Ba III Dscc English Notes 2023

Notes on BA III Semester DSCC English Paper 5- History of English Literature (NEP 2020 Syllabus)
Major Authors and Books

Geoffrey Chaucer, Francis Bacon, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, John Milton, John Dryden,
Alexander Pope, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, John Bunyan, Aphra Behn, Margaret
Cavendish, Elizabeth Cary, Anne Finch, Amelia Lanyer, Fanny Burney, Elizabeth Carter etc. King
Lear, As You Like It, Volpone, Paradise Lost, Absalom and Achitophel, Rape of the Lock, Pamela,
Letters of Elizabeth Carter etc.
Geoffrey Chaucer
The literary world of fourteenth century was dominated by Jeffrey Chaucer, who recognized as the
first great English poet. He was a scholar, traveler, businessman, courtier and an active sharer in
striving life of the times. Chaucer’s literary output is divided into three stages- the French Period,
the Italian period and the English period based on the influence of various languages on the writer.
Under the French influence, he wrote The Book of Duchesse , an allegory which deals with death
of Blanche. Chaucer’s visit to Italy brought great knowledge of Italian poets and art. He read
Dante, Patrarch and Boccaccio, the famous Italian poets, who influenced the poetry of Chaucer.He
wrote The House of Fame , The Parliament of Fowls , Troylus and Cryseyde and The Legend of
Good Women under Italian influence.
The English Period is a significant period in Chaucer’s literary career. He wrote
independently without relying on the models. The Canterbury Tales was the first masterpiece in
poetry written by Chaucer. It is a collection of 24 tales in verse and prose told by pilgrims who
were on pilgrimage to Canterbury. Chaucer beautifully planned the tales. There were 29 pilgrims
including the poet. They grouped around a jovial host of the Tabard Inn in England. Each pilgrim
was to tell a story but only twenty three were able to complete the tales and last remained
incomplete. The famous Prologue written by Chaucer is remarkable for portrayal of the 14th
century England. It is a great social document as it deals with the life and manners of the times.
The Canterbury Tales proved Chaucer’s great story telling abilities. His work remains the finest
poetic testament of England. Chaucer’s poetry is characterized by element of humour and pathos,
use of simple and sweet language and superb narrative technique.
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon was born on 22nd of January, 1561 in London. Bacon worked as attorney general
and Lord Chancellor of England resigning after he was found guilty of bribery. This unfortunate
twist in his life brought him together with his true passions i.e. Humanism and natural philosophy.
Francis Bacon was an English man who was inclined towards the age of Renaissance and arts. He
negated the old-fashioned traditions of teachings and believed in the newness of the age. His
inspirations revolved around the Aristotelian ideas of philosophical quest. Bacon negated the
Aristotelianism and idealized the new teachings of renaissance humanism. He observed the world
through the lens of empiricism. Francis Bacon was given the title “Father of Scientific method”.
In the literary world Bacon is remembered as an all-rounder. He was a lawyer, statesman and a
philosopher. Francis Bacon is remembered as a source of wisdom in the literary world.
Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 1

Bacon had produced nothing else but his masterful Essayes (first published in 1597 and then
revised and expanded in 1612 and 1625), he would still rate among the top echelon of 17th-century
English authors. And so when we take into account his other writings, e.g., his histories, letters,
and especially his major philosophical and scientific works, we must surely place him in the first
rank of English literature’s great men of letters and among its finest masters (alongside names like
Johnson, Mill, Carlyle, and Ruskin) of non-fiction prose.
To the present day Bacon is well known for his treatises on empiricist natural philosophy (The
Advancement of Learning, Novum Organum Scientiarum) and for his doctrine of the idols, which
he put forward in his early writings, as well as for the idea of a modern research institute, which
he described in Nova Atlantis.
William Shakespeare
There is an element of truth in the statement that the greatest comic genius is also a great tragic
genius. This appellation holds well with the greatest dramatist of all times William Shakespeare.
He wrote great comedies such as As You Like It Midsummer Nights Dream, Twelfth Night,
Love’s Labours Lost etc. And he also wrote equal number of great tragedies such as Hamlet, King
Lear, Julius Caesar, Macbeth and Othello.
Though, Shakespeare has little schooling, as a critic says he knew ‘little Latin and less
Greek’ his creative genius was immensely original. His imagination was superb, his stories are
practical, and his themes are universal. Shakespeare’s literary career can be sub-divided four
periods. The first period is marked by experimentation. The important plays that belong to this
period are The Comedy of Errors, The Two Gentlemen of Verona and a beautiful masterpiece A
Midsummer Night’s Dream. These plays show that the young dramatist is experimenting with
words. He is very keen on style and diction than on thought. His first love tragedy Romeo and
Juliet also belongs to this period. The second phase is remarkable for rapid growth and
development. He wrote great comedies during this period. By this time Shakespeare had mastery
over his art. The most important plays are The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor,
Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. All these plays show a certain
maturity in his writings. There is balance between language and thought. The third stage in the
development Shakespeare’s dramatic art is noteworthy. It was during this period he wrote the
greatest tragedies. Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Othello and Julius Caesar were written. These
plays proved him to be the supreme artist of tragic drama. Shakespeare last period opens with the
production of Antony and Cleopatra a love tragedy. He wrote mainly somber plays such as
Cymbeline, The Tempest and The Winters Tale. These plays also show dramatist’s emphasis on
thought than on language.
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets. He made sonnet so popular that during the last decade of
16 century, sonnet writing became a habit. Shakespeare’s sonnets present wide range of subjects.
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He wrote with three quatrains and a couplet. It was originally a model created by Surrey. Some of
his sonnets are addressed to ‘Dark Lady’ and some are addressed to ‘W. H’. The poet loved both
of them dearly. Shakespeare’s sonnets are also remarkable for beauty of images and perfect style.
They are highly musical.

Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson is regarded the only greatest dramatist after Shakespeare’s death. Though he
did not become popular during the life time of Shakespeare, he made a great come back in the later
years. Jonson wrote wonderful comedies, which are known as Comedy of Humours. Like
Shakespeare, Ben Jonson also made a big name and created a trend in the history of English drama.
He is not only the pioneer of comedy of humour, but also a great influence behind comedy of
manners. Jonson’s works show the unity of action. He strictly followed the dictum of classical
comedy.
His comedy is based on the theory of four humours. His comedies are not just
combinations of romantic pieces. They are realistic representation of the life of the time. In all
branches of writings, Jonson is a conscious artist and a reformer. He is working clearly on defined
principles. All his writings convey some moral.
Ben Jonson produced many plays. Among the chief plays are The Case is Altered,
Everyman in His Humour (1598), The Cynthia's Revels, The Poetestar, Everyman Out of His
Humour, Volpone and The Alchemist. Besides these comedies, Ben Jonson wrote two great
tragedies Sejanus and Cataline. However, he was basically a comic genius. Jonson’s comedies are
marked by realism. They hold mirror to his age. He strictly maintained classical rules. He never
mixed tragedy with comedy or vice-verse. Jonson’s comedies carry moral purpose. His comedy of
humours is also satirical as they focus on the whims and follies of aristocratic society. Everyman
in His Humour and Volpone are the best examples of this kind.
Jonson’s contribution to English drama is significant. He is the real founder of comedy of
manners, which bloomed in Restoration period. Though he did not become as great as Shakespeare
he left his own mark on the drama of England.
John Milton (1608-1674)
Milton is regarded as the greatest epic poet in English. He stands head and shoulders
above all his contemporaries. He is the master English versification and one of the makers of
English language. He made a great name in the literary circle by writing two great epics, Paradise
Lost (1667)and Paradise Regained (1671). His Paradise Lost is written in 12 books. It deals with
theme of fall of man. It is remarkable for the character of Satan. Paradise Regained is a sequel to
the first epic. His other important poems L Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus and Lycidas are the other
important poetical works of Milton. His poetry is remarkable for its lofty conception, sublimity,
love of beauty and a great style. Milton used blank verse effectively in his poems. His influence
on English poets is immense. Wordsworth wrote a beautiful sonnet on Milton. His spirit of
individuality continues to rule the literary world.
John Dryden (1631-1700)
John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was
appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration
England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden

Dryden belongs to both the Puritan and Restoration period. But his real poetic genius was
found the latter age. Infact he was the representative poet of his age. His important works are
Religio Laici and Absolum and Achitophel (1681). The latter is satire on Duke of Monmouth and
Earl of Shaftsbury. Dryden contributed a violent attack on Shadwell giving him the name of Ogre.
He excels in writing satires and his use of heroic couplet is also admired. As a poet Dryden may
not be as great as Shakespeare and Milton but he finds an important place in second order of poets.
Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
Pope is considered as the greatest poet of the classical period. He was the prince of
classicism. He was highly intellectual, extremely ambitious and capable of tremendous industry.
These qualities brought him to the front of men of letters. He was considered as a model poet
during his lifetime.
Pope wrote many poems of which ‘The Essay on Man’ and The Rape of the Lock (1712)are
very important. The Rape of the Lock is masterpiece of Alexander Pope. It is the mock-heroic
poem, which deals with the theme of stealth. Lord Peter, the protagonist of the epic cuts a Lock of
hair from the head of Miss Arbella. Though the poem deals with a insignificant event, it is given
an epic dimension only to mock the present society.
The Dunciad is one of the finest satires in which he criticized and ridiculed a group of
jealous poets or writers. He attacks all sorts of literary incompetence in this poem. It is full of cruel
and interesting couplets on his enemies. His another important poem is ‘The Essay on Man’. It is
full of brilliant passages and lines. The famous proverb ‘The proper study of mankind is man’ is
taken from this poem. His satire ‘Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot’ is different kind of satire in which he
used epistolary style. Pope translated Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. As a critic he wrote a famous
book Essays in Criticism(1711)
Alexander Pope proved himself to be a great classical poet. His poems are classical in themes. He
was also called the greatest master of versification. He was a moralist. He criticized all the human
follies in his poetry. Infact, The Rape of the Lock is a sole satire for all these reasons. For all these
reasons Alexander Pope should be called the representative poet of classical period.
Dr Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson, often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions
as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography calls him "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in
English history
The age of Dr Johnson had seen marked changes in the field of English poetry. It can be classified
into three sections and each section is marked by certain characteristics. The Augustan poets
represented by Dr Johnson and Churchill were the followers of classicism.
Dr Johnson, the famous poet critic wrote many poems in the classical tradition. His
important poems are ‘London’ and ‘The Vanity of Human Wishes’. These are the two poems
entirely belong to the Neo-Classical School of poetry. They are written in heroic couplet like poetry

