EG-01 Vardhaman Mahaveer Open Universiy, Kota “Thoughts are but dreams till their effects be tried” Poetry and Drama 1 EG-01 VARDHAMAN MAHAVEER OPEN UNIVERSIY, KOTA BLOCK - 1 PAGE NO. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit-I 1-12 Shakespeare : Shall I Compare thee Unit-II 13-24 Shakespeare : Let me not to the marriage of true minds Unit-III 25-33 Donne : Death be not proud Unit-IV 34-44 Donne : The Good Morrow Unit-V 45-58 John Milton : On his blindeness Unit-VI 59-69 John Milton : On his twenty third birthday Unit-VII 70-89 John Dryden : A song for St. Cecilia’s Day Unit-VIII 90-99 Alexander Pope : An essay on man Unit-IX 100-118 Gray : Elegy written in country churchyard Unit-X 119-124 William Blake : The Chimney sweeper BLOCK - 2 Unit-XI 125-136 Shakespeare : The Merchant of Venice Unit-XII 137-147 Shakespeare : The Merchant of Venice Unit-XIII 148-180 Shakespeare : The Merchant of Venice Unit-XIV 181-199 Shakespeare : Julius Caesar Unit-XV 200-220 Shakespeare : Julius Caesar Unit-XVI 221-236 Shakespeare : Julius Caesar Unit-XVII 237-254 Social and Cultural History from Caroline to Reformation Unit-XVIII 255-264 English History and Literature from Elizabethan to Age of Sensibility Poetry and Drama Course Development Committee Chairman Prof. (Dr.) Naresh Dadhich Vice Chancellor Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota Convenor Coordinator Prof. (Dr.) Rajul Bhargava Dr. Kshamata Chaudhary HOD Dept. of English Convenor, Dept. of English Rajasthan University, Jaipur Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota Members 1. Dr. Joya Chakravarty 2. Dr. Rajesh Shukla 3. Dr. Suresh Agarwal Associate Professor (Eng.) Lecturer (Eng.) Associate Professor (Eng.) University of Rajasthan, Government College, JRNRV University, Jaipur Dausa Udaipur 4. Dr. S.P. Singh 5. Dr. Sarita Bang Lecturer (English) Lecturer, Dept. of English Agarwal College, Vedic Kanya PG College, Jaipur Jaipur Editor and Course Writers Editor Prof.(Dr.) Rajul Bhargava HOD Dept. Of English Rajasthan University, Jaipur Unit Writer Unit Number Unit Writer Unit Number 1. Dr. Rajesh Shukla (1,9,5,7) 2. Dr. Shalini Bhargava (2,4,6,14, Lecturer English Reader Dept. of English 15,16) Govt. College, Arya Collage of Engg Dausa Jaipur 3. Dr. Joya Chakravarty (11,12,13) Associate Prof. (English) 4. Dr. Suresh Agarwal (3,8,10) University of Rajasthan, Associate Prof. (English) Jaipur JRNRV University, Udaipur 5. Dr. Sunita Agarwal (17,18) Associate Prof. (English) University of Rajasthan, Jaipur Course Supervision and Production Director (Academic) Director (Material Production & Distribution) Prof. (Dr.) Anam Jaitly Prof. (Dr.) P.K.Sharma Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota Kota Production Oct. 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by mimeograph or any other means, without permission in writing form the V.M.Open University, Kota Printed and published on behalf of V.M.Open University, Kota by Director (Academic). Block Introduction Block I This block contains poetry in chronological order which cover a range of inter- esting, relevant themes and give pupils a taste of classical poetry, which have universal appeal and eternal value. Shakespeare’s sonnets immortalize ture love and friendship where as Milton’s sonnets are intensely religious poems, with abundance of Biblical quotations and an affirmation of christian faith and virtue. Besides Shakespeare and Milton you will read the poems of Dryden, lyrics of Donne, Gray, Black and a satire of Pope. We hope you will enjoy reading this block. Block I This block contains plays of William Shakespeare ,an renowned English play- wright whose works are considered the greatest in the history of English Literature .His famous comedy ‘The Merchant of Venice’ partake less of farce and more of idyllic ro- mance, while historical play ‘Julius Caesar’ successfully integrate political elements with individual characterisation. This block also gives a detail study of literary ,social and cultural history from Elizabe- than Age to The Age of Sensibility. We hope you will enjoy reading this block and get an insight regrarding the characteristics and themes in the plays. ----------------- Unit - 1 Shakespeare: Shall I Compare Thee Structure 1.0 Objectives 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Age and Author 1.2.1 About the Age 1.2.2 About the Sonnet 1.2.3 About the Author 1.2.4 Self Assessment Questions 1.3 Reading Text Shakespeare : Shall I Compare Thee 1.3.1 Text 1.3.2 Glossary 1.3.3 Summary 1.3.4 Critical Analysis 1.3.5 Theme 1.3.6 Style 1.3.7 Self Assessment Questions 1.4 Let Us Sum Up 1.5 Answers to the Exercises 1.6 Books Suggested 1.0 Objectives In this unit we will make you familiar with the poetry of William Shakespeare. Apart from being a dramatist par excellence, Shakespeare was also a poet of great merits. We will let you study one of the prominent sonnets of Shakespeare. We will give you practice by: (i) giving the text of the sonnet of Shakespeare (ii) giving you meanings & explanations of difficult words and phrases (iii) critically analyzing the text and explaining the literary devices used in the sonnet (iv) giving you practice to answer questions based on the text. We will describe the literary scenario of the age of Shakespeare and see into his life and works, after giving an introduction about the age and the author. We will then discuss the text in detail and critically appreciate it. The unit will have exercises to help you evaluate your understanding. You can check your answer with the answers of the exercises given by us in section 1.5. Try to read and consult other related books suggested. 