THE TEMPEST, SHAKESPEAREAN PLAY, BRITISH DRAMA, QUESTION ANSWERS, NOTES, REFERENCES TO THE CONTEXT

 Passage = 13

This island's mine, which by Sycorax my mother, thou takst from me. 

When thou cam'st first, Thou strok'st me, and made much of me, 

wouldst give me Water with berries in't, and teach me how

To name the bia?er light, and how the less, 

That burns by day and night. 

And then I loved thce, 

And shoved thec all the qualities o'th islc, 

The fresh springs, brine -pits, batten place and fertile.

1. who is the speaker? How does he claim that the island is his? 

2. Has this island passed on to someone else? How? 

3. Who came later and treated the speaker very well. How ? 

4. What was the speaker taught? 

5. How did the speaker respond to the other person then? 

6. Is the speaker sorry for something now?

.

Passage ~14

Prospero.

Thou moslying slave,

whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have used

hee,

Filth as thouart, with human care, and todged thee

In mine own 

ell, till thou didst seek to violate

The honour of my child.

Caibal) ho, ) ho! Would had been done!

Thou didst prevent me. I had peopled else

This isle with Calibans.

1. Introduce the persons engaged in conversation. State the context. 

2. Who is most lying slave ? What lies has he told?

3. How has Prospero treated Caliban?

4. When did Prospero change his attitude towards Caliban. 

5.Is Caliban sorry for his wrong-doing?

Passage = 15

Ipitied thee, Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each

hour

One thing. or other. 

When thou didst no1, savuge,

 Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gubble like 

A thing nost brutish, I endowed thy purposes

with words that Though made them known. 

But thyvile race, thou didst learn, had that in't which good 

Could not natures abide to be with. 

Therefore wast thou Deservedly confined into this rock 

1. Who showed pity? To whom? Explain the context. 

2. How does the speaker give a rebuke to the other fellow ?

3. The speaker took pains to do something. What was that? 

4.I endowed thy purpose with words.." How ? Explain. 

5. Is the speaker sorry for having done all those overtures for the other person ?

ANSWERS

Passage = 13

1. Caliban is the speaker in Shakespeare's play The Tempest, Prospero calls him, and he feels irritated. He is eating his dinner and does not like to be disturbed. He curses his master, Prospero.

2. Caliban tells Prospero that the island belongs to him. It originally belonged to Sycorax, his mother, the witch. From her mother; Caliban claims to have inherited the island. 2. Prospero came to the island. With his power to command the spirits, he took control of the island. Caliban became his slave.

3. Prospero came later while Caliban was the very native of the island. Initially Prospero treated him very well, He used to fondle him. He showed a great deal of affection to Caliban.He used to give him water with berries in it. 4. Caliban was taught the' name of the moon which shines during the night and the name of the sun which shines during the day.

5. Caliban was pleased with Prospero. He responded by telling the newcomer all the secrets of the island. He showed Prospero the springs of fresh water, the pits from where salt is obtained. Thus, Caliban then responded showing his love to Prospero. 

6. Caliban is now cursing himself for having served Prospero in that manner. Now Prospero is a master and Caliban is a mere slave. He complains that he who was his own master carlier has now become a subject to Prospero, the ruler of the island.

Passage ~14

1. Prospero and Caliban are engaged in conversation in the play "The Tempest'' written by William Shakespeare. Caliban complains that he has been ill-treated by Prospero. He was the master of the island but Prospero has turned him into a slave.

2. Prospero refutes Caliban's charge against him. He says that Caliban is a downright liar. He does not deserve any kind treatment. In the Past he was initially given the best treatment till he misbehaved. Now he is fit only to receive severe beating.

3. Though Caliban was a worthless fellow, Prospero gave him all his sympathy and love.He treated him with human kindness. He allowed Caliban to share his own cell:

4. Prospero changed his attitude towards Caliban when Caliban tried to violate the honour of his daughter, Miranda.

5. Caliban admits that he tried to violate the honour of Miranda. He is not sorry for such an evil attempt. He boldly says that if he had succeeded in his plan, he would have given many more Calibans to the island.

Passage= 15

1. Prospero pitied Caliban in trying to educate him. Caliban refuses to show any gratitude. He grumbles that he is being ill-treated by Prospero with kicks and insults.But Prospero reminds Caliban what he had tied to civilise him.

2. Prospero now gives a rebuke to Caliban for his ingratitude. He calls Caliban a hateful slave. He proved himself incapable of doing anything good.

3. Caliban was a complete savage. He did not know how to express himself. Prospero sympathised with him ànd taught him human language. Prospero tried to teach Caliban ways of the civilized world all the time.

