ENGLISH IV

SUPPLEMENTARY STUDY MATERIAL: ENGLISH IV                                          DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, S.S.GOVERNMENT ARTS COLLEGE

                  Ed.  J. Dinesh Kumar

                TREE SPEAKS – C.Rajagopalachari

Introduction
In this essay, the author speaks about how we stand alienated from our culture along with practices we cherished in yester years. The felling of a tree upsets the biological cycle. The author even in those days, was concerned about the likely ecological imbalance caused by man’s indiscriminate cutting down of trees. He also points out that the tree and such other ones have a life of their own.
Colonel’s evening walk:
C.Rajagopalachary narrates an incident which made him realize the importance of the trees. He had a friend named Ray Johnson who was a medical officer in Salem. Colonel Johnson was a great lover of trees. He had the habit of talking to the trees on the roadside, during his evening walks.
 “He would bend intimately and kiss the trees and whisper to them kind words. This was odd        but very beautiful to see”.
Killing of beautiful girl:
One day Mr. Johnson was shocked when a forty years old, huge pipal tree had been felled because it was too near the district board office. He wanted to voice his strong protest against it. The next day when Rajaji saw him, Colonel said:
“They have killed my tall, beautiful girl. They say this tree was too near the building. Who asked them to place their building so near the tree? The tree has been growing there these forty years, and this upstart building came to be there only last year” with eyes filling.
Rumination:
The doctor’s feelings made a deep impression on Rajaji. He visited the place next day late in the evening and saw the fallen giant pipal tree and ruminates, “Was each branch a separate life and the tree an uprooted family or was it even bigger than that, each flower having its own soul, the whole tree being a great city?”
Author’s dream:
He remembered the belief of Hindus that every tree had a life and soul like humans. That night the giant pipal tree appeared in his dream and asked, “Here I am, killed, murdered. I want you to take up my cause. They paid treble coolie rates to coax the men who at first refused to cut me down. The silver pieces seduced the good men.”
Conclusion:
Rajaji agreed to the words of the pipal tree. He wrote a letter to the ‘Madras Mail’ condemning strongly the folly of felling old trees. The members of the bar criticized him for his pre-occupation with trees, when everyone fighting for India’s freedom. Though Rajaji took active participation in the freedom struggle, he did not regret writing about the pipal tree.

NEHRU – SOME MEMORIES Arnold J. Toynbee

Introduction:
In this prose piece, the author brings out the humane characteristics in Nehru. The experiences that the author narrates show how Nehru believed in love of fellow humanity through three meetings. A.J. Toynbee was much impressed by Nehru’s personality and the way in which he endeared himself to everyone. The author also shows how Nehru reacted in a refined manner and adjusted himself in challenging situations. Though Nehru was a great leader, he still had the time to be with Toynbee.

Captivator of hearts:
Toynbee did not know Nehru intimately and had met only a few times. From his account one can get vivid glimpses of Nehru’s personality. Nehru did not impress people but charmed their hearts. Though he was a very important public figure he never felt self- important. In spite of his position he remained a humane person.

First meeting:
The first meeting of Toynbee and Nehru occurred before India attained independence. Nehru had come to England after a term of imprisonment in India for his political activities. The author had been invited by an English Lady to lunch and to meet Nehru. When the author went, Nehru had already arrived. When the next guest arrived, it was something unexpected. It was a British General in uniform. On seeing Nehru, the General seemed shocked.
Toynbee watched the scene with curiosity. He wanted to see how Nehru would react. The author saw a twinkle in Nehru’s eyes and he began to tease the General very gently and the General got nervous and wanted to please Nehru by all means. Nehru was enjoying the fun to the full. Toynbee observes Nehru had the quality of fighting without hating.

Second meeting:
Toynbee remembers yet another incident distinctly. In 1957, the Delhi University arranged a special convocation to confer a degree for Toynbee. Caught in a traffic jam, Toynbee was away from the university campus when it was three quarters of an hour past the appointed hour. Toynbee was surprised to see Nehru himself running towards him wondering why he was late. Toynbee wondered how a person holding an important position like Prime Ministership could find time to take part in the university proceedings. He felt ashamed for wasting Nehru’s precious time.

Final meeting:
It was in 1960 that Toynbee met Nehru for the last time. Nehru had asked Toynbee to visit him. It was a grey period in Indian history with India’s strained relationship with China. As a responsible Prime Minister Nehru was worried over this. Toynbee thought he should discreetly keep off the subject. The efforts proved futile.

Toynbee was to give certain lectures in New Delhi and when he rose up to speak he was surprised to find Nehru entering the hall to listen. He wondered how an important person like Nehru could find time to do such things. Later, when he learnt that Nehru had come to the lecture on the day he had received the shocking news of the death of a dear friend of his, Lady Mountbatten, Toynbee was deeply moved.

Conclusion:
Toynbee finally says that Jawaharlal Nehru “is evidently a representative of the type that moves mankind, not by coercion, but by persuasion”. And he names Emperor Asoka, Rammohan Roy, and Gandhi are deserve to be remembered for ever and to be immortalized.

