English Literature Notes

                      THE COMEDY OF ERRORS 1. Explain the significance of the title of the story THE COMEDY OF ERRORS By discussing the subject matter of the COMEDY OF ERRORS , we may judge the propriety of its name.The basic story formula revolves around two pairs of identical twins who are separated from each other and happen to meet at the same place.One pair of twins was named Antipholus and the other pair was named Dromio.This creates a massive confusion.These confusions lead to false accusations of marital infidelity.The story of Dromio and Antipholus' dinner at Aadriana's house, the incident of the gold necklace, and encountering the strange situation of the younger Antipholus near Ephesus.Finally all the confusion and misunderstandings are resolved when two pairs of twins, Antipholus and Dromio, come face to face and shock everyone around them.The audience witnesses the dialogue throughout the play and the many unintended bl...

                                 MACBETH  1. Give a brief account of the "Banquet Scene" in "Macbeth". After Macbeth becomes king, he constantly lives in fear of losing his ill-gotten power.  The witches' prediction that Banquo's descendants will be the future king makes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth very uneasy.  Macbeth and Lady Macbeth conspire to kill Banquo and his son. To this end, they hold a banquet where they invite the chief lords, including Banquo and his son Fleance. Macbeth arranges some hired assassins who kill Banquo on his way to attend the banquet but his son manages to escape.  In the banquet hall, Macbeth mourns Banquo's absence in a peaceful tone, while Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost sitting on the empty chair reserved for Banquo. Distraught, Macbeth begins to act like a lunatic.  But Lady Macbeth tactfully handles the situation and bids farewell to the guests, fe...

                                                                   THE PROPOSAL   1.Describe the character of Natalya. Stepan Chubukov's 25-year-old daughter, Natalya Stepanovna is moderately well-educated in appearance and good at housework.But she is fast passing the age of marriage. When she suspects that Lomov has come to talk about Oxen Meadows, she changes her nature, gets angry and finally kicks him out. But later she learns that Lomov came here for the sake of taking her hand. At once she is seized with hysteria and forces her old father to fetch him. She eventually becomes embroiled in a debate over the superiority of the Squeezer over the Guess.Love-sick yet consumerist, She can be the ideal pair of depressed nature Lomov. 2.Describe the character of Lomov. Ivan Veselevich Lomov, a 35-year-old Russian lan...

                        THREE QUESTIONS                                                   L eo Tolstoy 1. What is the theme of the story 'Three Questions'? Or Justify the title of Tolstoy's story 'Three Questions'. Or What were the three questions? What did the Tsar do to find their answers?  Leo Tolstoy's short story presents three questions which are sometimes encountered by people. In this story a Tsar seeks answers to three questions. What is the most productive time to start any work? Who are the most important people? And what are the essential duties? The moment these three questions began to torment him, he announces that those who will be able to answer will be rewarded. But the Tsar is not satisfied with any scholar's answer as different scholars answer differently of that questions. At las...

                THE POETRY OF EARTH                                         John Keats  1. Discuss the significance of the title of the poem 'The Poetry of the Earth'. The poem ,' The Poetry of the Earth'  is addressing the beauty of the Earth through the lyrics of Grasshopper and the Cricket's song. Here the Grasshopper behaves like a summer poet and sings the summer song.The grasshopper sings when the birds get tired and take shelter in the cool shade of the trees.  "And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run     From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;     That is the Grasshopper’s—he takes the lead  In summer luxury," In winter, when the frost blankets the earth, the crickets are responsible for carrying nature's song along with shrill voice. "On a lone winter evening, when the frost  ...

MEETING AT NIGHT         Robert Browning   1. What is the central idea of the poem "Meeting at Night". Robert Browning believes that love is a power, a strong emotion that can conquer all adversities in life. The poem describes how a man secretly travels to meet his beloved and thinks nothing of the obstacles that may come his way. He is determined to achieve his goal. Every line of the poem expresses the intense emotions of the poet. The poem vividly describes the lover's desperation to reach his destination for which he finally defies all problems and obstacles. Browning proved that love can conquer all. Browning's optimistic philosophy of life proves that love is the guiding light of life that makes humanity proud.  2. Discuss about the significance of the title of the poem "Meeting at Night". Robert Browning's 'Meeting at Night' is a poem about a meeting of lovers at night. The title of the poem emphasizes the mystery present in the poem. ...

                  THANK YOU MA'AM                                          J.M.Langston Hughes 1. What happened to Mrs Jones when she was coming home? What did she do immediately? Do you think she was right in doing that? Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones was returning home from the hotel's beauty shop around eleven o'clock at night. A weak, naughty-looking boy was chasing her and trying to snatch her bag. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.  Mrs. Jones kicked him, told him to pick up the bag and grabbed the front of his shirt tightly. She then dragged him home and fed him. Mrs. Jones' initial behavior was highly emotional. Any woman would do that if she was robbed of her hard earned money. Jones later proved to be a loving mother. Roger thanked her. So her behavior could be considered sympathetic. 2. Discuss t...