4. Caliban could not express even his needs and wants. He lacked words to say anything. It was Prospero who taught him language. He thus enabled Caliban to express his purpose in words.

5. Prospero is not happy in spite of all his efforts, he could not educale or civilise this beast. His essential evil always took the upper hand. For this reason Caliban had to be shut in a rock. He did not deserve freedom.

MERCHANT OF VENICE ACT 2 SCENE 8 & 9, SHAKESPEAREAN PLAY, BRITISH DRAMA, SUMMARY & ANALYSIS

 Act II: Scene 8

Summary

Salarino And Salanio are the chorus characters seen on stage. They are seen discussing developments in Venice. They converse about the blind rage Shylock flew into when he discovered his daughter (Jessica) fled with a christian (Lorenzo) with lots of Ducats and Costly stones. When Shylock discovered that Jessica was gone, he woke up the Duke and demanded that the latter had Bassanio's ship searched. This was futile because Bassanio had already set sail. It was reported that Bassanio was not responsible to help them elope. Lorenzo-Jessica were seen setting sail on a Gondola that night. Antonio assured the duke that Lorenzo and Jessica were not on board Bassanio's ship. Salanio then describes how Shylock raved like a mad man about in the streets, crying, "My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! / Fled with a Christian," while "all the boys in Venice" followed him, mocking him, his daughter, and his ducats.

 

Salanio worries about what will happen to Antonio: He knows Shylock's temper. Jessica's elopement and Antonio's swearing that Bassanio had no part in her escape "bade no good" for Antonio. He knows that Antonio must repay his debt. Shylock would inadvertently hold him responsible for giving the phillip to christian Lorenzo to dare elope his daughter with the money and stones. Salanio is likewise worried about Antonio's future. He reports that only yesterday, a Frenchman told him about a Venetian massive cargo ship that had sunk in the English Channel alias the narrow sea at a place named Goodwin. He immediately thought of Antonio, hoping that the ship was not one of his. The news about the shipwreck must be broken gently to Antonio because Antonio is a sensitive man. Realizing that Antonio may need cheering up, Salanio and Salarino decide to pay him a visit.

Analysis

Salarino's and Salanio's opening lines give the audience a sordid future for Antonio. The chorus characters discuss developments of the plot not shown on the stage so that the audience will come to know of the development at their back and ride on the premonition of something bad coming. Here, they are concerned about Antonio's fate, since Shylock is in a terrible temper, and the once "merry bond" might well turn out to be the reason for his death.

Salanio's speech, beginning at line 12, is introduced here to show Shylock's rage and Shylock's loss of both his daughter and much of his money are important for our understanding of the extent of Shylock's desire for revenge. This has been shown  before it is shown so that we apprehend Shylock’s state of mind at his next entrance. 

 

At the beginning of the play, Shylock has three real reasons for hating Antonio: financial, social and religious. To these is now added a shattering personal loss — he has lost his daughter, his only child, to a Christian, a friend of Antonio. He holds Antonio liable for all his losses. Antonio is rich, indulgent. Under his support, all these hoodlums (Bassanio, Lorenzo etc) dared go this extreme to challenge rich Shylock. He plans revenge against all Venetian Christians totaled in the person of a man whom he has now legally cornered: Antonio. In a very real sense, our sympathy goes out to Shylock, yet Shakespeare keeps us from pitying the man by having Salanio enact a sort of exaggerated parody of Shylock's greedy, histrionic behavior as he tells his friend Salarino how Shylock was chased in the streets by young boys, howling after him. 

 

Act II: Scene 9

Summary

At Belmont, the Prince of Arragon has arrived to try his luck at choosing the correct casket, and before he decides on one, he promises Portia that he will abide by her father's rules. He is a dignified man of royal descent. He repeats his oaths; if he fails to choose the casket containing her portrait, he will never reveal which casket he chose; second, he promises never to court another woman; and last, he will leave Belmont at that instant without raising any question.

Reviewing the inscriptions, he rejects the lead casket immediately because he thinks that it is not attractive and luring enough to give and risk all his possessions for. He also rejects the gold casket because "what many men desire" may place him on the same level with "the barbarous multitudes." He eventually selects the silver casket, which bears the inscription, "Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves." Arragon reviews his worth and decides that he "will assume desert" which means that he rightfully deserves Portia. When he opens the silver casket, he finds within "the portrait of a blinking idiot" — a picture of a fool's head. The scroll in the silver casket reads, "There be fools alive, I wis [know], / Silver'd o'er; and so was this."He protested the contents; he chose according to what he felt that he deserved: "Did I deserve no more than a fool's head?" Portia reminds him that a person can not subject himself to the test and judge the outcome at the same time. Arragon departs then with his followers, thereafter keeping his oath.