                    Tolerance - E.M. Forster

Introduction:
E.M. Forster writes about the virtue needed most in the post-war world. According to him, it’s not ‘love’ as many might advocate, but, ‘tolerance’ which is needed to rebuild the world torn by World war.

Reconstruction:
People talk of rebuilding the world or reconstructing the civilization after the war. Such a task is not possible unless there is right attitude towards it. To rebuild the civilization, Forster says, “Architects, contractors, international commissioners, marketing boards, broadcasting corporations will never, by themselves, build a new world. They must be inspired by the proper spirit…”. A beautiful London cannot be built unless the residents want it, or have the right attitude.

Love:
What is the most important virtue needed in a post-war world? Most people would say ‘Love’. Forster does not agree with it and says’ “Love is a great force in private life: it is indeed the greatest of all things; but love in public affairs does not work…” The Christian Civilizations during the Middle Ages and the French Revolutionists tried it but failed miserably. Nations and peoples should love one another is an absurd and dangerous idea. ‘The fact is we can love only what we know personally’.

Tolerance:
Forster says, “Tolerance is a very dull virtue. It is boring. Unlike love, it has always had a bad press. It is negative. It merely means putting up with people, being able to stand things….”
But, ‘Tolerance’ is the virtue we need today. That is the right attitude needed to rebuild the post-war world. As races and people there are so many things we do not like in each other. We have to put up with these. We have to tolerate.

Two solutions:
In this over-crowded world the people are tumbling over each other. Most of these people don’t know each other. So, the ‘Love’ and ‘Tolerance’ modes will not work in these circumstances. For that, the author gives two solutions, “One of them is Nazi solution. If you don’t like people, kill them, banish them, segregate them… the other way is much less thrilling… and I prefer it. If you don’t like people, put up with them as well as you can. Don’t try to love them: you cant, you’ll only strain yourself. But, try to tolerate them….”

Need for tolerance:
He stresses the importance of tolerance again and again. He says, “Tolerance is wanted in the queue…it is wanted at the telephone, it is wanted in the street, in the office, at the factory, and it is wanted above all between classes, races, and nations….”

Great persons:
He names few great persons who taught the importance of tolerance. They are Emperor Asoka from India, Erasmus from Holland, Montaigne from France, John Locke from England, Lowes Dickinson writer of A Modern Symposium, etc..

Conclusion:
He concludes this essay by saying, “Tolerance is not the same as weakness. Putting up with people does not mean giving in to them. Except the Lord build the house they labour in vain who build it. Perhaps when the house is completed, love will enter in and the greatest force in our private lives will also rule in public”.

PROFESSIONS FOR WOMEN - Virginia Woolf

Introduction:
In this essay, Woolf shows how difficult it is for women to come out of the age-old-prejudices that prevail in the society and also among women themselves. Earning money through the profession of writing is what Woolf has chosen for herself. In order to do well in the profession she has to go beyond the limits allotted to women. She cannot remain nice and modest. She has to be bold, forthright and open in her descriptions and criticism.

Women’s Service League:
Virginia Woolf addressing the Women’s Service League members tells them that in a man’s world they have all won places with great difficulty. They should discuss among themselves the problems they faced, share the knowledge they have gained and solve the difficulties ahead of them.

Sharing experiences:
As a woman writer, she should share with them the problems she faced when she began to write. Virginia Woolf humorously remarks that it was easy for a woman to become a writer because writing paper was cheap.
“The cheapness of writing paper is, of course, the reason why women have succeeded as writers before they have succeeded in other professions”.

Angel in the house:
When she began to write she had to fight conventional notion about a woman as the Angel in the house. A woman should sacrifice herself, must be pure, and must not have a mind of her own. This Victorian concept of a woman was most dear to men. Virginia Woolf began her career as a writer with a review of a man novelist. The moment she put her pen on the paper she had to fight against this conventional concept.

Warning:
When she took her pen to write a review of a man’s novel, the Angel in her house whispered,
“My dear, you are a young woman. You are writing about a book that has been written by a man. Be sympathetic; be tender; flatter; deceive; use all the arts and wiled of our sex. Never let anybody guess that you have a mind of your own….”But, she was not ready to hear those words and killed the Angel of the House when she began to write.

Society’s expectation:
The society expects women to be charming. In this context,Woolf observes, “they (women) must charm, they must conciliate, they must – to put it bluntly – tell lies if they are to succeed…”A writer using the faculty of imagination is like a fisherman sitting with his fishing rod, says Woolf. The imagination wanders everywhere and touches upon everything. When the imagination talks about one’s body and its passions a woman writer faces a big obstacle. It is considered unwomanly for a woman to tell the truth about her body and its experience.

Success and failure:
While sharing her genuine experiences in her field she says, “These were two of the adventures of my professional life. The first – killing the Angel in the House – I think I solved. She died. But the second, telling the truth about my own experience as a body, I do not think I solved. I doubt that any woman has solved it yet”. As for fighting against this obstacle, Woolf says, it is not over yet.

Conclusion:
If such difficulties exist in literature which is a free profession she can imagine what kind of obstacle women choosing a lawyer’s or a doctor’s profession should have to put up with. She advises the women in various professions to consolidate and fight the obstacles and overcome the prejudices.

