Showing posts with label MEG2 British Drama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MEG2 British Drama. Show all posts
Tuesday, 30 September 2025
Block-6 Joseph Conrad: heart of darkness
https://www.sparknotes.com/
Block-5 George Eliot: Middlemarch -
Block-5 George Eliot: Middlemarch -
https://www.getabstract.com/
Characters-
Themes-
Vocation, Marital compatibility, money & related interests, birth- rank- class, politics, science, religion, egotism
Community – 4.2 - https://egyankosh.ac.in/
Portrayal of women – 4.2
Block-4 Charles Dicknens: Great Expectations -
Block-4 Charles Dicknens: Great Expectations -
https://www.litcharts.com/lit/
Characters –
Pip – protagonist, his desire to improve himself is projected in the novel as both understandable and admirable
Pumblechook
Miss Havisham
Estella
Joe
Wemmick
Magwitch
Orlick
Location – Satis House, Pip’s sister home, city
Block 3 - Wuthering heights -
Block 3 - Wuthering heights -
https://www.sparknotes.com/
Published in 1847
Characters –
Narrator - Lockwood
Mr. & Mrs. Earnshaw, Mr & Mrs. Linton (servants – Nelly Dean)
Hindley Earnshaw, Edgar Linton, Heathcliff, Isabella, Cathrine
Hareton, Linton Heathcliff, cathy
Location – ThrushCross Grange & Wuthering Heights
Narration – By Lockwood(unreliable & too much self-importance), Nelly(Captures every minute detail) diary, in different timelines- mixing present and past – in a complicated or complex manner. [List of narrators in unit 2.
Old Question paper –
Q- Discuss the prison motif in Wuthering Heights with reference to the various characters in the novel.
A – Lockwood – in the house with weather and Cathy’s screams. Isabella imprisoned by Heathcliff. Linton to leave his comfortable life of Thrush cross and stay a miserable life in Wuthering Heights. Cathy too is imprisoned by Heathcliff as his FIL. Nelly too by Heathcliff. Catherine is the only one who is free in the end and looks for freedom.
Q-Heathcliff has often been described as a Byronic hero. How far do you think this is accurate ? Illustrate your answer.
A- 3.2 - https://egyankosh.ac.in/
Q- Discuss the abundant use of the Christian symbols of evil with regard to Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. How does it reflect Bronte's views on religion ?
A-3.3
Block-2 Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice
Block-2 Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice
https://www.sparknotes.com/
Characters:
Themes :
Pride & Prejudice
Love and marriage
Condition of women – marriage, income and inheritance, education & accomplishments, social position
Block 1 – henry fielding – Tom Jones | Meg 2- British Drama| IGNOU
Block 1 – henry fielding – Tom Jones
17- 18 books
Story from Toms birth to his marriage to Sophia.
3 Places – Somersetshire, road, London
It seems that Fielding has chosen these topics at random and that he ;wants to share his ideas directly with the reader. It also gives us the impression that Fielding does not consider it necessary to relate these ideas in a direct sort of a way to the evolving action of the novel - for him it does not matter whether those ideas have a bearing on the novel or not. The narrator seems to keep a close watch gn the way the audience would,react to the different comments in the novel - the way inlwhich the reader would consciously or unconsciously construct the meaning of the narration. In one sense, the audience is involved by the narrator, as if under a plan, to act Out an imaginary situation in which the role of the narrator is directional or directorial -to lead the activated minds of the audience towards a general, collectivised experknce. It is a difficult thing for an author to do
Protagonist – Tom Jones – Bastard, object of ridicule rejection and condemnation. Good neture, follow rules, feminist, courageous, fearless. 'spontaneity' and 'natural behaviour
Sophia - Love interest, idealised version of a woman grows to an individual through the novel, kindness and generosity, capacity to rise above their immediate personal interests
Squire Allworthy – Rich, on whose bed tom was born. He was kind to tom.