Portia is dearly relieved and sums up the reason for the prince's failure: "O, these deliberate fools! When they do choose, / They have their wisdom by their wit to lose." When fools choose they believe that they are wise to act upon. Their excessive deliberation eventually defeats them.

A servant announces the arrival of a Venetian suitor and adds that he has brought expensive gifts. He is "so likely an ambassador of love" that "a day in April never came so sweet." Portia is neither impressed nor optimistic, yet she urges Nerissa to bring the man to her so that she can see for herself this "quick Cupid's post [messenger] that comes so mannered." Nerissa sighs; "Lord Love," and subsequently prays, "if thy will it be, let this suitor be Bassanio!”

Analysis

This scene focuses on why the Prince of Arragon chooses the silver caskets. The Prince of Morocco's choice was straightforward and simple. He chose the gold casket; it seemed to be the most obvious, most desirable choice. In contrast, the Prince of Arragon's choice is done with more prudence. The prince Arragon is a proud conceited man of royal upbringing.

Ambiguity of inscriptions lead Arragon into belittling common men and therefore, the gold casket. The gold casket speaks of the desire of many men. The word “many'' makes him pause here. He considers himself not one of many. He is special. “Many” are the common men in great numbers. They make mistakes therefore they are many in number and they perish in great numbers too. 

 

Arragon considers the caskets, but he does not make Morocco's abrupt choice. If gold represents "what many men desire," then Arragon's confides in his own superiority over  "the foolish multitude that choose by show" and his this attitude makes him reject it. He is a thoughtful man and it becomes evident when he goes to choose the silver casket.

He is a bit of philosopher and poetic too. He gleans through the history of mankind to find rare instances wherein the deserving man glorified the title, office truly. Otherwise the deserving fellow will remain a covered man (wearing the cap) will be lost among the crowd of subjects while the undeserving fellow will remain uncovered (king).

Therefore, the silver inscription, "Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves," has an immediate appeal for Arragon. He laments the fact that there is so much "undeserved dignity" in the world. Those who enjoy the title, office etc got them without acquiring them legitimately through the "true seed" of noble inheritance. He is a snob. He sees himself to be a person of special nobility who alone may deserve Portia.

Arragon’s outlook towards women folk is also evident from his observation on the silver casket. Portia is a tool to be obtained on the basis of Arragon’s having deserved her. 

In the suitors' choice of the caskets, we have yet another variation of the illusion-reality theme: Gold and silver appear to be the obvious choices to the first two suitors, whose motives for choosing are in some way flawed. Neither of Morocco and Arragon is truly in love with Portia. Yet Bassanio, who does love Portia, will choose the casket which appears to be the least valuable. In reality, it will turn out to be the most valuable one. 

 

Thus the ability to choose and to distinguish between what appears to be valuable and what really is valuable depends not so much on intelligence. Shylock is far more intelligent than Antonio or Bassanio, but not enough to outwit Portia. 

 

Love has been given the utmost importance. It is not glory, courage and physical strength (Morocco), nor nobility of social position (Arragon), nor wealth (Shylock), but love for another human being which enables Bassanio to win Portia and save his friend Antonio from the sure clutch of death.

At this point, the love plot in the play becomes very much like a fairy tale. We are reminded of Nerissa's comment in Act I, Scene 2: The proper casket will "Never be chosen by any rightly but one who you shall rightly love." The last casket that remains to be opened is the lead casket.

We now know which casket is the right one, and thus we can relax and enjoy the drama of Bassanio's momentous choice. His approach is now announced by a messenger, and the fulfillment of the play's love story is clearly anticipated in Nerissa's comment: "A day in April never came so sweet / To show how costly summer was at hand."

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THE TEMPEST Q ANS BRITISH DRAMA SHAKESPEAREAN PLAY ENGLISH STUDIES

 THE TEMPEST

Contd from the previous edition……………..

Passage-7

Know thus far forth:

accident most strange, bountiful Fortune

Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies

Brought to this shore; and by my prescience

I find my zenith doth depend um upon

A most auspicious star, whose influence

Ifnow I court not, but omit, myfortunes

ill ever after droop. Here cease more que

Thou art inclined to sleep. Tis a good dull

Angdi ve it this way. I know thou canst not choose

1. Who is the speaker and the listener? What is being spoken of?

2. What is the 'strange accident'?

3. Who are the enemies? Whose enemies have been brought to the shore ? Why?

4. Where are they now ? What does the speaker's foreknowledge tell him?

5. What will happen if he does not take advantage of the present situation?

6. Why does the speaker ask his listener to stop asking more questions?

Passage -8

…..burn in many places. the topmast,

The yards, and bowsprit would 1 flame distinctly

Then meet and john Jove's Lightning, the precursors

Oth' dreadful thunderclaps, more momentar

And sight-outrunning was not. The fire and cracks

of sulphurous roaring the most mighty Neptune

Seem to besiege, and make his bold waves trembl,

Mca, his dread trident shake

1. Who are the people engaged in conversation? What are they talking about?

2. "Flamed amazement". What does the speaker want to say?