                 

                                     LITTLE THINGS – Samuel Smiles

Introduction:
Samuel Smiles has authored several biographies and he is known for his self-help books. Also he wrote Character, Thrift, and Duty which earned him fame in 19th century. The author stresses on the importance of little things that we usually neglect in our lives. The success of human beings depends on the kind of attention they give to little things. Even luck, he says, does not favour a person who is negligent, loose, lazy and not focused.
Result of negligence:
In this essay, the author stresses the importance of little things, which we usually neglect and as a result we face serious consequences. Character, success in business, comfort of a household and good government all depends on little things. Even knowledge has to be acquired in bits. Diligence and not luck makes men.
He advices, “Your negligence, shiftless, loose fellows never meet with luck; because the results of industry are denied to those who will not use the proper efforts to secure them”.
Luck and Labour:
He further adds, “It is not luck, but behavior makes men. Luck says an American writer is ever waiting for something to turn up; labour with keen eye and strong will always turns up something. Luck whines; labour whistles. Luck relies on chance; labour on character”.
Importance of pure air:
The author gives a number of examples to prove his point. In household, little things like cleanliness, fresh air and removal of dirt makes for happiness and health. A closed door or window may appear as a small thing. But, it may make the difference of a life destroyed by fever.
Druggist’s selection:
A young man rejected a beautiful lady because she came with her dress partially unpinned and her hair untidy. He judged of women as of men – by little things; and he was right. A druggist selected the person who was able to make up a pennyworth of salt into packet in the most expert manner as his assistant. If a ship is allowed to depart from shore even with a very little hole in its bottom, it might sink in the sea.
Importance of nail:
The author illustrates his point using a very famous school rhyme:
“For want of a nail the shoe of the aide-de-camp’s horse was lost. For want of shoe, the horse was lost. For want of the horse, the aide-de camp himself was lost; for the enemy took him and killed him. And for want of the aide-de-camp’s intelligence, the army of his general was lost; and all because a little nail had not been properly fixed in a horse’s shoe!”
It will do:
Lazy people who neglect little things sayings ‘It will do’ will meet with failure and defeat. A farmer incurred heavy loss because he failed to fix a gate with a proper latch. Life is full of illustrations of a similar kind. When small things are habitually neglected, ruin is not far off. A penny may be a small amount. But, the person who squanders it suffers whereas the person who saves it carefully gains a comfortable home and peace of mind.
Conclusion:
The author establishes his viewpoint by saying that all great things are made up of little things. “Many a little makes a mickle”. He concludes this essay by quoting a Scotch proverb, “The gear that is gifted is never so sweet as the gear that is won.

          THE LION AND THE LAMB – Leonard Clarke

Conqueror’s Escape:

The Bostock and Wombwell’s with their men and animals were on the way to their destination – the village of Little Dean. The journey was intercepted by bad weather and caused undue delay and hardship to the showmen. The snow had turned the ground a sheet of glass. It was past six in the evening as the party reached the four miles distance approach road of Little Dean. The road took a sharp right-angled turn before it made the final climb to the top of the hill.

The showmen worked against the steep gradient and the bad weather, with burning torches, the caged animals restless and angry from their jolting ride, the foam-flecked horses straining at the painted wagons, they set on the last lap. At the sharp turn, quite unexpectedly one of the horses slipped to its knees pulling the other horse down and the wagon slipped crashing onto its sides and the inmate of the wagon – the Conqueror, the lion made its escape into the forest nearby.

The Circus show without Conqueror:

The task of setting the railway meadow for the show was accomplished before dawn. The show was to be opened to the public at 3 O clock in the afternoon. The show showcased all the animals with the obvious exemption of the Conqueror – ‘the fiercest lion in captivity’.

The News spreads:

The Milkman of Little Dean was the first person to break open the news of the Lion’s escape. He declares proudly that he saw the Lion’s track on his way to work in the morning. The news of the Lion’s escape spread far and wide and the news took several turns. The first one being that six lions had escaped from Bostock and Wombwell’s and had eaten a whole sheep on Pope’s Hill is reported by Mrs. Whittle. Later it turned out that it was not a sheep but a baby as declared by Williams the coalman who had seen the blood stained shawl. But happily the news was contradicted.

Rumours spreads and the Public’s Response:

A dozen rumours flew around the town that morning. According to well-authenticated reports, the lion had been seen at places miles apart from each other. Ironically, the lion had been spotted in all the places at once.

Sam Jenkins, the town crier, paraded the streets to announce that Bostock and Wombwell’s have announced a reward of five pounds to anyone giving information leading to the capture of the lion.

Miss Rolls, a mild and gentle lady of the lean and angular type was charitable enough to suggest that the poor beast might starve to death in such weather so as a noble Christian act leave out some food for the lion.

The menagerie had full houses at both showings. Miss Boud at the sweet shop suspected that it is only an advertisement stunt of the circus company.

Hilarious Scenes Unveils:

Harry Smedley, the builder who could always be found in the White Hart at any hour of the day or night, turned over a new leaf and became a reformed character. Harry took a break for a leak at the backyard and he came in trembling all over like a jelly and said “I’m never going to touch another drop of that stuff….I’ve just seen a lion out there, a girt big lion, with slobbering chops and shining eyes”. Apparently, he had been working out of the district for a few days and had not heard about Conqueror’s escape.