Captain Bilfil – husband of Bridget
Master Bilfil – Allworthy’s nephew
Square – secular atheistic outlook on correct and consistent human behaviour – principles – tom and bilfil’s teacher
Thawackum - – understands everything in strictly religious terms – ideals - tom and bilfil’s teacher
Squire Western –father of Sophia, friend to tom, member of the landed gentry, high and mighty secyion if society, hunt, dine and laugh together A good person, though thoroughly impulsive and unpredictable
Black partridge
Molly seagrim – daughter of Black partridge, symbol of aggressive female sexuality, powerful symbol of human vigour and raw sexual power. Molly has none of the prudish, hypocritical sense of chastity
mrs honour
Mrs. Fitzwater
Bridget - biological mother of tom ,superior social status, not good-looking
Lady Bellaston - highly individualistic self-centred and mean, sexuality changes into a sick routinized behaviour
Mrs waters – SA & social harassment, chances of incest with tom
Captain waters
Black George – tom lied to save him. He said that he had killed the bird even though he hadn’t.
Jenny jones – takes blame for bridget and says that Tom was her son
Summary - https://www.sparknotes.com/
Protagonist – Tom Jones – Bastard, object of ridicule rejection and condemnation, entirely 'unformed.' He appears to be a mere lump of clay. He has that classic inability to adhere to a given code since he would not understand its worth or relevance. suffers a great deal for being naturally good and selfless. Tom always treats women, irrespective of their social standing, as equal to men. is not influenced by that exploitative attitude under which the males are supposed to manage . the affairs of society and women have to merely act as their appendages. greatly courageous and fearless, more often than not be able to conquer his enemy. f 'spontaneity' and 'natural behaviour. kindness and generosity, capacity to rise above their immediate personal interests. y a time to sacrifice this wish if that ensured her safety and preservation. Sophia, too, places personal happiness far below her duty towards her father - she would not marry anyone if Squire western did not approve of it. The only point she sticks to, and it is a high point of her self-assertion - is that Squire Western would not choose a husband for her
Love interest – Sophia
Squire Allworthy – Rich, on whose bed tom was born. He was kind to tom.
Bilfil – Allworthy’s nephew
Square – secular atheistic outlook on correct and consistent human behaviour – principles – tom and bilfil’s teacher
Thawackum - – understands everything in strictly religious terms – ideals - tom and bilfil’s teacher
their attempt at winning the attention of Mrs. Blifil is not merely comic. It is true that in this venture, " both Square and Thwackum prove to be foolish while Bridget emerges as a clever manipulator. Still, the episode is too damning for the philosopher as well as the preacher. Can such people fulfil the charge which Mr. Allworthy has given them? In fact, combined with the conspiratorial skills of Blifil, the practice of Square and Thwackum can quite comfortably 'mislead'
Squire Western - father of Sophia, friend to tom, hunt, dine and laugh together, member of the landed gentry, high and mighty section if society A good person, though thoroughly impulsive and unpredictable When Western learns of Tom's various affairs with women, he is pleased no end with his pal's successes. Western is conscious that Tom is of doubtful parentage, a bastard, mixing up with whom may violate the norms of social intercourse. More fundamentally, Squire Westem is full of that raw energy with which Tom himself is abundantly gifted. continues to remain till the end a wild and untamed anima
Sophia - Love interest, idealised version of a woman but when asked to marry bilfil she says she would rather die than marry him. runs away from home with Mrs. honour. e becomes more and more 'real' in this process. self-assessment, discipline
Bridget – biological mother of tom, superior social status, not good-looking, marriage with her can be planned by aspirants such as Captain Blifil, and the senior Blifil. Square and Thwackum, too, consistently try to win favour with her. What is clear is that these four have always hoped to attain money or power through sexually exploiting, Bridget knows it quite well and thinks of using it to further her own ends -a quite 'legitimate' way in the circumstances to use her position as a woman, superior upbringing and education than other women in the novel
Lady Bellaston - planning her affairs cynically with different men on the strength of skills and home-work. sexuality changes into a sick routinized behaviour. actively participating in masquerades re the men and women of the upper stratum of society entertain themselves. When Tom, innocent as he is, is exposed to this atmosphere, he does not see the moral degradation and vacuity underlying it. On her part, Bellaston is struck by the looks of Tom and plans to keep him as her lover. employs clever stratagems to ep Tom away from Sophia and uses her social standing as well as money to ensure that remains firmly in her grip. Insecure in the presence of Sophia, highly individualistic self-centred and mean
Squire Allworthy(Owner of the estate in Somerset) & Bridget Allworthy(sister)
Squire Allworthy goes to London. Comes back and sees a boy in his bed.
Squire Allworthy(Owner) Bridget Allworthy(sister) Jenny Jones(Mother of Tom)
Tom
Mr. Allworthy adopts Tom and sends Jenny away and Mr. Partridge also leave on his own.