of Alexander Pope. ‘The Vanity of Human Wishes’ is a satire where as ‘London’ speaks about the
life of people in London. Churchill was another minor poet who wrote a bitter satire on political
and the social figures of his time. His best work is The Rosciad.
Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774)
Oliver Goldsmith was a well known Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright, dramatist and poe. For years
he drifted, living hand to mouth, begging his bread by playing on his flute, giving lessons in
English, entering into formal disputations for the sake of a meal. By such means he did the Grand
Tour on foot — the Netherlands, France, and Italy — and finally washed up in 1756 at Peckham,
a London suburb, as a junior schoolmaster, an experience which he so detested that the memory
of it drove him into a passion.. He is noted for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield, his pastoral poem
The Deserted Village, and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer
Goldsmith was an important transitional poet who wrote poems like ‘The Traveler’, ‘The
Deserted Village’, ‘The Hermit’ and ‘Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog’. His most remarkable
poem is ‘The Deserted Village’, which deals with the memories of the poet in his youth. Gold
smith wrote poems in heroic couplets but his treatment of nature make him a romantic poet.
Oliver Goldsmith contributed some essays to the The Monthly Review. His essays are
known for creation of a wonderful character called `Man in Black` and Bean Tibbs. His Essay On
the English Clergy and The Popular Preachers are famous pieces of prose.
John Bunyan
John Bunyan was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of
the Christian allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, which also became an influential literary model. In
addition to The Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyan wrote nearly sixty titles, many of them expanded
sermons.
Between 1656, when he published his first work, Some Gospel Truths Opened (a tract against
the Ranters and Quakers—who at the time were somewhat indistinguishable), and his death in
1688, Bunyan published 42 titles. A further two works, including his Last Sermon, were published
the following year by George Larkin. In 1692 Southwark comb-maker Charles Doe, who was a
friend of Bunyan's in his later years, brought out, with the collaboration of Bunyan's widow, a
collection of the author's works, including 12 previously unpublished titles, mostly sermons. Six
years later Doe published The Heavenly Footman and finally in 1765 Relation of My
Imprisonment was published, giving a total of 58 published titles.[38]
It is the allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, written during Bunyan's twelve-year imprisonment
although not published until 1678 (six years after his release), that made Bunyan's name as an
author with its immediate success. It remains the book for which Bunyan is best
remembered.[38] The images Bunyan uses in The Pilgrim's Progress are reflections of images from
his own world: the strait gate is a version of the wicket gate at Elstow Abbey church;[39] the Slough
of Despond is a reflection of Squitch Fen, a wet and mossy area near his cottage in Harrowden;
the Delectable Mountains are an image of the Chiltern Hills surrounding Bedfordshire. Even his
characters, like the Evangelist as influenced by John Gifford, are reflections of real people.

Further allegorical works were to follow: The Life and Death of Mr. Badman (1680), The Holy
War (1682), and Pilgrim's Progress Part II (1684). Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, a
spiritual autobiography, was published in 1666, when he was still in prison.
Aphra Behn,
Aphra Behn was an English playwright, poet, prose writer and translator from the Restoration era.
As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barriers and
served as a literary role model for later generations of women authors
Behn’s early works were tragicomedies in verse. In 1670 her first play, The Forc’d Marriage, was
produced, and The Amorous Prince followed a year later. Her sole tragedy, Abdelazer, was staged
in 1676. However, she turned increasingly to light comedy and farce over the course of the 1670s.
Many of these witty and vivacious comedies, notably The Rover (two parts, produced 1677 and
1681), were commercially successful. The Rover depicts the adventures of a small group of
English Cavaliers in Madrid and Naples during the exile of the future Charles II. The Emperor of
the Moon, first performed in 1687, presaged the harlequinade, a form of comic theatre that evolved
into the English pantomime.
Though Behn wrote many plays, her fiction today draws more interest. Her
short novel Oroonoko (1688) tells the story of an enslaved African prince whom Behn claimed to
have known in South America. Its engagement with the themes of slavery, race, and gender, as
well as its influence on the development of the English novel, helped to make it, by the turn of the
21st century, her best-known work. Behn’s other fiction included the multipart epistolary
novel Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister (1684–87) and The Fair Jilt (1688).
Behn’s versatility, like her output, was immense; she wrote other popular works of fiction, and she
often adapted works by older dramatists. She also wrote poetry, the bulk of which was collected
in Poems upon Several Occasions, with A Voyage to the Island of Love (1684) and Lycidus; or,
The Lover in Fashion (1688). Behn’s charm and generosity won her a wide circle of friends, and
her relative freedom as a professional writer, as well as the subject matter of her works, made her
the object of some scandal.
Margaret Cavendish.
Margaret Lucas Cavendish was a philosopher, poet, scientist, fiction-writer, and playwright who
lived in the Seventeenth Century. Her work is important for a number of reasons. One is that it
lays out an early and compelling version of the naturalism that is found in current-day philosophy
and science. It also offers important insights that bear on recent discussions of the nature and
characteristics of intelligence and the question of whether or not the bodies that surround us are
minded and intelligent. Another reason that the work of Cavendish is important is that it anticipates
some of the central views and arguments that are more commonly associated with figures like
Thomas Hobbes and David Hume. She also offers novel and compelling responses to questions
that are central to the discussions of the Seventeenth Century – for example, about whether sense
perception is by means of impressions; about whether human beings are free in a libertarian or a
compatibilist sense; about whether there is any true disorder in the natural world; about the limits