Discovery of the Conqueror:

The two and a half day drama reached its climax with the spotting of the lion in the Vicar’s parlour. Finally Conqueror was captured. Captured is hardly the word. Discovered is nearer. The Vicar, the former missionary from Persia narrates the events leading to the lion’s capture. The keeper discovered the lion and the lion was least fierce. The lion was terribly exhausted even to growl. The Vicar offered his dinner of two leg of pork.

The Vicar’s name was the Reverend Lamb. The Vicar tickled the ear of the Lion as he was led into his new cage. Then the joke, it suddenly struck them all; for they had seen the lion lying down with the lamb.

                              FUNERAL ORATION JULIUS CAESAR

 Funeral Speech of Antony:

   The speech of Mark Antony is an extract from Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar'. This extract is about the power of rhetoric and oratory: first Brutus speaks and then Antony, each with the aim of persuading the crowd to his side. We observe each speaker’s effect on the crowd and see the power that words can have—how they can stir emotion, alter opinion, and induce action. Brutus wants to justify that his killing of Caesar is right while Antony argues that a gross injustice had been done to a great leader.

    

   Antony’s speech is a rhetorical tour de force. Antony enters with Caesar’s body. He asks the audience to listen, for he has come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. Antony’s rhetorical skill is impressive; he instantly disarms any opposition in the crowd by saying “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him,” but quickly follows this with a subtle turn of phrase that suggests Caesar was a good man and that all that was good of him will go to the grave. He has turned his audience’s attention from the “evil ambition” of which Brutus spoke.

    

   He speaks in verse and repeats again and again that Brutus and the conspirators are honorable men; the phrase “Brutus says he was ambitious, / And Brutus is an honourable man” acquires new levels of sarcasm at each repetition. The speech draws much of its power from repetition. Each time Antony cites Brutus’s claim that Caesar was “ambitious,” the claim loses force and credibility. Similarly, each time Antony declares how “honourable” a man Brutus is, the phrase acquires an increasingly sarcastic tone until, by the end of the speech, its meaning has been completely inverted.

   Antony answers Brutus’s allegation that Caesar was “ambitious” by reminding the crowd of the wealth that Caesar brought to Rome, Caesar’s sympathy for the poor, and his refusal to take the throne when offered it—details seeming to disprove any charges of ambition. Pausing to weep openly before the plebeians, he makes them feel pity for him and for his case.

 Antony repeats the phrase “For Brutus is an honorable man, / So are they all, all honorable men” or “But Brutus says he was ambitious, / And Brutus is an honorable man.” four times, in slightly variant forms, allowing Antony not only to counter each of Brutus’ arguments, but also question Brutus’ honor simply by drawing so much attention to it.

TRIAL FOR A POUND OF FLESH – THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Portia's Speech on the Quality of Mercy to convince the hard-hearted Antonio.

      This is the famous speech made by Portia in the play 'The Merchant of Venice'. Portia is disguised as a lawyer in the defense of Antonio who could not return the money that he had borrowed from Shylock, the Jew. According to an agreement, mutually consented with Shylock could extract a pound of flesh from the body of Antonio if he failed to repay his debts within a specified span. Portia makes a fervent appeal to Shylock to show mercy in order to save the life of Antonio. She elaborates on the quality of mercy to convince him why he should show mercy to Antonio who could not return the loan for no fault of his.

      Portia reminded everyone in the court that mercy cannot be forced out of a person. It must be showered as spontaneously and as gently as the rain that falls from the heaven for the benefit of humankind. Like the gentle rain, Mercy will bring solace and comfort to the hearts of the suffering.

Secondly, she declares, "...It is twice blessed:\ It blesseth him that gives and him that takes."  A merciful person is blessed by heaven for his act of mercy. The receiver is also a blessed man as he benefits from that act. Mercy has a double blessing. It blesses him that gives and him that receives it.

Thirdly, "Tis mightiest in the mightiest" A King is considered the mightiest of all and the human representative of God himself. When he permits mercy to rule his heart, he attains the all pervasive power of God. The King's scepter may be a symbol of his power and invoke respect and fear in his subjects, but what makes him equal to God is the temperance of his actions with mercy. Thus, mercy ruling his heart will make him more powerful than his scepter.

     Portia acknowledged Shylock's right in demanding justice because law was on his side, when one shows justice he shows only earthly power, but when mercy is shown one can see the sparks of divine power. Justice, strictly follows the rule of law, it rules with an iron hand, its aim is to punish the law-breakers. In the course of justice there will be no hope for salvation. Justice is cheered whereas Mercy is loved. There are times in everyone's life when one prays for mercy from God. "And that same prayer doth teach us all to render\ The deeds of mercy". This prayer must make him realise, the wants of the others and he must be lient towards those who seek mercy from him.

Portia's speech in a few lines bring's forth the supremacy of the 'quality of mercy'. It showed that in comparison with a king's scepter or justice, mercy shines with more brilliance.

