Short Question of The Duchess of Malfi

The Duchess of Malfi

1. Discuss malo dramatic elements

Answer:

“The Duchess of Malfi” by John Webster is a kind of Revenge Tragedy modeled on Seneca, the Latin playwright of 1st century A.D.

We have seen that there was a love affair between the Duchess and Antonio and at last they marry and they produce three children. On hearing the news of their secret marriage and their children, the cardinal and The Duke Fardinand react angrily. And from the beginning to the end of Act two, scene five, we seed the reaction of the two brothers for the action of their sister. They think that the Duchess has destroyed the reputation and status of their family. The Duchess has been separated from her husband and oldest child, stripped of her wealth and power, and imprisoned.

   This drama contains so many elements of horrors or which it can be classified as a melodrama. From the beginning to the end of this drama, there are a lot of elements of horrors. The last two acts of the play have an abundance of them. However melodramatic episodes are seen earlier too. The Duke in order to horrify the Duchess gives a dead man’s hand to her and she kisses it taking it to be the Duke's hand. The spectacle of waxen images of the dead bodies of Antonio and children presented before the Duchess is another horrid scene. The unruly dance of the mad men before the Duchess, the appearance of Bosola as a tomb makes and a bell man and the appearance of the executioners with bell and core in procession, too are intended to create horror. The next horror is mentioned in the series of murders committed by Bosola. The last horror comes when Julia is poisoned in a most cold-blooded manner. Antonio is killed and Ferdinand, Cardinal and Bosola all meet their death at the end. So, there are the ten murders.

2. Bosola Character or role?***

Answer:  Bosola is complicated and fascinating character. He acts the role of both villain and avenger, working first against and then for the duchess.

First, Bosola agrees to work as aspy and also murder the Duchess for Ferdinand and the Cardinal, even though he knows they are evil and their court corrupt. He realizes he has entered into a wicked bargain. Ferdinand offers him a respectable job, something he covets very highly, as an ex-convict who spent seven years as a galley slave because of the murder he committed earlier.

Lated, However, the cynical Bosola grows to admire the Duchess for her genuine goodness. He sees the kind works of her " white hand."

He wishes he worked for her, but he has made his bargain. He kills her, as is expected. However, when ferdinand reneges on paying Bosola, Bosola gets angry. killing the Duchess, Bosola says, was " much against mine own good nature." He decides to avenge the Duchess by killing her brothers, though he is killed in return.

3. Role of Servant( Coriola, Antonio).

Answer: Coriola Character:

 Poor Cariola. She's really between a rock and a hard place.

Cariola is the Duchess's maid and one of the only two people (the other being Delio) who originally knows about the Duchess's marriage to Antonio. The Duchess trusts Cariola completely, but also doesn't take her completely seriously. Why? Well, Cariola may be the Duchess's confidante, but she's also her servant, and the Duchess frequently dismisses her concerns and suggestions.

While Cariola is unwaveringly loyal to the Duchess and does like Antonio, the whole secret-marriage-secret-family thing freaks her out.

Cariola sticks by the Duchess even when the rest of the courtly entourage has left for greener, less evil-brother-infested pastures, and is finally captured along with the Duchess by Ferdinand.

Cariola's death comes moments after the Duchess's, and there's a sharp contrast between the two: while the Duchess dies in a dramatically momentous scene, full of dignity and resignation, Cariola scrabbles and begs until the bitter end, doing everything she can to convince Bosola to spare her life. Poor girl.

 Antonio Character:

Antonio returned from France, full of scorn for the Italian courtiers whom he sees as more corrupt than the French. Antonio is the Duchess’s steward. He is very capably runs the Duchess’s estate. However he is neither wealthy nor high-born but the duchess fall in love on Antonio and propose Antonio for marry.  Antonio accepts the Duchess' proposal of marriage because of her disposition rather than her beauty.  Duchess considers him to be a “complete” man, and the two of them secretly marry. Duchess  think that Antonio is marrying for love, not just money. He is also knowledgeable about people: even early in the play he knows that Ferdinand and the Cardinal are duplicitous and murderous. Despite his knowledge of their characters, though, he proves entirely incapable of protecting his family from Ferdinand or the Cardinal.