of knowledge, and the limits of ideas and language; and about how motion is transferred between
bodies. In addition, she takes on important debates in social and political philosophy, with a focus
on issues of agency and authority. She asks in particular about the relation between an individual’s
desire to live a life with which they identify and the receptivity that that desire encounters in the
surrounding environment.
Elizabeth Cary
Elizabeth Cary, Viscountess Falkland was an English poet, dramatist, translator, and historian. She
is the first woman known to have written and published an original play in English: The Tragedy
of Mariam. From an early age, she was recognized by her contemporaries as an accomplished
scholar.
This introduction to Elizabeth Cary’s life and work is excerpted from Killing the Angel: Early
Transgressive British Woman Writers by Francis Booth
Elizabeth did get a tutor in French at the age of five and according to her biographer-daughter she
was speaking it fluently just a few weeks later; she then taught herself Spanish, Italian, Latin, and
Hebrew
She had read very exceeding much; poetry of all kinds, ancient and modern, in several languages,
all that ever she could meet; history very universally, especially all ancient Greek and Roman
historians; all chroniclers whatsoever in her own country, and the French histories very thoroughly;
of most other countries something, though not so universally; of the ecclesiastical history very
much, most especially concerning its chief pastors.
Since she was not allowed to read books anymore, she decided to transgress her mother-in-law’s,
her husband’s, and society’s will and write her own books instead; according to Her Life, Cary
was one of the most prolific female authors of her time. She wrote two plays, a life of Tamburlaine
and biographies in verse of Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Agnes and Saint Elizabeth of Portugal.
Cary’s most famous work is The Tragedy of Mariam, printed in 1613 but written earlier, which
may be the first original English play to have been published by a woman. It is what became known
as a ‘closet drama,’ implying that it was not intended to be performed on a stage, but perhaps to
be read out loud by friends; such things regularly happened in Mary Sidney’s Wilton House circle.
Anne Finch
Anne Finch, the Countess of Winchilsea, was an English poet and courtier in the late 17th and
early 18th centuries. She was a major female poet during her lifetime, whose work spanned genres
and addressed a variety of subjects. She authored religious verse and love lyrics, as well as fables,
pastorals, verse plays, odes, songs, and occasional poems. Her diverse and considerable body of
work records her private thoughts and personal struggles, and also illustrates her awareness of the
social and political climate of her era. Not only do Finch’s poems reveal a sensitive mind and a
religious soul, but they exhibit great generic range and demonstrate her fluent use
of Augustan diction and forms.

Finch’s early poems to her husband demonstrate her awareness of the guiding poetic conventions
of the day, yet also point to the problems such conventions pose to the expression of intimate
thought. In “To Mr F Now Earl of Winchilsea,” for example, she appropriately invokes the Muses
for inspiration, only to reject such external sources in favor of her own emotion.
Amelia Lanyer
Aemilia Lanyer (b. 1569–d. 1645) was one of the first women in England to publish her original
literary compositions. Her book, Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum, printed in 1611, was the first volume
of English poetry that appeared with the female author’s full name on its title page. The book set
other precedents as well: its final poem, “The Description of Cooke-ham,” is the earliest known
English “country house poem.” The volume contains nine dedications in verse and prose, all
addressed to prominent women, making it the first English publication both written by and
exclusively dedicated to members of the female sex. One of these, “The Authors Dreame to the
Ladie Marie, the Countesse Dowager of Pembrooke,” addressed to the poet Mary Sidney, is the
earliest extant poem in English written by a female author in praise of another woman’s literary
achievements. The topic of the volume’s title poem, a retelling of Christ’s Passion, is less unusual;
however, Lanyer takes a distinctively gendered approach to the story. In her version, the men
surrounding Jesus repeatedly prove themselves obtuse, weak, unreliable, or treacherous, while the
women, in contrast, are perceptive, caring, and loyal. At the climactic moment when Pontius Pilate
condemns Jesus to death, Lanyer inserts a defense of Eve, claiming that the male sex’s culpability
for Christ’s crucifixion cancels out any guilt women once bore for original sin. On this basis the
narrator calls for the end of female subordination and a new era of gender equality. In addition to
its significance for the histories of authorship and feminism, Lanyer’s work has received critical
attention for its engagement with religious authority, including conventions of devotional poetry
and scriptural interpretation
Fanny Burney
Frances Burney, also known as Fanny Burney and later Madame d'Arblay, was an English satirical
novelist, diarist and playwright. In 1786–1790 she held the post as "Keeper of the Robes" to
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, George III's queen. In 1793, aged 41, she married a French
exile, General Alexandre d'Arblay.
Burney published Evelina anonymously, aided by her brother Charles, who disguised himself
when submitting the manuscript. An epistolary novel with a focus on female identity, the book
met with immediate acclaim. In Evelina, Burney created a heroine who is considered one of the
most vibrant and realistic in English literature, and the novel is the primary source of Burney's
modern reputation. Burney next wrote Cecilia; or, Memoirs of an Heiress (1782), in which she
continued to explore the social mores of her era with wit and satire. It was also her first use of
third-person narrative, which she employed in both her subsequent novels. While not as great a
success as Evelina, Cecilia was generally well received. Critics favorably compared it with the
works of Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, and Laurence Sterne but argued that it lacked the
spontaneity of Evelina, a flaw also detected in Camilla and The Wanderer.

