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  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    Power of the king and father is portrayed through an ageing and struggling Lear. He struggles to retain his authority in regards to his ambitious daughters. The same is depicted through the betrayal of Gloucester by his bastard son Edmund. Lear’s inability to sustain the power he commanded as  a kinRead more

    Power of the king and father is portrayed through an ageing and struggling Lear. He struggles to retain his authority in regards to his ambitious daughters. The same is depicted through the betrayal of Gloucester by his bastard son Edmund.

    Lear’s inability to sustain the power he commanded as  a king led to his loss of power as the family patriarch, causing him to lose his mind, life and his one daughter who truly cared for him, Cordelia.

    The lust of power drives Cordelia and Goneril to destroy their father’s life as well ruin their own marriages.They end up becoming objects of mutual hatred ending with their deaths. Similarly, Edmund meets his tragic end at the sword of Edgar, the step brother he tried to murder.

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  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    In Othello, Shakespeare expertly uses the role of the clown to provide some well deserved comic relief. Both in Act III, first when he converse with Othello about his wind instruments i.e haughty like Iago and then with Desdemona where he uses a play on the word \’lie\’ when she inquires about the wRead more

    In Othello, Shakespeare expertly uses the role of the clown to provide some well deserved comic relief. Both in Act III, first when he converse with Othello about his wind instruments i.e haughty like Iago and then with Desdemona where he uses a play on the word \’lie\’ when she inquires about the whereabouts of Cassio.

    The use of puns and double entendres brings a level of levity to the otherwise intense acts and scenes and also help buld character sketches of Desdemona, Cassio etc.

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  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    The poem The Express by Stephen Spender is an example of new romantic poetry which is quite different from the traditional Romanticism. In the poem, rather than going back to nature (as Romantics like Wordsworth or Keats did), the poet appreciates the running of an Express Train which is the symbolRead more

    The poem The Express by Stephen Spender is an example of new romantic poetry which is quite different from the traditional Romanticism. In the poem, rather than going back to nature (as Romantics like Wordsworth or Keats did), the poet appreciates the running of an Express Train which is the symbol of Industrial Revolution.

    The poet begins with train’s leaving the station like a queen and moves through villages where fields, houses and graveyards surround the track. The train here is presented as joyful and happy which is again a direct attack on Romanticism which presented Industrial Revolution calling it the root cause of all the miseries.

    Read the summary of the poem here.

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  1. The Cocktail Party is a drama concerning a married couple where the characters Edward and Lavinia Chamberlayne are separating after five years of their marriage. The opening and closing acts of the play feature cocktail parties hosted by the main characters. And, these Cocktail Parties serves as theRead more

    The Cocktail Party is a drama concerning a married couple where the characters Edward and Lavinia Chamberlayne are separating after five years of their marriage. The opening and closing acts of the play feature cocktail parties hosted by the main characters. And, these Cocktail Parties serves as the setting where their marital problems are intensified by the pressure of having to keep up social appearances and abiding social customs. It is a part satirical and part philosophical query on the traditional British drawing-room comedy and the nature of human relations respectively. The play also uses elements that perform on humour to raise audiences’ awareness of the isolation one feels in and outside social institutions like marriage and friendships.

    Hence, the title The Cocktail Party

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  1. There are mainly three themes which I find in the poem. 1. Celebration of Youth - The poet describes the benefit of being young. According to him, a young person can do anything. He is courageous, lavish, pleasure-seeking, passionate, brave and adventurous unlike the old man who is weak, lame, joyleRead more

    There are mainly three themes which I find in the poem.

    1. Celebration of Youth – The poet describes the benefit of being young. According to him, a young person can do anything. He is courageous, lavish, pleasure-seeking, passionate, brave and adventurous unlike the old man who is weak, lame, joyless, cautious and prefers rest.

    2. Generation Gap – The second important theme in the poem is that of differences that arise between the parents and their children. Both have different perspectives of seeing the thing. However the old try to force the young to live their life as per the wishes of the former which creates sharp differences between the two.

    3. Love is Young – In a patriarchal society, a male is always dominant. Whether he may be old or young, full of love or loveless, smart or ugly, he has the authority to choose a girl for himself while the latter doesn’t have any such rights. In the poem, the poet depicts that a girls desires young lover because only a young person can fall in love. Thus the poem can also be a critique of patriarchal society.