Squire Allworthy(Owner) Bridget Allworthy marries Captain Bilfil not Dr Blifil Jenny Jones(Mother of Tom)
Tom
Capt Bilfil wants all money to go to Master Bilfil and he is jealous of Tom. Capt Bilfil dies.
Tom & Master Bilfil are brought up together. Mr Thomas Square & Thwackum are their tutors who also like Bilfil and dislike Tom.
Due to Bilfils sneakiness everyone sees that Tom is naughty but kind.
Tom is friends with Black Goerge and when his daughter Molly gets pregnant Tom takes the blame as they had had an affair with her.
Squire Western spends time with Tom and his daughter and Tom fall in love with each other.
Allworthy falls sick. Tom never leaves his side finally when doctor says he is not going to die then Tom gets drunk to celebrate. & has a fight with with Master Bilfil when he calls him a B****d.(Bilfil is angry that Tom received a share of the property)
Sophia is forced to marry Bilfil as he is rich but she likes Tom. When Bilfil gets to know about it he gets really angry and tells Allworthy about the night Tom drank. And thus Tom is banished.
Bridget Allworthy dies in London.
Tom leaves for London and on the way meets Mr. Partridge who could have been his father, They become friends.
Man of the hill episode.
Tom saves a lady from getting robbed and they sleep together – Mrs. Waters in an inn.
Sophia runs away from home to avoid marrying Bilfil. Mr. Partridge mistakenly tell about Tom’s affair with Mrs Waters.
On the way sophia goes to Mrs Fitzpatrick her cousin. They go together to Lady Bellaston.
Tom and Partridge arrive in London they stay in the house of Mrs. Miller and her daughters, one of whom is named Nancy. A young gentleman called Nightingale also inhabits the house, and Tom soon realizes that he and Nancy are in love. Nancy falls pregnant and Tom convinces Nightingale to marry her.
Lady Bellaston and Tom begin an affair, although Tom privately, continues to pursue Sophia. When he and Sophia are reconciled, Tom breaks off the relationship with Lady Bellaston by sending her a marriage proposal that scares her away.
Lady Bellaston Tom's lover and a leading figure in London society, tries to force Sophia into marriage to Lord Fellamar by having her raped by him, so that she can have Jones to herself.
Tom runs away from Lady Bellaston.
Squire Western, Mrs. Western, Blifil, and Allworthy arrive in London, and Squire Western locks Sophia in her bedroom.
Mr. Fitzpatrick thinks Tom is his wife's lover and begins a duel with Tom. Tom stabs Fitzpatrick with the sword and is thrown into jail.
Partridge visits Tom in jail with the ghastly news that Mrs. Waters is Jenny Jones, Tom's mother.
Mrs. Waters meets with Allworthy and explains that Fitzpatrick is still alive, and has admitted to initiating the duel. She also tells Allworthy that a lawyer acting on behalf of an unnamed gentleman tried to persuade her to conspire against Tom. Allworthy realizes that Blifil is this very gentleman, and he decides never to speak to him again. Tom pitty’s Bilfil & gives him money.Mrs. Waters also reveals that Tom's mother was Bridget Allworthy.
Square sends Allworthy a letter explaining that Tom's conduct during Allworthy's illness was honorable and compassionate.
Tom is released from jail and he and Allworthy are reunited as nephew and uncle.
Squire Western eagerly encourages the marriage between Tom and Sophia. Sophia chastises Tom for his lack of chastity, but agrees to marry him. They live happily on Western's estate with two children, and shower everyone around them with kindness and generosity.
Man of the Hill Episode -
https://www.shmoop.com/study-
10-15 is man of the hull.