3. What did the speaker do by assuming the shape ofa flame? How could he change his shape ?

4. How does he explain the quickness of his movements?

5. How did he fill terror in the heart of the sea-god?

Passage-9

……. But felt a fever of the mad and played

Some trick of desperation. Al but mariners

Plunged in the foaming brine, and quit the vessel,

Then all afire with me The King's son Ferdinand,

with hair p staring-then fike reeds, not hair-

Was the first man that leaped; cried Hellis empty

And all the devils are here

1. The speaker is answering some question put to him. Who is the speaker? Whose question is he going

to answer?

2. Who played 'tricks of desperation'? Why did they do so ?

3. Did the mariners jump into the sea ? What was the condition of the

sea at that time?

4. Why did they quit the vessel ?

5. How did Ferdinand behave ? Who was Ferdinand ?

Passage-10

Not a hair perished.

On their

But fresher than before; and as thou badst me,

In troops I have dispersed them 'bout the isle.

The King's son have I landed by himse

Whom I left cooling of the air with sighs

In an odd angle of the isle, and siting

sustaining garments nota blemish,

His arms in this sad kuot

Not a hair perished". 

1.What information is being given in this? Explain the context. Who says these words?

2. Whose garments look fresher than before? What does that indicate?

3. What has the speaker done according to some instructions? Whose instructions?

4. Who is the king's son? What has been done to him?

5. What was the prince doing when the speaker last left him?

Passage-11

Safely in harbour

Is the King's ship, in the deep nookwhere once

Thou caled'st me up at midnight to fetch dew

From the still-vexed Bcrmoothes, there she's hidsE

The mariners all under hatches stowed,

Who, with a chamjoinedto their suffered labour

I have left aslecp. And for the rest o'th fleet,

Which I dispersed, they all have met again,

And are upot the Mediteranean flote

Bounsda dlyh ome for Naples,

1. Who is the speaker of these lines? State the context...

2. Where is the king's ship?

3. What has happened to the sailors?

4. Why have they fallen asleep?

5. Where are the remaining ships of the fleet?

6. What is the cause of their sadness?

Passage-12

She did confine thee,

By hep of her more potent ministers,

And in her most unmitigable rage,

Into a cloven pine; within which rift

Imprisoned, thou didst painfuly remain

A dozen years, within which space she died,

And left thee there, where thou didst vent thy groans 

As fast as milkwheels strike. Then was this island

Save for the son that she did litter here, 

1. "She did confine thee." Who confined whom? ldentify the speaker? Explain the context. 2. Why did someone confine the other?

3. What was done with the help of more potent ministers?

4. What continued for twelve years?

5. Who were the residents of the island at that time?

ANSWERS

Passage-7

1. Prospero is speaking to his daughter, Miranda in Shakespeare's play The Tempest. He is telling the story of his past life when he was expelled from Milan. Right here, his daughter wants to know why he has raised a storm in the sea.

2. Prospero describes it as a strange accident by which a ship carrying his enemies has come near his island.

3. Prospero's enemies include his own brother, Antonio who was responsible for expelling him from his own dukedom. Colluding with him was the king of Naples named Alosno. It was with his help that Antonio had forced his brother to quit Milan. The two had conspired to throw Prospero out of his dukedom, replacing him with Antonio as the duke.

4. Now these persons along with others are in a ship near Prospero's island. The ship is caught in a storm raised by Prospero, the magician.

5. Prospero has the power to foresee the coming events. He knows that if he acts now, his good luck will rise to the highest point. Now Prospero is under the influence of a lucky star

6. If he does not take advantage of the present situation, his fortune will sink to the its lowest in the time to come.

7. Prospero asks Miranda to ask no more questions because she is feeling sleepy. Sleep is good for her at the moment. She cannot resist it.

Passage-8

1. In Shakespeare's play The Tempest, Ariel is talking to his ma_ter, Prospero. He is describing how he carried out his order to raise a storm in the sea to frightern the passengers in a particular ship. Ariel tells Prospero how he created a panic among passengers in the ship caught in a terrible storm.