During this effort, he is accidentally killed by Bosola, who mistakes Antonio for someone else.  His honesty and good judgment of character are traits well known to the other characters.

4. Which Machiavellian Villain hero of the duchess of malfi?

Answer:  As we may know, Machiavelli was an Italian who wrote the political treatise The Prince about a century before The Duchess of Malfi. His basic game plan for the achievement of power? Play dirty.

We see the rise of the stock character "The Machiavellian Villain," the guy we can depend upon to ruthlessly plot, cheat and manipulate his way to victory. we get a version of him in The Duchess of Malfi in the form of the totally immoral Cardinal, the smooth, planning, and plotting half of the Evil Brothers Duo. In case we were wondering, and disqualifying Bosola as a true Machiavellian villain because he (a) does have a sense of morality and (b) doesn't actually achieve power through his trickery—he's the puppet, not the puppet-master.

Beyond the specific Machiavellian character, though, The Duchess of Malfi definitely fixates on corrupt government, and it's important to know that it's not doing so in a vacuum. For some more on The Duchess of Malfi's personal spin on the corruption of power, head on over to the "Power Theme."

5. Duchess of Malfi as a Senecan Tragedies? Or Seneca and Webster's The Duchess of Malfi?

Answer:

The Duchess of Malfi is a macabre revenge tragedy written in 1613 or 1614 and originally published in 1623 as The Tragedy of the Duchess of Malfi. It is loosely based on real events that took place in the early sixteenth century in Italy. Webster did not invent the story of this play, but it was drawn, as many of Shakespeare's plays were, from William Painter's The Palace of Pleasure, a common collection of stories published in 1567. The play is a kind of revenge tragedy modeled on Seneca's model. It can be seen as a continuity of Seneca's influence on English revenge tragedy for including violence, conspiracies, and the theme of revenge in addition to the five-act structure. Although Webster borrowed most of the dramatic elements of this genre, he adapted some of them in order to be in agreement with his purposes. The complexity of some of its characters, especially the Duchess and Bosola, as well as the grand language of the writer placed this play among the greatest tragedies of the English Renaissance drama. The Duchess of Malfi told us the tale of a young widow who faced her tragic end, violent death, for resisting the traditions of her society. She fell in love and married beneath her social class and that is what set off a storm of vengeance. Her two powerful brothers imposed their revenge, "destroying themselves in the process."

6. Duchess of Malfi as a Tragedy?

Answer:

“The Duchess of Malfi” by John Webster is a kind of Revenge Tragedy modeled on Seneca, the Latin playwright of 1st century A.D.This play contains the depth of extreme violence, plotting and mostly revenge on the best part which are the chief elements of revenge tragedy.

 If we want to consider The Duchess of Malfi as a Revenge Tragedy from the light of the characterizations of Revenge Tragedy pointed out previously, we will find almost all the elements of Revenge Tragedy in The Duchess of Malfi.

  

We have seen that there was a love affair between the Duchess and Antonio and at last they marry and they produce three children. On hearing the news of their secret marriage and their children, the cardinal and The Duke Fardinand react angrily.

The Duchess of Malfi differs in a number of ways from the traditional revenge play. It doesn't become clear why revenge is taken on the Duchess. Her only fault is that she has married below her rank and status and thus the two brothers think, she has disgraced the family. She has certainly not committer any heinous crime for which she is subjected unjustified.

In summing up we can say that "The Duchess of Malfi" is a revenge tragedy. Although Webster wrote this drama following the tradition of revenge tragedy, he has modified some of its aspects to make it unique. So, in a word we can say that it is a perfect revenge tragedy.

Some Short Question and Answer of History of Europe.

History of Europe

1. The Renaissance of Europe.

Answer: The Renaissance was a period of time from the 14th to the 17th century in Europe. This era bridged the time between the Middle Ages and modern times. The word "Renaissance" means "rebirth".    The Renaissance was a time of "coming out of the dark". It was a rebirth of education, science, art, literature, music, and a better life for people in general.