From the meeting of Tom Jones and Partridge, both travellers, with the Man of the Hill springs in the novel "a very extraordinary adventure," which is not merely in tms of an incident involving robbery and physical attack. It is also Tom's and Partridge's confrontation with a person who went through the highs and lows of life and experienced a great deal of pain. That is how the account of life of the Man of the Hill is "the story of an unhappy man" which Tom and his companion hear with uncommon interest. It is a tale with a beginning when the Man of the Hill was a child and an end when he had after a lapse of a whole active life reached the conclusion that "Man alone, Torn Jones interest. It is a tale with a beginning when the Man of the Hill was a child and an end when he had after a lapse of a whole active life reached the conclusion that "Man alone, the king of this globe, the last and greatest work of the Supreme Being, below the sun; man alone has basely dishonoured his own nature, and by dishonesty, cruelty, ingratitude, and accursed treachery, has called his Maker's goodness in question, by puzzling us to account how a benevolent Being should form so imperfect and so vile an animal" (43 1). It is a long sentence and the Man of the Hill seems to be struggling with words to say something profound. While in this characterisation of human nature, man has been referred to as "the king of the globe" and "the last and greatest work of the Supreme Being," there is the realisation, based on observation and experience, that he is actually "imperfect" and a "vile animal At the time of expressing this view of mankind, the Man of the Hill is an old man and has lived in seclusion for a long time. He remains firm in this belief in spite of the strong argument that Tom presents to him. As we see, only once (when the old man talks to Tom and Partridge), does the old man budge from his decision to keep away from humans and enter into an open exchange of views with a fellow being. Tom, the avid listener in this episode, speaks but little. Tom's comment occurs only at the end of the account. Here, his aim is to comprehend and interpret, in his ovq specific context as a learner, the old man's version of a series of happenings. If we calculate, the old man has talked of events, personal ar social, that took place in the late seventeenth century England. The reader of the novel is supposed to feel one with Tom in this curiosity, honest concern as well as absorption of truth about social life. This seems to be the intention of the author. As Fielding sees it, Tom is the discerning, critical, evolving, error-committing and learning character. The account of the Man of the Hill is a part of Tom's education. An important aspect of the personality of the Man of the Hill is that he has travelled a great deal during his life -from home to Oxford and from there to London and many small towns and villages, as well as the countries of Europe. He shares with Tom Jones this trait of moving around the world in order to seek peace of mind. In fact, there are many more similarities between the character and circumstance of Tom Jones and those of the Man of the Hill. For instance, the Man of the Hill has an unloving mother and an affectionate, well-meaning father. He also has a brother taking to evil ways and becoming a strong adversary to the younger brother, a good and promising lad. The exposure of the Man of the Hill to the environment at Oxford, London and elsewhere reminds us compellingly of the ordeals suffered by Tom during his journey. Both are by temperament good, helpful and generous. If Tom listens intently to the "History" of the Man of the Hill, it is largely on account of these and other similarities. What I mean is that in this sense does the story of the old man become "History," or at least a part of Tom's history. When Tom's attention is disturbed by the queries and silly interventions of Partridge, he (Tom) shows clear annoyance and irritation, not merely because those are acts of discourtesy. There seems to be a great amount of turmoil and churning in the mind of Tom as he listens to the step-by-step progress in the account of the Man of the Hill. From the way Tom and the Man 6f the Hill stike a friendly relationship in the beginning of their meeting, we get the impression that Tom Jones is standing face to face with his own future. In the particular context, the Man of the Hill feels obliged that Tom saved his life when it was under threat from the robbers. This is how the two respond to each other at very moment they begin their conversation which leads to the long account of the life of the Man of the Hill : "
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Monday, 23 October 2023
Saturday, 11 December 2021
MEG 2 British Drama cheat sheet
MEG 2 British Drama cheat sheet
Identify dialogues, who is speaking the dialogues, who is it spoken to, what happens after those lines, significance.
Play name, plot, author, performed, comments, age, context, style in prose or verse.
Unique about the play and language used.
Block-1 Christopher Marlowe : Doctor Faustus
Christopher Marlow - 1564-93
Wrote 5 tragedy books in Elizabethan age in response to growing needs of entertainment, national and cultural aspiration.
Full title - The tragic history of the life and the death of Doctor Faustus (1589-92)
Elizabethean tragedy
Without renaissance & reformation Dr. Faustus would have remained a simple morality play but this makes it a human tragedy of christian morality.
5 Acts-
1-Unscholarly attitude
2-Gives himself to Mephistopheles
3&4 - Comic diversion
5 - Death
Staged in 1588, published in 1604, enlarged edition in 1616.
Faustus’s plenty makes him poor. - Tragedy
Hell is absence of heavenly joy and everlasting bliss.
Characters-
Dr. Faustus
Wagner - Servant
Valdes & Cornelius ( black magic teacher)
Good and Bad angel
Mephistopheles - Lucifer’s servant
Lucifer
Beelzebub - Devil
Pope who was troubled by Faustus
King Charles
Duke of Venholy who demands grapes in winter
Helen’s spirit
Old man who suggests Faustus to ask for repentance
Scholar friends who also suggest for forgiveness
Block-2 William Shakespeare : A Midsummer Night's Dream
Possibly performed in 1598 summer on the occasion of some important aristocratic wedding.
