AD's English Literature

William Shakespeare : The Bard Sonnets of William Shakespeare , sequence of 154 sonnets by English poet and playwright William Shakespeare a majority of them were written between 1595 and 1599 after the Earl of Southampton became his patron. The sonnet genre was at its acme by that time. Shakespearean sonnet differed from those of other predecessors in that it had three decasyllabic quatrains each rhyming alter natively and a rhyming couplet at the end -rhyme scheme ababcdcdefefgg . The History  Thomas Thorpe registered them on May 20, 1609, with the title Shake-speares Sonnets . Neuer before Imprinted. Thorpe prefixed to the volume a cryptic dedication: “To the onlie begetter of these insuing sonnets Mr. W. H. all happinesse and that eternitie promised by our everliving poet wisheth the well-wishing adventurer in setting forth T. T.” Many attempts have been made to determine the identity of “Mr. W. H.” The two leading candidates are William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, and H...

Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586), English poet, courtier, and soldier, is another reputed sonneteer of Renaissance period. During his tour of the continent for three years and stay at Venice he studied subjects like astronomy and music. The great Italian painters left an indelible impression on him. History, Italian literature, study of the poetry of Tasso interested him much.  By the time he returned to England he had become an accomplished writer. In 1576, during his stay with his uncle Leicester at Kenilworth, he fell in love with Penelope, the twelve year old daughter of the Earl of Essex. Though the marriage did not materialize the attachment resulted in a series of sonnets addressed to the lady “Stella”- Sidney’s name for Penelope. Sonnets of Sidney were not published during his lifetime; many of “Stella” poems, however, circulated in manuscript.

CHORUS Can this cockpit hold  The vasty fields of France? or may we cram  Within this wooden O the very casques  That did affright the air at Agincourt? William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) English poet and playwright. Probably referring to the Globe. Henry V, Prologue Introduction to Theatre Halls: Elizabethan Theatre  (1558-1603)  is one of the most popular forms of entertainment, in which actors perform live for an audience on a stage or in another space designated for the performance.  In many ways the stage of the innyard helped to define the structure of the Elizabethan public theatre . Though various scholars have given different details about the structure, with the help of certain contemporary records, we can arrive at the main features. Apart from the picture of the Swan Theatre (1595) drawn by the Dutch traveler Johannes de Witt, another picture was found in the title page of the play Roxana (1630) by William Alabaster. The contem...

Importance of Hero in Tragedy The hero is of overwhelming importance in most literary works, but in no other form of literature is he as important as in tragedy. This is because while most literary forms such as the novel, the short story and comedy are concerned with a host of characters, in a tragedy the entire attention of the audience is focused upon a single character, the protagonist. This is also the reason why most tragedies are known by names of their protagonists Examples are Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex , Euripides’ Hippolytus, Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus . Consequently, a discussion of the tragedy is tantamount to a discussion of the hero.  Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, offered profound insights into the nature of tragic heroes in his seminal work "Poetics." Within this treatise, Aristotle identified two critical elements that contribute to the downfall of a tragic hero: hamartia and hubris. His concept as laid down in the Poetics ...

Ballad and its Key Features Towards the later part of the 14 th century popular song ’s particularly traditional ballads had become an important source of popular entertainment. Regarding their origin there are much controversies. Their authorship has remained mostly anonymous, but whether the ballad was composed by minstrel or has the result of communal activity. It is essentially simple and popular. They deal with love, local legends and the feats of local heroes, supernatural happenings or religions stories. Its tone is impersonal and detached and there is title or none of the composer is personality to be felt. The ballad is written in a meter known as – ‘ballad meter’,(four fined stanza with Iambic tetra – meter and trimeter respectively) : Oral Tradition: Songs and ballads from the 14th century were primarily passed down through oral tradition. They were often performed and sung by minstrels, troubadours, and other wandering musicians who traveled from place to place, sharing st...

Exit, pursued by a bear. William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) English poet and playwright. Stage direction. The Winter's Tale, Act 3, Scene 3 Introduction  William Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" (pub.1626)  has, for some reason, attracted a huge diversity of critical response. Some early critics see the play as the product of Shakespeare’s ‘serene retirement’ in Stratford. In fact, Shakespeare was not so old when he wrote the play, and by definition was not ‘retired'. If he was still writing play’s we do not know. If he was serene at that time in his life, and even if we did it is always dangerous to draw too close links between an another’s life and his writing.  Here we will explore the diverse range of critical perspectives that have been expressed about the play, providing a concise analysis and highlighting key points made by critics. The Problem of Genre One prominent aspect that elicits varied critical responses is the play's genre. "The Winter...

Introduction The play-within-play, also known as "The Mousetrap," is a pivotal scene in William Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet." It serves as a clever device used by Shakespeare to advance the plot, reveal the characters' true nature, and highlight key themes of the play. The play – within  -play that occurs in  " HAMLET " Act II, Scene III  was a well – known dramatic device in Shakespeare’s days used to give an interesting turn to the plot and to further the theme. Kyd in his famous Spanish Tragedy had favoured such a device successfully and this might have prompted Shakespeare to introduce it in Hamlet , which had some elements of revenge tragedy in it. We should now see how this play – scene affects the course of play to be able to measure its real significance. We will explore the dramatic significance of the play-within-play, focusing on its contribution to the plot, its effect on the characters, and its thematic importance. Character Revela...