     A big part of the Renaissance was a cultural movement called humanism. Humanism was a philosophy that all people should strive to be educated and learned in the classical arts, literature, and science.  The Renaissance started in Florence, Italy and spread to other city-states in Italy. The true geniuses of the Renaissance were great examples of this. Leonardo da Vinci was a master painter, sculptor, scientist, inventor, architect, engineer, and writer.

2. The Protestant Reformation.

Answer: The Reformation occurred during Renaissance times. It was a split in the Catholic Church where a new type of Christianity called Protestantism was born.

     During the Middle Ages, few people knew how to read and write. However, with the Renaissance, more and more people became educated and learned how to read. At the same time, the printing press was invented. People were able to read the Bible for themselves for the first time.

3. The Industrial Revolution of Europe.

Answer: The industrial revolution in Europe didn't happen overnight. The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in the period form about 1760 to sometimes between 1820 and 1840. This transition included going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, the increasing use of steam power, the development of machine tools and the rise of the factory system. Textiles were the dominant industry of the Industrial Revolution in terms of employment, value of output and capital invested. The textile industry was also the first to use modern production methods. During Industrial revolution there was an effect all the europe. There are:

-Lead to the modern capitalist economy;    -Altered the daily lives of all people;

-Increase in per capita income;   -Economic and social gap;  -Increase in life expectancy;

-Increase in population;  -Urbanization;  -Organized labor;  -Increase in political participation

4. What was the French Revolution?

Answer: The French Revolution was a period of time in France when the people knock off the monarchy and took control of the government.

• When did it take place? : The French Revolution lasted 10 years from 1789 to

1799. It began on July 14, 1789 when revolutionaries stormed a prison called the Bastille.

• The French Estates: Before the French Revolution, the people of France were

divided into three social groups called "Estates."   Most of the people were members of the Third Estate and paid most of the taxes.

• Revolutionary Government : At the start of the revolution, representatives from

the Third Estate established the National Assembly where they demanded that King Louis XVI give them certain rights. This group soon took control of the country.

• Political Clubs: Many of the new political ideas and alliances of the French

Revolution were formed in political clubs.

• Outcome : The French Revolution completely changed the social and political

structure of France. It brought new ideas to Europe including liberty and the abolishment of slavery and the rights of women. Although the revolution ended with the rise of Napoleon, the ideas and reforms did not die.

5. The First World War

Answer:

World War-1 was a major conflict fought between 1914 and 1918 and fought between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers. The main members of the Allied Powers were France, Russia, and Britain. The United States also fought on the side of the Allies after 1917. The main members of the Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

Where was most of the fighting? : The majority of the fighting took place in Europe along two fronts: the western front and the eastern front.

How did it start? Although there were a number of causes for the war, the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the main catalyst for starting the war. After the assassination, Austria declared war on Serbia. Then Russia prepared to defend its ally Serbia. Next, Germany declared war on Russia to protect Austria. This caused France to declare war on Germany to protect its ally Russia. Germany invaded Belgium to get to France which caused Britain to declare war on Germany. This all happened in just a few days.

How did it end?:The fighting ended on November 11, 1918 when a general armistice was agreed to by both sides. The war officially ended between Germany and the Allies with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

6. The Second World war

Answer: World War II was fought between the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) and the Allied Powers (Britain, United States, Soviet Union, France). Most of the countries in the world were involved in some way. It was the deadliest war in all of human history with around 70 million people killed.

When was it? : World War II started in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. Great Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany. The war in Europe ended with Germany's surrender on May 7, 1945. The war in the Pacific ended when Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945.

Where was it? : World War II started in Europe, but spread throughout the world. Much of the fighting took place in Europe and in Southeast Asia (Pacific).

Know about English Literature

Anglo saxon Literature:

Old English literature, also called Anglo-Saxon literature, literature written in Old English c. 650–c. 1100. For a description of this period in the context of the history of English literature, see English literature: The Old English period.