5 Acts.
Shakespeare - April 1564-1616)
Written in Blank verse closest to spoken English
Characters-
Lysander
Demetrius
Hermia
Helena
Robin Goodfellow (Puck)
Theseus & Hippolyta
Egeus - Hermia’s Father
Nick Bottom & his drama group
Oberon & Titania
Block-3 William Shakespeare : Hamlet
First performed in 1601-02 by Chamberlain men (Shakespeare’s company)
5 ActsCharacters-
Hamlet
Claudius (villain uncle)
Gertrude - (Hamlet’s Mother)
Polonius (gets mistakenly killed by Hamlet)
Ophelia (Polonius’s daughter who is in love with Hamlet)
Laertes (Ophelia’s Brother)
Horatio (Hamlet’s Friend)
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern (spy disguised as friends of Hamlet)
Osric- Comic relief
Horatio (Hamlet’s friend)
Hamlet as a tragedy, religious play or play of revenge.
Block-4 Ben Jonson : The Alchemist
Ben Johnson also known as epigrammatist. His comedy required maximum audience interaction.
Shakespearean comedy - sweet & romantic
Johnsonian Comedy - Bitter & Satiric
5 ActsCharacters-
Subtle - Cheat 1actor
Jeremy - Cheat 2 lures clients
Dol - Cheat 3 Prostitute
Dapper - clerk
Drugger - Tobacconist. Lured to marry Dame.
Epicure Mammon - Knight glutton for money and women
Kastril - Brother of Dame
Dame Piliant - Young beautiful widow
Lovewit - Master of the house
Block-5 The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington(1871-1909) written in 1907
3 Acts
Theme of Patricide
Bildungsroman
Comical irony
Fantasy vs reality
Extravagant comedy
Characters-
Christy
Pegeen
Widow Quin
Shawn Keogh
Michael James
Block-6 Bernard Shaw: Pygmalion
Victorian Period realistic Drama first staged in German on oct 16 1914.
About speech & phonetics & social concern- Class distinction, manners, morality, snobbery.
5 ActsCharacters-
Higgins - Professor
Colonel Pickering - Friend
Eliza - Flower girl
Mrs. Pearce - Maid
Alfred Dolittle - Eliza’s father
Mrs. Eynsford Hill
Clara (daughter)
Freddi(son who marries Eliza)
Mother fixation- Oedipus complex
Play of 5 Acts -
Act 1 - Higgins meeting Eliza
Act 2 - Process started
Act 3 - Test Case
Act 4 - After Party
Act 5 - Final Act
Block-7 T.S. Eliot: Murder in the Cathedral
Characters-
3 Priests
4 Knights
Messenger
4 Tempter
Thomas Becket
Chorus women
Attendant
Originally The Cathedral on Dec 29, 1170 the incident took place.
3 Priests enter with 3 different introit(Sentences from Bible).
A 2 act Play.
The world must be cleaned in winter or we shall have only a sour spring.
Through accepting suffering & pain in this life, you can get power and glory in the next.
Poetic Drama, Christian play, Eliot’s Successful integration of his dramatic theories, Biographical information.
Block-8 John Osborne: Look Back In Anger
2 Acts
Act 1
Act 2 - Scene 1- 2 weeks later. Scene 2- The following evening.
Act 3 - Scene 1 - Several months later. Scene 2 - A few minutes later
Characters-
Jimmy Porter
Alison Porter
Colonel Redfern
Helena Charles
Cliff Lewis
Block-9 Samuel Beckett: Waiting for Godot
Written in 1940 and published on 1952 in French on stage debut in Paris in 1953.
Later translated in multiple languages, initially controversial.
Tragicomedy
Theatre of absurd
2 Acts
Characters-
Estragen
Vladimir
Lucky
Pozzo
Throughout the play Estragen & Vladimir refer to each other as Godot & Didi.
Man’s greatest sin is to have been born.
Pozzo - The tears of the world are a constant quantity.
Nothing to be done. - Opening words of the play and also the description of it.
Emptiness of the modern world that doesn’t know it’s empty.
Hopelessly hoping - Humanity’s vain hope of salvation.
We remain therefore we must be waiting for something. We are waiting therefore there must be something we are waiting for.
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