Portia Outsmarts Shylock

      Portia enters, disguised as Balthasar. The duke greets her and asks whether she is familiar with the circumstances of the case. Portia answers that she knows the case well, and the duke calls Shylock and Antonio before her. Portia asks Antonio if he admits to owing Shylock money. When Antonio answers yes, Portia concludes that the Jew must be merciful. Shylock asks why he must show mercy, and, in one of the play’s most famous speeches, Portia responds that “the quality of mercy is not strained,” but is a blessing to both those who provide and those who receive it. Because mercy is an attribute of God, Portia reasons, humans approach the divine when they exercise it. Shylock brushes aside her pretty speech, however, by reiterating his demands for justice and revenge.

Portia asks whether Antonio is able to pay the money, and Bassanio offers Shylock twice the sum owed. If need be, Bassanio says, he is willing to pay the bond ten times over, or with his own life. Portia ironically declares that the law shall not be broken. Shylock joyfully extols Portia’s wisdom, and gives her the bond for inspection. She looks it over, declares it legal and binding, and bids Shylock to be merciful. Shylock remains deaf to reason, however, and Portia tells Antonio to prepare himself for the knife. She orders Shylock to have a surgeon on hand to prevent the merchant from bleeding to death, but Shylock refuses because the bond stipulates no such safeguard.

Antonio bids Bassanio farewell. He asks his friend not to grieve for him and tells Bassanio that he is happy to sacrifice his life, if only to prove his love. Shylock is on the verge of cutting into Antonio when Portia suddenly reminds him that the bond stipulates a pound of flesh only, and makes no allowances for blood. She urges Shylock to continue collecting his pound of flesh, but reminds him that if a drop of blood is spilled, then he will be guilty of conspiring against the life of a Venetian citizen and all his lands and goods will be confiscated by the state. Stunned, Shylock hastily backpedals, agreeing to accept three times the sum, but Portia is insistent, saying that Shylock must have the pound of flesh or nothing.

     Even as Portia follows the standard procedure of asking Shylock for mercy, Portia reveals her skills by appealing to his methodical mind. Her argument draws on a careful process of reasoning rather than emotion. She states first that the gift of forgiving the bond would benefit Shylock, and second, that it would elevate Shylock to a godlike status. Lastly, Portia warns Shylock that his quest for justice without mercy may result in his own damnation. Although it seems as if Portia is offering an appeal, in retrospect her speech becomes an ultimatum, a final chance for Shylock to save himself before Portia crushes his legal arguments. When emotional appeal failed, she resorted to reasoning. When reasoning also failed, she used her cool logic and wit to nail Shylock. Shylock’s pursuit of a strict letter-of-the-law brand of justice, which makes no allowance for anything that even approaches compassion, undoes him. He proves blind to everything other than the stipulations of his bond, refusing even to summon a doctor to attend to Antonio’s wounds.

PLAY OUT A PLAY?? HENRY IV PART I

On his arrival in the Boar’s Head Tavern, Falstaff was forced by Prince Hal and Poins to describe how courageously he had resisted the robbers who robbed him. Falstaff narrates an entirely fictitious adventure. It is clear that Falstaff exaggerates the number of people with whom he fought and also the seriousness of the situation. Falstaff said that he fought for two hours with a dozen thieves. He escaped miraculously though he was thrust in the doublet for eight times, four times through the hose and his buckler cut throughout and his sword broken. The tearing and the breaking are all Falstaff’s own making. No one did anything to him except to take away the money from him and his companions. The episode did not at all happen the way Falstaff describes it in the scene. From his own narrative, we know that he keeps shifting stances and changing the number of the opponents.

 It becomes a matter of laughter to the Prince and his friends. When the Prince is not able to tolerate him anymore and begins to call him “a sanguine coward, bed-presser, horse-back breaker, huge hill of flesh…”  Falstaff goes one step further and calls the Prince all kinds of names he could think of. The Prince is no match to him in cooking up names. Finally, Hal cannot stand it anymore and confronts Falstaff with the truth. He and Poins know that only two robbers attacked Falstaff and the others because those robbers were Hal and Poins themselves in disguise. Falstaff, with his usual quick-wittedness, promptly bluffs his way out and says that he recognized Harry immediately when he and Poins attacked the party and that he only ran away to avoid having to hurt Hal. But he is glad to hear that Hal and Poins have the money, since now they can pay for everyone to get drunk.

Falstaff urges the Prince rehearse his answers to his father’s complaints. At the beginning, Falstaff plays the king. He says that the Prince is wasting his time in bad company. He speaks in his own defense asking the Prince to banish everyone else except himself. The Prince objects to such a stance and says he himself would play the King. Then starts a series of base descriptions of Falstaff. He blames Falstaff for being old and full of vices. Falstaff can defend that point too. He says that life is for enjoyment be it for old or young.