2. Ariel showed the passengers some unusual occurrences to drive them out of their wits. Ariel first got into the king's ship. In the shape of a flame he appeared on the bow, on the waist, on the deck of the ship. Then he moved about in every cabin to terrify the passengers.

3. Ariel was a spirit. It could easily assume a different shape, yet remained invisible. Thus, he divided himself into several and appeared at several places. Then he combined himself in single flame to surprise the passengers in the ship.

4. Ariel is giving an impressive detail of how he executed his plan. He claims that even Jove's lighting, seen before he hurls his dreadfüulthunderbolts, are not so rapid and swift as Ariel's movements were.

5. The flashes of lightning and the loud roar of thunder that Ariel produced seemed to overpower even the most powerful god of sea _haking the powerful waves of the sea and the fearful trident, the three pronged weapon of the sea-god. The description given by Ariel gives the impression that he not only terrified his victims in the ship, but also filled the heart of the sea-god with terror.

Passage-9

1. The speaker is answering the question put to him by Prospero. The speaker's name is Ariel. He is commanded by Prospero, the magician and the Ex-Duke of Milan.

2. The Royal passengers in the ship behaved desperately when Ariel's illusion made them believe that the ship was wrecking imminently.

3. The mariners did not jump into the sea. They stayed back trying to save the ship. But all others jumped into the stormy sea.

4. They quit the vessel because it seemed to be burning in the flames produced by Ariel. They desperately hoped to survive by swimming ashore. The condition on the ship seemed to threaten their lives.

5. Ferdinand was the son of the king of Naples, the heir to the throne. The prince was the first to jump into the sea. He was very badly terrified. His hair stood on end with fear. He cried that all devils had arrived there, and then took a leap into the sea.

Passage-10

1. Ariel is the speaker. He is describing to Prospero how a storm was raised in the sea and how

The passengers jumped into the sea in panic. Ariel assures his master that no harm has actually come to any of the passengers. Not a hair has perished. Ariel has managed to bring them to the island safely.

2. Ariel has just carried out a plan to catch a ship in a storm raised by this spirit. Then he has been able to frighten the passengers who jumped into the sea for safety. These passengers have been conducted to the island safely but separately. Ariel assures Prospero that the passengers are completely safe and unharmed. Even the clothes which bore them on the sea have not suffered the least damage. These garments look even fresher than before.

3. Ariel has just obeyed the orders of his master, Prospero. According to Prospero's instructions,

Ariel has scattered the passengers on the island in groups.

4. Ferdinand is the son of the king of Naples. Ariel has managed to land the prinçe on the island

alone.

5. The speaker (Ariel) left the prince, he was out of the danger sitting in the shore of the island

in cooling the air with sighs of sorrow and with his arms folded. He was looking sad.

Passage-11

1. These lines are spoken by Ariel to Prospero. Ariel has described in detail how he caused the storm, dispersed the courtiers and the king, he narrates about the island according to the orders given to him.

2. The king's ship is safe in the harbour. She is hidden in the deep corner where once Prospero had called Ariel up to bring him dew from the Bermudas islands, ever troubled by storms.

3. All the sailors have been packed away by Ariel in the lower deck with the hatches or gratings battened down to prevent their escape to the shore.

4. They have fallen asleep because of a spell which Ariel has cast upon them. Moreover, they have fallen asleep after the tiring exertions of the day while fighting the storm.

5. The remaining ships of the fleet were scattered by Ariel. They have all assembled together again on the Mediterranean sea.

6. These ships are sailing sadly home for Naples from where they had come along with their king and prince. Now they are under the impression that the king's ship has been destroyed and the king has drowned. The same are their fears about their prince.

Passage-12

1. Prospero refers to that old and ugly witch, Sycorax, who had imprisoned Ariel for not obeying her. Prospero is speaking to Ariel reminding him of his past when Prospero had released him from a painful confinement.

2. Sycorax wanted to engage Ariel in all types of dirty work. But Ariel being a very delicate spirit refused to carry out the hateful commands of the witch. Sycorax punished Ariel by imprisoning him in a cloven pine.

3. The hateful witch had many slaves working for her. When Ariel resisted her authority, she began to punish him with the help of her more powerful agents.

4. Shut in the cloven pine tree, Ariel suffered for a long period of twelve years. During this period, his tormentor died, leaving the prisoner there. There in that painful condition Ariel groaned repeatedly like

the wheels of a windmill striking the water again and again.

5. At that time, the island was uninhabited by any human being except that witch's son whom she had given birth to. This son was no better than a dog with a spotted body.

Disclaimer: Images have been taken from the Google sites.