed. Hence, I would like to motivate you in this regard.       You are well aware of life's ups and downs, my friend. Nobody in this world can have complete weal or total woe. Hence, we all must receive the equal share. Do never feel frustrated. Let's look at the bright side of things. As and when we feel optimistic, life itself will become positive as well. Remember, what our teacher told us, "Derive positivism even from the negative things." Therefore, whenever you come to realise that you are going to feel demotivated, just pen down your thoughts and feelings in your diary. It will give you relief from your mental burden. Moreover, be brave enough to welcome every opportunity in life ...

Theme of Alienation/ Rootlessness/ Major themes/ Character of Mr. Biswas For sure, A House for Mr. Biswas is a psychological study of an alienated man, Mr. Biswas, in his search for identity, in his efforts to find out a house for himself with the surroundings. One may opine that the basic problem of this alienated man lies in a kind of intense desire to have his mental world uninterrupted and also in his desire that others will be conscious of it. It is said by Naipaul that Mr. Biswas had no money or position. That he was of ill temper is evident from his throwing of food out of the windows on to a passerby’s head, referring to Mrs. Tulsi as old “she fox”, kicking his pregnant wife on the belly etc. The most significant account of his progression lies in his attempt at the pledge made earlier to his mother living shabbily in a room of her sister Tara’s hut. With his journalistic skill he got his final achievement – the Sikkim Street ho...