Falstaff seems to be fully aware of the fact that life is a series of poses. The accounts he gives of his bravery are absolutely incredible fabrications. He knows that he constantly makes up unlikely tales about himself and his non-existent characteristics. Drinking and swearing are second nature to Falstaff. He keeps asking for cups of sack and yet is stable enough to stage a mock play, training Hal to meet his father. Though Falstaff stands for all the vices there are two unmistakable strains about his personality namely, his mischievous humour, his love for trickery, his expertise in talking himself out of tight corners, his love of vice and his criminality are all practiced with a youthful zest. Further, he stands for those things without which life becomes stale – merriment, good cheer, companionship and play. His philosophy being ‘eat, drink and be merry’.

However, it must be borne in mind that it is in the world of Falstaff that Prince Hal witnesses Falstaff’s absolute indulgence in food, drink and adventure, rejecting completely the life’s demands for courage and honour. It must be accepted that this corrupt but outrageously funny knight, Falstaff teaches Hal things that cannot be learnt from more conventional role models.

                PATTERNS OF LOVE – AS YOU LIKE IT

Rosalind disguises herself as Ganymede to protect herself and Celia in the forest. Further, she uses it as a tool to bait Orlando. As a young man she escapes the restrictions that were traditionally placed on women and she can control her relationship with Orlando and influence other characters. In a way, Rosalind’s disguise as a young man helps her to know the constancy of her lover before revealing her own heart to him.

Rosalind is madly in love with Orlando. She has delightful experience of reading Orlando’s heart in his poems written for his lady love, without betraying her own. As Ganymede, she undertakes to cure Orlando of what she calls his ‘love-sickness’. The whole scene is a wonderful spectacle because being herself madly in love with Orlando, she tells him that “Love is merely a madness” and proceeds to say only Cupid can fathom the depth of her affection for Orlando. The beauty of the scene lies in the love-struck Rosalind trying to cure Orlando’s love-sickness.

The action in the scene goes like this.  As per the agreement, Orlando appears and addresses Ganymede as Rosalind. Rosalind pretends to be dissatisfied and angry with Orlando for being late and satirizes his talk of love. Rosalind reminds Orlando that women often become disagreeable after marriage. But Orlando does not believe this truism of his love.

When, on two occasions, Orlando is late for their appointment, Rosalind fears that her lover’s devotion might not be steadfast, but she also knows that the thrill of romance is short-lived. Over time, love weathers and even dulls, an unhappy but inevitable truth that only Rosalind stops to consider. When Orlando claims that he will die of love, Rosalind disproves him with one of the play’s most famous and delightful speeches. Her insistence that literature has misrepresented and unduly romanticized the world’s greatest lovers is a stringent antidote to Orlando’s.

Rosalind’s goal is less to represent the female gender than to show Orlando that, just as there is no such thing as a perfect and heroic love, there is also no such thing as an ideal and ideally worthy woman. By stripping Orlando and herself of the ideals that preoccupy him, Rosalind prepares them both for love in the real world. Thus, Rosalind’s attacks on Orlando’s idea of love are not an attack on love itself. After all, Rosalind herself is clearly and deeply in love.

HE KILLS SLEEP - MACBETH

Set in medieval Scotland and partly based on a true historical account, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth charts the bloody rise to power and tragic downfall of the warrior Macbeth. Already a successful soldier in the army of King Duncan, Macbeth is informed by Three Witches that he is to become king. As part of the same prophecy, the Witches predict that future Scottish kings will be descended not from Macbeth but from his fellow army captain, Banquo. Although initially prepared to wait for Fate to take its course, Macbeth is stung by ambition and confusion when King Duncan nominates his son Malcolm as his heir.

Macbeth contemplates his fate and Lady Macbeth encourages him to act to ensure the prophecy is realized. A feast is organized to which King Duncan and his sons are invited. Lady Macbeth hatches a plot to kill King Duncan while he sleeps and encourages Macbeth to carry out the plan. After the murder, Macbeth is full of regret as he killed him in his sleep.

Throughout the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses the word “sleep” many times, and often through Macbeth himself. When someone commits a crime, he or she is usually “caught up” in the moment of the deed, and only sees the immediate consequences or rewards; however, later on, he or she will have time to think about what he or she did, and this time just happens to be when the criminal is about to go to sleep. As the play progresses, the word “sleep” is used with multiple connotations to fit the arising scenarios. These connotations are: a state of peaceful rest, vulnerability, and a supernatural state of existence.

Macbeth obsesses over whether or not he will be able to sleep even before he kills King Duncan, because sleep is something that he knows he will need in order to feel peaceful and well-rested. “Nature seems dead and wicked dreams abuse/ The curtained sleep.” Macbeth is describing how he feels that his decision to kill Duncan is already haunting him, and that the world seems skewed because of it. He worries that “wicked dreams abuse the curtained sleep,” or that his dark and murderous thoughts are disturbing his own rest. Macbeth is talking about sleep as something precious, peaceful, and sought after, which is evident because of how worried he is; he wants an uninterrupted period of rest, but he is afraid that it'll be out of his reach if he kills Duncan. Once he actually kills Duncan, Macbeth starts hearing voices inside his head: “Sleep no more!/Macbeth does murder sleepthe innocent sleep,/ Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care/, The death of each day's life...” Here, sleep is being used in a positive, restorative sense. It's what rejuvenates men and women, yet Macbeth has “murdered sleep” and cannot rest because he is guilty of a heinous crime. Macbeth is truly worried that he will not be able to reach a state of peace again because King Duncan's murder is haunting him.