1.1 Introduction It happens very rarely in the history of literature that a craftsman who has acquired perfect control of the medium and a masterly ease in handling the techniques and conventions of his day is also a universal genius of the highest order, combining with his technical proficiency a unique ability to render experience in poetic language and an uncanny intuitive understanding of human psychology. William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) has a remarkable combination of all these qualities and has been praised for his knowledge of the human psyche. 1 In the Elizabethen age the art of words in England flourished without the sustaining influence of the other arts, in subsidiary forms. Further this art of words, which is the art of literature, gained great encouragement from the court and from the Queen herself. Yet even in Elizabethan times when literature seems to be so much at the centre of the national life, it failed to command the attention of the nation as a whole. In later times the court has not often been as genial and as helpful as it was under Queen Elizabeth. It is strange that a country which has achieved so much in its literature should yet have regarded contemporary literature so often with indifference or, in some periods, even positive hostility. The governmental attitude to printing and to the general circulation of books was hostile from the times of Tudor to the beginnings of the eighteenth century and censorship acted in capricious form. When the Tudors granted a charter to the Stationer’s company in 1557, it was not with any desire of improving the art of printing or of spreading learning or imaginative literature, but to license, control, suppress and watch more closely the activities of printers and publishers. It was on 29th June, 1566 that Queen Elizabeth signed a decree passed by the star chamber requiring every printer to enter into recognizance for his good behaviour. No books were to be printed or imported without the sanction of a special commission of ecclesiastical authorities. Later in 1586 all printing was restricted to London and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and all books had to be licensed. It was under the same period that inspite of great restrictions, some of the greatest literature in English was produced. The great writers did not have their works printed in good and beautiful books. So while Shakespeare touched the resources of language in a way unmatched in any period of English literature, his plays were published in wretched conditions that were unsightly to read and whose texts were so carelessly reproduced that it has ever since puzzled the ingenuity of generations of commentators. Sonnets composed by Shakespeare about love, became an irresistible poetical fashion during the decade from 1590 to 1600. The sonnets are of the English form, which is now generally referred as Shakespearean. 1.2 Age And Author In this section we will discuss the sixteenth century with reference to the life, ideals and works of William Shakespeare, the greatest figure in English Literature. 1.2.1 About the Age: With the revival of learning the study of the ancient Greek and Latin classics was promoted. Reason came in for faith, hence began a revived interest in life and its pleasures, art, literature, science, and philosophy. This attitude is called humanism – concern with human instead of divine. Literature henceforth answered the call of life. Long before Elizabeth I ascended the throne, the parliament, at the instance of her father, Henry VIII, had declared the English church independent of the Pope, making the king and his successors its heads and defenders of the faith. Elizabeth inherited this tradition. By the defeat of the Spanish Armada that had 2 long posed a threat to the security of England another external obstacle to its progress was removed. It was a glorious epoch of English history. All the time the message of the ancient Greek and Latin classics was flowing freely into the century which, coupled with the blessings of peace and prosperity and the enlightened era of literary activity, flourished particularly in the fields of drama, poetry and criticism.