Burney's best known novel Evelina; or, A Young Lady's Entrance into the World (1778), is an
early comedy of manners that depicts the coming-of-age of a young woman subject to the whims
of irresponsible men and the restrictions of English society. With Evelina and three later books,
Burney greatly influenced the early development of the novel, incorporating domestic and
feminine concerns, and set a successful precedent for aspiring women authors, making way for the
novel to become a genre both by and for women.
Elizabeth Carter (1717–1806)
Elizabeth Carter was an English poet, classicist, writer, translator, linguist, and polymath. As one
of the Bluestocking Circle that surrounded Elizabeth Montagu, she earned respect for the first
English translation of the 2nd-century Discourses of Epictetus.
Elizabeth Carter was one of the most acclaimed female writers of her day. Given the equivalent of
a university education by her father, the perpetual curate of Deal Chapel, Carter’s early literary
precocity and learning prompted Samuel Johnson to claim that ‘she ought to be celebrated in as
many different languages as Lewis Le Grand’.397 By the time her poem, ‘Ode to Wisdom’, had
been enshrined in Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa (1747–8), Carter had already established a solid
literary reputation based upon her poetic contributions to the Gentleman’s Magazine, a small
volume of poetry entitled Poems on Particular Occasions (1738), and two translations: Sir Isaac
Newton’s Philosophy Explain’d for the Use of the Ladies (1739)398 (from the Italian of Francesco
Algarotti) and An Examination of Mr Pope’s Essay on Man, From the French of M.
Crousaz (1739). Carter’s subsequent translation from the Greek of All the works of
Epictetus (1758) garnered her critical acclaim and financial independence.
Major Works
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy based on the chronicle history of a pre-Roman, Celtic king of Britain. In
Shakespeare’s play, Lear, intending to retire, stages a love test for his three daughters: he will
portion his kingdom between them as dowries according to how much they profess to love him.
The eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, give exaggerated protestations of love that please their
father, but Cordelia answers that she loves Lear only according to her bond, no more, no less.
Infuriated by Cordelia’s lack of flattery, Lear divides his kingdom between Goneril and Regan,
disinheriting Cordelia who then leaves Britain to marry the King of France. Lear also banishes his
courtier Kent for speaking in Cordelia’s defence. Lear divests himself of kingship in all but name
and honour, telling the husbands of Goneril and Regan (the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall) to
part his crown between them.
The play charts Lear’s descent into madness after Goneril and Regan strip him of his retinue and
cast him out from their homes. The play also follows the fortunes of the courtier Gloucester and
the evil plots of his illegitimate son, Edmund. Edmund drives away his legitimate brother Edgar,
betrays his father and occasions his blinding, and drives a wedge between Goneril and Regan as
he strives for political power. Lear wanders the heathland through a night of raging storm, attended
only by his Fool, the loyal Kent (disguised as Caius), and Edgar (disguised as a mad beggar). Lear

is confronted by his own mortality, the emptiness of social convention and the trappings of power,
and his guilt in exiling Cordelia. Cordelia, leading a French army to defend Lear’s right, invades
Britain and is reconciled with her father, however they are both captured and Cordelia is murdered
in prison. The grief of this news kills Lear.
As You Like It
As You Like It, five-act comedy by William Shakespeare, written and performed about 1598–
1600 and first published in the First Folio of 1623. Shakespeare based the play
on Rosalynde (1590), a prose romance by Thomas Lodge.
The play has two principal settings: the court that Frederick has usurped from his brother, the
rightful duke (known as Duke Senior), and the Forest of Arden, where the Duke and his followers
(including the disgruntled Jaques) are living in exile. Rosalind, the Duke’s daughter, who is still
at court, falls in love with Orlando, who has been denied by his older brother Oliver the education
and upbringing that should have been Orlando’s right as a gentleman. To escape Oliver’s
murderous hatred, Orlando flees to the Forest of Arden with his faithful old servant Adam. Soon
Rosalind is banished too, merely for being the daughter of the out-of-favour Duke Senior. She
flees to Arden accompanied by her cousin Celia and the jester Touchstone. Disguised as a young
man named Ganymede, Rosalind encounters Orlando, lovesick for his Rosalind, and promises to
cure him of his lovesickness by pretending to be that very Rosalind, so that Orlando will learn
something of what women are really like. Oliver appears in the forest intending to kill Orlando,
but, when Orlando saves his brother from a hungry lioness and a snake, Oliver experiences deep
remorse. He then falls in love with Celia. Revelation of the girls’ true identities precipitates a group
wedding ceremony. When word arrives that Frederick has repented, the Duke’s exile is at an end.
A group of forest inhabitants—William, Audrey, Silvius, and Phoebe—and the courtier Le Beau
further round out the cast of characters, and an abundance of song complements the play’s amorous
theme and idyllic setting. The play is considered to be one of Shakespeare’s “great” or “middle”
comedies.
Volpone
Volpone; or, The Fox, is a comedy in five acts by Ben Jonson. It was performed about 1605/06
and published in 1607.
Volpone (“Fox”), a wealthy Venetian without heirs, devises a scheme to become wealthier by
playing on people’s greed. With the complicity of his servant Mosca (“Fly”), Volpone pretends to
be near death. He accepts valuable gifts from three fortune hunters, each of whom receives
personal assurance from Mosca that he alone is to inherit all of Volpone’s wealth. The three are
Corvino (“Raven”), who offers Volpone his wife; Voltore (“Vulture”), a lawyer; and Corbaccio
(“Crow”), who disinherits his son in favour of Volpone. The plot is eventually revealed when
Mosca attempts to take advantage of his master, and Volpone, Mosca, and the greedy trio are all
punished according to their crimes and their social prominence.

Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse, written by John Milton. It is one of the late works
by John Milton, originally issued in 10 books in 1667 and, with Books 7 and 10 each split into two
parts, published in 12 books in the second edition of 1674.
Many scholars consider Paradise Lost to be one of the greatest poems in the English language. It
tells the biblical story of the fall from grace of Adam and Eve (and, by extension, all humanity) in
language that is a supreme achievement of rhythm and sound. The 12-book structure, the technique
of beginning in medias res (in the middle of the story), the invocation of the muse, and the use of
the epic question are all classically inspired. The subject matter, however, is distinctly Christian.
The main characters in the poem are God, Lucifer (Satan), Adam, and Eve. Much has been written
about Milton’s powerful and sympathetic characterization of Satan. The Romantic poets William
Blake and Percy Bysshe Shelley saw Satan as the real hero of the poem and applauded his rebellion
against the tyranny of Heaven.
Absalom and Achitophel

Absalom and Achitophel, verse satire by English poet John Dryden published in 1681. The
poem, which is written in heroic couplets, is about the Exclusion crisis, a contemporary episode in
which anti-Catholics, notably the earl of Shaftesbury, sought to bar James, duke of York, a Roman
Catholic convert and brother to King Charles II, from the line of succession in favour of the
king’s illegitimate (but Protestant) son, the duke of Monmouth. Dryden based his work on a
biblical incident recorded in 2 Samuel 13–19. These chapters relate the story of King David’s
favourite son Absalom and his false friend Achitophel (Ahithophel), who persuades Absalom to
revolt against his father. In his poem, Dryden assigns each figure in the crisis a biblical name; e.g.,
Absalom is Monmouth, Achitophel is Shaftesbury, and David is Charles II. Despite the strong
anti-Catholic tenor of the times, Dryden’s clear and persuasive dissection of the intriguers’ motives
helped to preserve the duke of York’s position.
A second part of the poem—largely composed by Nahum Tate, playwright and poet laureate of
Britain, but containing 200 lines by Dryden that were directed at his literary rivals Thomas
Shadwell and Elkanah Settle—was published in 1682.
Rape of the Lock

The Rape of the Lock, mock-epic poem in heroic couplets by Alexander Pope. The first version,
published in 1712, consisted of two cantos; the final version, published in 1714, was expanded to
five cantos.
Based on an actual incident and written to reconcile the families that had been estranged by it, The
Rape of the Lock recounts the story of a young woman who has a lock of hair stolen by
an ardent young man. Pope couches the trivial event in terms usually reserved for incidents of
great moment—such as the quarrel between the Greeks and the Trojans. The poem marries a rich
range of literary allusions and an ironic commentary on the contemporary social world with a
sense of suppressed energy threatening to break through the veneer of civilization

Pamela
Pamela, in full Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded, novel in epistolary style by Samuel Richardson,
published in 1740 and based on a story about a servant and the man who, failing to seduce her,
marries her.
Pamela Andrews is a 15-year-old servant. On the death of her mistress, her mistress’s son, “Mr.
B,” begins a series of stratagems designed to seduce her. These failing, he abducts her and
ultimately threatens to rape her. Pamela resists, and soon afterward Mr. B offers marriage—an
outcome that Richardson presents as a reward for her virtue. The second half of the novel shows
Pamela winning over those who had disapproved of the misalliance.
Pamela is often credited with being the first English novel. Although the validity of this claim
depends on the definition of the term novel, Richardson was clearly innovative in his concentration
on a single action.
Letters of Elizabeth Carter

Elizabeth Carter (1717–1806) was one of the most acclaimed female writers of her day. Given the
equivalent of a university education by her father, the perpetual curate of Deal Chapel, Carter’s
early literary precocity and learning prompted Samuel Johnson to claim that ‘she ought to be
celebrated in as many different languages as Lewis Le Grand’.397 By the time her poem, ‘Ode to
Wisdom’, had been enshrined in Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa (1747–8), Carter had already
established a solid literary reputation based upon her poetic contributions to the Gentleman’s
Magazine, a small volume of poetry entitled Poems on Particular Occasions (1738), and two
translations: Sir Isaac Newton’s Philosophy Explain’d for the Use of the Ladies (1739)398 (from
the Italian of Francesco Algarotti) and An Examination of Mr Pope’s Essay on Man, From the
French of M. Crousaz (1739). Carter’s subsequent translation from the Greek of All the works of
Epictetus (1758) garnered her critical acclaim and financial independence. Her second volume of
poetry, Poems on Several Occasions (1762), further secured her status as one of the most eminent
women of letters of the latter half of the century.
This lady is a very extraordinary Phaenomenon in the Republick of Letters, and justly to be rank’d
with the Cornelia’s, Sulpicia’s, and Hypatia’s of the Ancients, and the Schurmans and Daciers of
the Moderns. For to an uncommon Vivacity and Delicacy of Genius and an Accuracy of Judgment
worthy of the maturest Years, she has added the Knowledge of the ancient and Modern Languages
at an Age, when an equal Skill in any one of them would be a considerable Distinction in a Person
of the other Sex