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  1. Unity - The children rather than being afraid or looking to escape, stuck together and unitedly solved the problem at hand. They worked together in gathering the resources and providing comfort to each other. Selflessness- Even in a flood situation Jim risked himself to go rescue Sara from the playhRead more

    1. Unity – The children rather than being afraid or looking to escape, stuck together and unitedly solved the problem at hand. They worked together in gathering the resources and providing comfort to each other.
    2. Selflessness– Even in a flood situation Jim risked himself to go rescue Sara from the playhouse porch, she is not even his sister and yet he did not back out. This and the fact that he served in Junior Red Cross shows how selfless Jim is and how much he cares for others. We must all learn from him.
    3. Bravery – It is undoubtedly obvious how brave all of them were throughout the entire story. Being stranded in the house, without any adults could have been disastrous. However, these kids thought and worked intellectually and bravely and were able to save themselves and call for help.

    Old Man River Drama Summary in English

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  1. The play As You Like It is a comedy in which romance is also a leading theme. In the play  — and in Shakespeare's plays generally — love is a subject which is treated with great seriousness, and love is seen to be very powerful. Rosalind is a young woman who has been raised by her father, Duke FredeRead more

    The play As You Like It is a comedy in which romance is also a leading theme. In the play  — and in Shakespeare’s plays generally — love is a subject which is treated with great seriousness, and love is seen to be very powerful.

    Rosalind is a young woman who has been raised by her father, Duke Frederick, in his country estate. Her father has recently died and she is about to be married to her cousin Oliver.

    Rosalind falls in love with Orlando, a young man of noble birth who has no money and no property. They fall in love because they have nothing in common and are totally opposed in every way. But they fall in love nonetheless, and the play follows their journey through the forest as they try to come together and find their way out of the forest, the place of all evil.  The whole point of the play is that love is stronger than all other things.

    This play is a Romantic Comedy. In this play, love is not treated as a joke or a joke subject. Love is not something which is taken lightly. It is treated with great seriousness, and is seen to be very powerful.

    Read detailed summary of As You Like It

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  1. The significance of the title "Final Solutions" by Mahesh Dattani lies in its multi-layered meaning and its connection to the themes explored in the play. The title itself is a reference to the Holocaust, specifically the Nazi regime's plan for the systematic extermination of Jews, known as the "FinRead more

    The significance of the title “Final Solutions” by Mahesh Dattani lies in its multi-layered meaning and its connection to the themes explored in the play. The title itself is a reference to the Holocaust, specifically the Nazi regime’s plan for the systematic extermination of Jews, known as the “Final Solution.”

    However, in Dattani’s play, the term “Final Solutions” takes on a broader and metaphorical meaning. The play, set in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, addresses the issue of religious communalism and its destructive consequences. Dattani’s use of the title “Final Solutions” suggests that the play is not just about a specific incident or event but rather about the larger problem of communal disharmony and the urgent need for resolution.

    By choosing this title, Dattani highlights the gravity of the issue and the urgency to find lasting solutions to the deep-rooted conflicts in society. It serves as a reminder that the consequences of communal disharmony can be devastating and that finding a way to coexist peacefully is crucial.

    Furthermore, the title also reflects the play’s exploration of the limitations of traditional approaches to conflict resolution. Dattani suggests that simplistic and one-sided solutions are inadequate and that true resolution can only be achieved through acceptance, empathy, and understanding.

    In summary, the title “Final Solutions” by Mahesh Dattani carries significant weight as it alludes to the historical context of the Holocaust while also emphasizing the urgent need for lasting solutions to the issue of communal disharmony in Indian society.

    Final Solutions Summary

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  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    The two parallel stories of two families in King Lear exhibit the same theme of filial ingratitude. In both family, Lear’s and Gloucester’s, the preferred heir/s become the cause for pain for the patriarch. Lear trusts Goneril and Regan with his kingdom only to be banished and ridiculed by them. GloRead more

    The two parallel stories of two families in King Lear exhibit the same theme of filial ingratitude. In both family, Lear’s and Gloucester’s, the preferred heir/s become the cause for pain for the patriarch.

    Lear trusts Goneril and Regan with his kingdom only to be banished and ridiculed by them. Gloucester also suffers indignity at the hands of his illegitimate son Edmund who only covets his wealth and power. In both cases the noble child, Cordelia and Edgar are punished for their loyalty and compassion.

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  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    The rhyme scheme of the poem is not consistent and it alternates. First three stanzas’ scheme is ABCB. Then it changes to ABCC in third stanza and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th stanzas are again in ABCB scheme. The 8th stanza’s scheme is AACC and the last stanza ends like a sermon where the line “I riseRead more

    The rhyme scheme of the poem is not consistent and it alternates. First three stanzas’ scheme is ABCB. Then it changes to ABCC in third stanza and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th stanzas are again in ABCB scheme. The 8th stanza’s scheme is AACC and the last stanza ends like a sermon where the line “I rise” is repeated three times.

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