Macbeth considers the reasons why he ought not to kill Duncan: Macbeth is Duncan’s kinsman, subject, and host; moreover, the king is universally admired as a virtuous ruler. Macbeth notes that these circumstances offer him nothing that he can use to motivate himself. He faces the fact that there is no reason to kill the king other than his own ambition, which he realizes is an unreliable guide.
Lady Macbeth enters and tells her husband that the king has dined and that he has been asking for Macbeth. Macbeth declares that he no longer intends to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth, outraged, calls him a coward and questions his manhood: “When you durst do it,” she says, “then you were a man”. He asks her what will happen if they fail; she promises that as long as they are bold, they will be successful. Then she tells him her plan: while Duncan sleeps, she will give his chamberlains wine to make them drunk, and then she and Macbeth can slip in and murder Duncan. They will smear the blood of Duncan on the sleeping chamberlains to cast the guilt upon them. Astonished at the brilliance and daring of her plan, Macbeth tells his wife that her “undaunted mettle” makes him hope that she will only give birth to male children. He then agrees to proceed with the murder.

       THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

Detailed Summary:

The Hound of the Baskervilles opens with a mini mystery—Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson speculate on the identity of the owner of a cane that has been left in their office by an unknown visitor. Wowing Watson with his fabulous powers of observation, Holmes predicts the appearance of James Mortimer, owner of the found object and a convenient entrée into the baffling curse of the Baskervilles.

Entering the office and unveiling an 18th century manuscript, Mortimer recounts the myth of the lecherous Hugo Baskerville. Hugo captured and imprisoned a young country lass at his estate in Devonshire, only to fall victim to a marauding hound of hell as he pursued her along the lonesome moors late one night. Ever since, Mortimer reports, the Baskerville line has been plagued by a mysterious and supernatural black hound. The recent death of Sir Charles Baskerville has rekindled suspicions and fears. The next of kin, the duo finds out, has arrived in London to take up his post at Baskerville Hall, but he has already been intimidated by an anonymous note of warning and, strangely enough, the theft of a shoe.

Agreeing to take the case, Holmes and Watson quickly discover that Sir Henry Baskerville is being trailed in London by a mysterious bearded stranger, and they speculate as to whether the ghost be friend or foe. Holmes, however, announces that he is too busy in London to accompany Mortimer and Sir Henry to Devonshire to get to the bottom of the case, and he sends Dr. Watson to be his eyes and ears, insisting that he report back regularly.

Once in Devonshire, Watson discovers a state of emergency, with armed guards on the watch for an escaped convict roaming the moors. He meets potential suspects in Mr. Barrymore and Mrs. Barrymore, the domestic help, and Mr. Jack Stapleton and his sister Beryl, Baskerville neighbors.

A series of mysteries arrive in rapid succession: Barrymore is caught skulking around the mansion at night; Watson spies a lonely figure keeping watch over the moors; and the doctor hears what sounds like a dog's howling. Beryl Stapleton provides an enigmatic warning and Watson learns of a secret encounter between Sir Charles and a local woman named Laura Lyons on the night of his death.

Doing his best to unravel these threads of the mystery, Watson discovers that Barrymore's nightly jaunts are just his attempt to aid the escaped con, who turns out to be Mrs. Barrymore's brother. The doctor interviews Laura Lyons to assess her involvement, and discovers that the lonely figure surveying the moors is none other than Sherlock Holmes himself. It takes Holmes—hidden so as not to tip off the villain as to his involvement—to piece together the mystery.

Mr. Stapleton, Holmes has discovered, is actually in line to inherit the Baskerville fortune, and as such is the prime suspect. Laura Lyons was only a pawn in Stapleton's game, a Baskerville beneficiary whom Stapleton convinced to request and then miss a late night appointment with Sir Charles. Having lured Charles onto the moors, Stapleton released his ferocious pet pooch, which frightened the superstitious nobleman and caused a heart attack.

In a dramatic final scene, Holmes and Watson use the younger Baskerville as bait to catch Stapleton red-handed. After a late supper at the Stapletons', Sir Henry heads home across the moors, only to be waylaid by the enormous Stapleton pet. Despite a dense fog, Holmes and Watson are able to subdue the beast, and Stapleton, in his panicked flight from the scene, drowns in a marshland on the moors. Beryl Stapleton, who turns out to be Jack's harried wife and not his sister, is discovered tied up in his house, having refused to participate in his dastardly scheme.

Back in London, Holmes ties up the loose ends, announcing that the stolen shoe was used to give the hound Henry's scent, and that mysterious warning note came from Beryl Stapleton, whose philandering husband had denied their marriage so as to seduce and use Laura Lyons. Watson files the case closed.

Chapterwise Summary: The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of Conan Doyle’s most famous mysteries featuring the detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his friend Dr. Watson. The eerie mists of Dartmoor form the setting to the sinister events at Baskerville Hall. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead, the people living in the neighbouring area are sure that he did not die from natural causes. Strange sightings of a giant fire-breathing hound and stories from the past have convinced them of this.