Poems Prescribed for BA III Semester

Shall I Compare Thee to the Summer’s Day
William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Summary
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets. He made sonnet so popular that during the last decade of 16th
century, sonnet writing became a habit. Shakespeare’s sonnets present wide range of subjects. He
wrote with three quatrains and a couplet. It was originally a model created by Surrey. Some of his
sonnets are addressed to ‘Dark Lady’ and some are addressed to ‘W. H’. The poet loved both of
them dearly. Shakespeare’s sonnets are also remarkable for beauty of images and perfect style.
They are highly musical. ‘Shall I Compare Thee to the Summer’s Day is one of the widely
discussed sonnets of William Shakespeare.
The sonnet opens with the speaker putting forward a simple question: can he compare his lover to a
summer’s day? Historically, the theme of summertime has always been used to evoke a certain
amount of beauty, particularly in poetry. Summer has always been seen as the respite from the
long, bitter winter, a growing period where the earth flourishes itself with flowers and with animals
once more. Thus, to compare his lover to a summer’s day, the speaker considers their beloved to
be tantamount to a rebirth, and even better than summer itself.
As summer is occasionally short, too hot, and rough, summer is, in fact, not the height of beauty for
this particular speaker. Instead, he attributes that quality to his beloved, whose beauty will never
fade, even when ‘death brag thou waander’stin his shade‘, as he will immortalize his lover’s
beauty in his verse.
The immortality of love and beauty through poetry provides the speaker with his beloved’s eternal
summer. Though they might die and be lost to time, the poem will survive, will be spoken of, will
live on when they do not. Thus, through the words, his beloved’s beauty will also live on.

In terms of imagery, there is not much that one can say about it. William Shakespeare’s sonnets
thrive on simplicity of imagery, at a polar opposite to his plays, whose imagery can sometimes be
packed with meaning. Here, in this particular sonnet, the feeling of summer is evoked through
references to the ‘darling buds‘ of May, and through the description of the sun as golden-
complexioned. It is almost ironic that we are not given a description of the lover in particular. In
fact, scholars have argued that, as a love poem, the vagueness of the beloved’s description leads
them to believe that it is not a love poem written to a person, but a love poem about itself; a love
poem about love poetry, which shall live on with the excuse of being a love poem. The final two
lines seem to corroborate this view, as it moves away from the description of the lover to point out
the longevity of his own poem. As long as men can read and breathe, his poem shall live on, and
his lover, too, will live on, because he is the subject of this poem.However, opinions are divided
on this topics. Shakespeare’s sonnets are all written in iambic pentameter – an unstressed syllable,
followed by a stressed syllable, with five of these in each line – with a rhyming couplet at the end.
On His Blindness
John Milton
When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide,
"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts: who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed
And post o'er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait."
Summary
Milton is regarded as the greatest epic poet in English. He stands head and shoulders above all his
contemporaries. He is the master English versification and one of the makers of English language.
He made a great name in the literary circle by writing two great epics, Paradise Lost (1667)and
Paradise Regained (1671). His Paradise Lost is written in 12 books. It deals with theme of fall of
man. It is remarkable for the character of Satan. Paradise Regained is a sequel to the first epic. His
other important poems L Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus and Lycidas are the other important
poetical works of Milton. His poetry is remarkable for its lofty conception, sublimity, love of

beauty and a great style. Milton used blank verse effectively in his poems. ‘On His Blindness’ is
one of the best sonnets of John Milton.
The poem begins with the speaker’s consideration of how he has spent the years of his life,
represented as his “light.” This light and being a metaphor for life are also a literal representation
of Milton’s life days in which he could see. The second line expands on that, explaining that before
even half of the speaker’s life had passed, he is forced to live in a world that is “dark… and wide.”
Since Milton went blind at 42, he’d had the opportunity to use his writing skills, his “talents” in
the employee of Oliver Cromwell. He had risen to what was, more than likely, the peak of his
possible achievement, the highest position a writer in England could hope to gain. He did not know
at the time that his greatest works would be written while he was blind. His “talents” come into
play in the next lines, some of the trickiest in the whole piece
Milton speaks of his “talent,” this talent, his skills with words and love for writing, was his entire
life. His livelihood and self-worth depended on it. This word “talent” is the most important in
understanding these lines. As a biblical scholar, Milton was familiar with the texts of the bible and
chose to reference The Parable of Talents from Matthew 25 here. When Milton refers to the talent,
he relates the loss of his ability to read and write to the servant in Matthew 25 who buries the
money given to him by God in the desert rather than investing it wisely. It is “death” to Milton to
have hidden, through no choice of his own in this case, his talents beneath his blindness. The next
lines begin to speak to Milton’s devotion to God. He explains that his talents are still hidden even
“though [his] soul [is] more bent” to serve God and present his accounts through writing. He wants
nothing more than to do right by God and serve him. In this context, “account” refers to both his
records in writing and money (once more connecting his dilemma to that in The Parable of
Talents). He must do all he can speak for God, “lest he returning chide.” So that if God returns, he
will not chide or admonish Milton for not taking advantage of the gifts that God has given him.
At this point, Milton is finishing the sentence that he began at the beginning of the poem with the
word, “When.” In short, he asks, “does God require those without light to labor?” He wants to
know whether when he cannot continue his work due to his blindness, will God still require work
of him.
Milton continues, invoking the personification of Patience in the next line. Patience appears as a
pacifying force to “prevent that murmur” The speaker would question God (as described above).
Patience replies to the speaker’s internal question, and the remainder of the poem is that response.
Patience explains that God does not need special gifts or works from man, such as Milton’s
writings, but loves best those who “Bear his mild yoke.” This complicated phrase references a
“yoke,” or a wooden frame used to be placed around plowinganimals’ neck and shoulders. This
would allow the animals to be directed around the field. Essentially, those who give over their
lives to God and accept that he is in control of their fate are loved best. That is what God requires,
not “gifts” or “work.” Patience comes to the final point of the poem in the next lines.