  Beowulf is the oldest surviving Germanic epic and the longest Old English poem; it was likely composed between 700 and 750. Other great works of Old English poetry include The Wanderer, The Seafarer, The Battle of Maldon, and The Dream of the Rood.

   Old English prose works include legal writings, medical tracts, religious texts, and translations from Latin and other languages. Particularly notable is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record begun about the time of King Alfred’s reign (871–899) and continuing for more than three centuries.

History of Literature:

Literature is the written work of a specific culture, sub-culture, religion, philosophy or the study of such written work which may appear in poetry or in prose. Literature, in the west, originated in the southern Mesopotamia region of Sumer (c. 3200) in the city of Uruk and flourished in Egypt, later in Greece  and from there, to Rome. Writing seems to have originated independently in China from divination practices and also independently in Mesoamerica and elsewhere.

The first author of literature in the world, known by name, was the high-priestess of Ur, Enheduanna (2285-2250 BCE) who wrote hymns in praise of the Sumerian goddess Inanna.

Literature is divided into the categories of fiction or non-fiction today but these are often rbitrary decisions as ancient literature, as understood by those who wrote the tales down, as well as those who heard them spoken or sung pre-literacy, was not understood in the same way as it is in the modern-day.

Literature theme:

In contemporary literary studies, a theme is the central topic a text treats.[1] Themes can be divided into two categories: a work's thematic concept is what readers "think the work is about" and its thematic statement being "what the work says about the subject".[2]

The most common contemporary understanding of theme is an idea or point that is central to a story, which can often be summed in a single word (e.g. love, death, betrayal). Typical examples of themes of this type are conflict between the individual and society; coming of age; humans in conflict with technology; nostalgia; and the dangers of unchecked ambition.

II. Examples of Theme

Example 1

A man, fueled by an urge for power and control due to his own pride, builds a supercomputer. That supercomputer then takes over the world, causing chaos and struggle galore.

This sci-fi style story contains many common themes. A few of its themes include:

§  Danger of excessive pride

§  The risky relationship between humankind and developing technology

Example 2

A boy and a girl fall in love. The boy is forced to join the army and fights to survive in a war-torn country as his beloved waits at home. When he returns from war, the two are united and married.

The love story also has many common themes in literature:

§  The power of true love

§  Fate, which sometimes tears lovers apart and then joins them together

§  War

As can be seen from these examples, themes can range widely from ideas, as large as love and war, to others as specific as the relationship between humankind and technology.

III. Types of Theme

there are two types of themes: major and minor themes.

a. Major Themes

Major themes are, just as they sound, the more important and enduring themes of the narrative. Major themes are the most significant themes of the story, and often they are a part of the entire story. A book on war would have the major theme of war’s effect on humanity, whereas a romance novel would have the major theme of love.

b. Minor Themes

Minor themes are, on the other hand, less important and less enduring. They may appear for part of the narrative only to be replaced by another minor theme later in the narrative. They provide discussion points for a chapter or two, but do not color the entire story. A book on war may have minor themes such as the home front’s reaction to war or the political aspects of war. A romance novel may have minor themes such as flirtation, marriage, and fidelity.

Old English VS Middle English

Difference Between Old and Middle English

Old English is the earliest historical form of the English language.

Middle English developed out of Old English after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Period

Old English was used from 400s to 1100s.

Middle English was used from the 1100s to 1400s.

Syntax

Old English did not have a fixed word order.

Middle English began to have a fixed word order.

Grammar – Inflections

Old English nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verbs have many inflectional forms and endings.

Middle English simplified many inflectional forms of nouns, adjectives and verbs.

Grammar – Case

Old English had dative and instrumental cases.

Middle English moved to prepositional constructions.

Relation to Modern English

Old English is very different from Modern English. A modern English speaker cannot understand it without study.

Middle English is somewhat similar to Modern English than Old English.

Tragedy and Comedy in Literature.

1. what is tragedy in literature?

Answer:

A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances. b. The genre made up of such works.