The new heir to the property, Sir Henry Baskerville, arrives from Canada determined not to let the stories frighten him away from his new home. He braves the loneliness of the moors, takes pleasure in getting to know his neighbours, and is careful to follow the advice and guidance of the great detective, Holmes.

Holmes and Watson slowly unravel a tangle of mystery as the case takes them deep into the heart of the Baskerville family.

Chapter 1: Dr Mortimer pays Sherlock Holmes a second visit with the excuse that he left his walking stick behind the day before. The real reason is that he has a serious problem to solve.

Chapter 2: Dr Mortimer presents Holmes and Watson with some old papers, which tell the Baskerville Story. In order to recapture the girl who had escaped Hugo Baskerville’s trap, he made a deal with the devil and sent his hounds to chase the girl. Hugo’s friends followed him only to find both the girl’s and Hugo’s bodies lying in the centre of a hollow. A large black hound was biting at Hugo’s throat. Ever since the supernatural hound has haunted the family and it is believed that Sir Charles Baskerville, the latest inhabitant of the Hall, has just been killed by the hound.

Chapter 3: Holmes asks Dr Mortimer for more details and the doctor suggests that Sir Charles’s death was the result of some supernatural evil. The local people themselves have seen a spectral hound roaming the moors. Dr Mortimer is mainly concerned about the fate of Sir Henry, Sir Charles’s second brother’s son, who is arriving at Waterloo that day. Sir Henry is said to be the last of the Baskerville family because Roger, Sir Charles’s third brother, is presumed dead in Central America. Holmes promises to consider the matter and asks Dr Mortimer to pick up Henry at the station. Holmes decides they must examine all explanations, not only the supernatural one.

Chapter 4: Sir Henry Baskerville visits Holmes and tells him about a letter he has received in which he is warned to keep away from the moor. The other unusual thing that has happened to Sir Henry is that one of his new boots has disappeared. Holmes considers it will soon appear.He also concludes that the person who wrote the letter is an educated person who reads The Times. Sir Henry and Dr Mortimer walk back to the hotel and Holmes and Watson follow them. They find out that a bearded man is following them in a cab.

Chapter 5: Holmes and Watson meet Sir Henry at his hotel. He is furious because an old black boot of his has disappeared. Over lunch they decide when Sir Henry will travel to Baskerville Hall and as Holmes cannot accompany him, Watson will be going with him.

Chapter 6: When they get near Baskerville Hall Sir Henry, Dr Mortimer and Watson see a soldier. A

dangerous prisoner has escaped from Princetown and is hiding in the moor.

Chapter 7: Dr Watson meets Mr Stapleton near the Grimpen Mire. He tells him how dangerous the Mire

is. Dr Watson hears a low cry followed by a deep roar: the Hound of Baskervilles according to the local people. Miss Stapleton mistakes Watson for Sir Henry and warns him not to stay there but go back to London right away. Watson is shocked.

Chapter 8: Watson writes a letter to Holmes to tell him about Sir Henry’s interest in Miss Stapleton. He also tells Holmes about Mrs Barrymore, a sad-looking lady, probably badly treated by her husband.

Chapter 9: Sir Henry wants to go for a walk on his own. Watson follows him and witnesses a strange scene between Sir Henry, Miss and Mr Stapleton. Sir Henry has proposed marriage to Miss Stapleton but her brother has reacted rudely. Later Mr Stapleton apologises. Sir Henry and Watson find out that the escaped prisoner is Mrs.Barrymore’s brother and they go into the moor to catch him.

Chapter 10: Barrymore reveals that on the night of his death, Sir Charles was going to meet a woman at the gate: Laura Lyons. After her husband left her, Dr Mortimer, Stapleton and Sir Charles helped her start a business. Watson learns that another man lives on the moor.

Chapter 11: Laura Lyons explains she wanted money from Sir Charles to buy her freedom but she never met him because she got the money from someone else. Watson inspects the huts on the moor but hides when he hears the stranger coming. The man has found him.

Chapter 12: Holmes surprises Watson in the empty hut.They share the information they have found: Stapleton’s sister is actually his wife. They hear the cry again and follow the sound only to find Selden’s dead body in a pool of blood dressed in Sir Henry’s old clothes. Stapleton appears, worried about Sir Henry. They suspect the naturalist is connected to the murders but they cannot prove it yet.

Chapter 13: Holmes notices the family paintings and discovers Hugo’s face is the same as Stapleton’s: he is a Baskerville. Holmes has a plan: Henry must visit Stapleton on his own as agreed, and express his intention of walking back home. Mrs Lyons confesses that Stapleton promised marriage if she wrote the letter to Sir Charles but then asked her not to keep the appointment. They meet Lestrade at the station.

Chapter 14: The three men wait outside Stapleton’s house. When Henry walks out, a huge fierce fire-breathing creature jumps on him but it is shot down. Sir Henry is safe. They also find Mrs Stapleton tied up in a room. Stapleton runs to the Mire and is swallowed by the mud.

Chapter 15: Holmes gives a detailed account of how he solved the case.

With due acknowledgements to http://ekandek.blogspot.in, Penguin Readers Teacher Support Program.

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