Or

Tragedy, branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified(মহৎ) style the sorrowful or terrible events faced or caused by a heroic individual. By extension the term may be applied to other literary works, such as the novel.

2. What is Comedy in literature?

Answer:

Comedy is a literary genre and a type of dramatic work that is amusing and satirical in its tone, mostly having a cheerful ending. The motif of this dramatic work is triumph over unpleasant circumstance by creating comic effects, resulting in a happy or successful conclusion.

Or

Comedy is a form of entertainment that is meant to be ridiculous and funny, whether in literature, film, television, theatre or stand-up. The goal of most comedy examples is to induce laughter in the audience.

Short Question on Volpone .

1. Discuss Volpone as comedy of humor?

Answer:

    The conception of the humor of the medieval age has a great impact in Ben Jonson’s Volpone, especially in the character development. Actually, Volpone is, to many extents, based upon the humor theory. In the play, Volpone, Mosca, Corvino, Corbaccio, Voltore, Sir politic Would be and this imbalance make the play a comedy since these abnormal characters pave the way for making the plot satiric and amusing. Each character is peculiar and singular in his own way. Here Jonson shows that the mental imbalance is more dangerous than physical imbalance as he shows that, the characters Nano, Castrone and androgyno being physically abnormal, are better creatures than the earlier ones. A comedy of humors focuses in characters, each character representing a type of personality. The characters in Volpone are stereotypes. All of the characters are imbalanced as well, so their “humors” are out of balance and they thus act in comical ways. Thus, Volpone is a comedy of humors.

2. Animal imagery in the volpone.

Answer:

     Animal imagery:The animal imagery, that runs alongside the animalistic names of the characters, is very important as it gives us insight into the (corrupt) nature of each character.

By giving them animalistic names, Jonson clearly sees the 'clients' as scavengers, after naming them after birds of prey. He sees their actions in fight for Volpone's wealth as primitive and malicious.

Textual Evidence:

'I shall have instantly my Vulture, Crow, Raven come flying here on the news, to peck for carrion'

'Give me my furs'

'He is not dead' / 'All good symptoms'

'A creature of delight'

'His furs and foot-cloths;waited on by herd-clients'

Character Names:

Most of the characters names' are Itlian words for animals:

Volpone = Fox

Mosca = Parasitic Fly

Voltore = Vulture

Animalistic Imagery in the language.

This beast/animal imagery in the language is used in Volpone to represent the deformity and degeneration of the characters and moral abnormality found in Venice, portraying the city as a hotbed of crime, knavery and lust.

'Begin their visitation! Vulture, kite, Raven, and gor-crow, all my birds of prey, That think me leaving carcass.'

Critical Quotes

'It is difficult to condemn real vultures for behaving like vultures.' - Robert Macdonald.

'In this strongly moralistic play, the presentation of man as a beast - specifically beast and birds of prey - is used as a satirical device' - James M. Welsh Corvino = Crow

Corbaccio = Raven

http://englishliterature24.blogspot.com

3. Characteristic analysis of  lagacy, hunters of Volpone.

Answer:

Three legacy hunters are Voltore, a lawyer; Corbaccio, an old gentleman; and Corvino, a merchant

Voltore

One of the three legacy hunters or carrion-birds—the legacy hunters continually circle around Volpone, giving him gifts in the hope that he will choose them as his heir. Voltore is a lawyer by profession, and, as a result, he is adept in the use of words.

 Voltore is, like all the legacy hunters, named after a carrion-bird. In the case of Voltore, that bird is the vulture; for Corvino, it is the crow, and for Corbaccio, the raven. Voltore is the most pleasant of all the legacy hunters, for he is the least crass and the least obsessed with seeing Volpone die.

His preferential status shows in Mosca's special regard for him: Mosca tries to make sure that Voltore gets enough payment for his services at the Scrutineo in Act IV. But Voltore comes to regret his actions at the Scrutineo. Of course, this regret only comes after he has been denied his inheritance, and it seems to stem directly from his bitterness at Mosca's leapfrogging over him on the social ladder.

And when Volpone whispers to him that he might still get his inheritance, he stops confessinghis lies to the Scrutineo and pretends that he was "possessed" by an evil demon. Theverbal irony is that Voltore, in that statement and action, reveals his greed.

Corbaccio

Another "carrion-bird" circling Volpone, Corbaccio is actually extremely old and ill himself and is much more likely to die before Volpone even has a chance to bequeath him his wealth. He has a hearing problem and betrays no sign of concern for Volpone, delighting openly in (fake) reports of Volpone's worsening symptoms. He goes as far as to testify against his own son. He is finally punished, sent to a monastery, and forced to turn his estate over to his son, Bonario.

Corvino

A greedy, rich merchant and an extremely cruel and dishonorable character, Corvino is Celia's jealous husband. He frequently threatens to do disgusting acts of physical violence to her and her family in order to gain control over her. Yet he is more concerned with financial gain than with her faithfulness, seeing her, in essence, as a piece of property. Corvino is another one of the "carrion-birds" circling Volpone. Corvino is punished in theend for offering up his wife, which results in her returning to her father, with her dowry tripled. Corviono is the third of the "carrion-birds" circling Volpone.

4. Character analysis Volpone Mosca

Answer:

Volpone

Volpone is the protagonist of the play. His name means "The Fox" in Italian. Jonson used him as an instrument of satire of money-obsessed society, and he seems to share in Jonson's satiric interpretation of the events. He is lustful, raffish, and greedy for pleasure.He is a creature of passion, continually looking to find and attain new forms of pleasure,whatever the consequences may be. He is also energetic and has an unusual gift for rhetoric. He worships his money, all of which he has acquired through cons, such as the one he plays on Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino. Volpone has no children, but he has something of a family: his parasite, Mosca, his dwarf, Nano, his eunuch, Castrone, and his hermaphrodite, And rogyno. Mosca is his only true confidante. Volpone hates to make money through honest labour or cold, he loves making it in clever, deceitful ways. This dynamic in his character shapes our reaction to him throughout the play. At times, this hedonism seems fun, engaging, entertaining, and even morally valuable, such as when he is engaged in the con on his fortune hunters. But his attempted seduction of Celia revealsa darker side to his hedonism when it becomes an attempted rape. The incident makeshim, in the moral universe of the play, a worthy target of satire. Through the play, welearn that he is the one who makes the satire but the satire eventually turns back on him,when he becomes a victim of Mosca's "Fox-trap." The reason he is ensnared by Mosca is that he cannot resist one final gloat at his dupes, oblivious to the fact that in doing so, hehands over his entire estate to Mosca. This lack of rational forethought and commitmentto his own sensual impulses is characteristic of Volpone. Therefore, he has threeweaknesses that might make his ‘plots’ fail: the first is his lust for Celia, the second is hisoverconfident behavior, and the last is his complete trust in Mosca.

Mosca

Mosca is Volpone's parasite, a combination of his slave, his servant and his lackey. He is the person who continually executes Volpone's ideas and the one who comes up with the necessary lie whenever needed. In the opening acts, Mosca appears to be exactly what he is described as: a clinging, servile parasite, who only exists for Volpone and through Volpone. In other words, he exists to serve Volpone, and all that Volpone wants he wants.But in Act Three, we have the beginning of his assertion of self-identity, when he begins to grow confident in his abilities. But then this confidence again is left unvoiced, and Mosca seems to go back to being Volpone's faithful servant, helping him get out of the trouble some situation with Bonario and Celia. Mosca himself is possessed by greed, and he attempts to move out of his role as parasite to the role of great beast himself. But his attempt fails, as Volpone exposes them both. Though initially (and for most of the play)he behaves in a servile manner towards Volpone, Mosca conceals a growing independence he gains as a result of the incredible resourcefulness he shows in aiding and abetting Volpone's confidence game. Mosca's growing confidence, and awareness that the

others in the play are just as much "parasites" as he—in that they too would rather live off the wealth of others than do honest work—eventually bring him into conflict withVolpone, a conflict that destroys them both.