Lover’s Infiniteness
John Donne
If yet I have not all thy love,
Dear, I shall never have it all;
I cannot breathe one other sigh, to move,
Nor can intreat one other tear to fall;
And all my treasure, which should purchase thee—
Sighs, tears, and oaths, and letters—I have spent.
Yet no more can be due to me,
Than at the bargain made was meant;
If then thy gift of love were partial,
That some to me, some should to others fall,
Dear, I shall never have thee all.
Or if then thou gavest me all,

All was but all, which thou hadst then;
But if in thy heart, since, there be or shall
New love created be, by other men,
Which have their stocks entire, and can in tears,
In sighs, in oaths, and letters, outbid me,
This new love may beget new fears,
For this love was not vow'd by thee.
And yet it was, thy gift being general;
The ground, thy heart, is mine; whatever shall
Grow there, dear, I should have it all.
Yet I would not have all yet,

He that hath all can have no more;
And since my love doth every day admit
New growth, thou shouldst have new rewards in store;
Thou canst not every day give me thy heart,
If thou canst give it, then thou never gavest it;
Love's riddles are, that though thy heart depart,
It stays at home, and thou with losing savest it;
But we will have a way more liberal,
Than changing hearts, to join them; so we shall
Be one, and one another's all.
Summary
John Donne was the leader of metaphysical school of poetry. He is also the greatest of the
poets of this school. His works include satires, songs and sonnets, Elegies that were published
posthumously (after death). He wrote variety of poems, amorous, religious and satirical. His
amorous poems express his experience of love in realistic manner. These poems belong to early
part of his career. But the later poems of Donne are very skilled in using conceits. His amorous
poems like A Valediction Forbidding Mourning, Aire and Angels, Canonization and Extaise are
remarkable for description and use of conceits. Donne’s contribution to poetry is a special one. He
continues to influence poets of his next generations.

John Donne’s poem ‘Lover’s Infiniteness’ is an interesting poem. The poet complains that he does
not yet have “all” of his beloved’s love, despite using all of his resources to woo her. She should
not leave some love for others, nor should she leave herself open to wooing by others later. Yet,
he also wants her to keep some of her love for him in reserve so that they can enjoy a constantly
growing relationship.
The subject of the poem, at least on the surface, is the poet addressing his beloved, but it is
important to remember that Donne, a metaphysical poet, often includes a deeper meaning in his
discussions of love. The puns, metaphors, and allusions can point toward a more philosophical
meaning.
Donne begins with “If yet I have not all thy love,/Deare, I shall never have it all.” The tone suggests
gentleness, but the lover also seems jealous: he wants claim to “all” of this woman's love. He has
been her suitor; he has tried to “purchase” her with “Sighs, teares, and oathes, and letters.” He has
not yet been wholly successful, and he seems to think that he is entitled to the lady's love because
of his efforts, rather than because he has fully persuaded her. Even if he has been mostly successful,
he is creating the paradoxical metaphysical situation of giving herself entirely while remaining
herself.
For the lover to demand this much from his lady is against poetic conventions, but Donne,
unconventionally, is not asking for simply a marriage union. He also has abstract ideas about what
love is, and, particularly, what is the totality of love. As is so often in Donne, he is aware of the
paradox. He wants a totality of love, but he has also reached the limit of his capacity to feel (Stein
33); he wants more to look forward to. We will see in the third stanza how Donne resolves the
paradox.
The theme of possession and, specifically, commercial transactions underscore the inadequacy the
lover feels when he thinks of or discusses the “all” of love that he requires from the lady. He talks
of “purchase” and what he has “spent” and is therefore “due.” He has spent his emotional capital,
and he worries that new suitors have their own “stock” to cash in as they “outbid” him. In the third
stanza, he imagines their growing love as a kind of deposit with interest.
Yet, he knows that love cannot literally be bought. While the poem may strike the reader as a
straightforward courtship plea, the paradoxes show how inadequate stock phrases such as “winning
love” or “giving one's heart” are. The poet is humbled before the inadequacy of his understanding
of love, and by his limitless desire for it. The comparison between love via finance and true love
opens up a higher comparison, that between earthly love and divine love. Lines 29-30, “Love's
riddles are that though thy heart depart/It stays at home, and thou with losing savest it,” allude to
Matthew 16, “Whosoever would save his life shall lose it.” The paradox of love remains on the
theological level; somehow we must fully love the divine without giving up ourselves as the ones
who love.
Despite love’s paradoxes, the poem affirms its mysteries with reverence and celebration. If desire
is infinite, it cannot be satisfied on a finite earth. “Thou canst not every day give me thy heart”
because in a financial transaction, the property is lost once it is given away. How can the lover get
her heart back in order to give it again? Only if he returns it back to her with interest, perhaps. Yet,
the lover himself does not have an infinite love, and he has used up his stock of resources for

wooing. He is human and thus lives within the rules of the finite world. No matter how idealized
the love, the love is still human; it must have a limit.
The third stanza unravels the paradox with “But we will have a way more liberall.” On the human
level, he suggests marriage and sexual union. The physical and mystical union of himself and his
lover helps them share together as “one, and one another's all.” This is concrete and understandable
and, at least in one aspect, satisfies the longing of the lover for infinity. They can merge into one
another and yet leave room to grow together, increasing the area of the circle of their union.
On the spiritual level, beyond the roles of lover and beloved, Donne, a devout Protestant and the
Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, suggests a similar growth in the spiritual devotion of a person for the
divine. Since we are creatures of God, we may participate in the love of God even if we do not
understand it. Donne was fond of expounding in his sermons not only on the nature of God, but
also the impossibility of understanding certain divine mysteries. It is a common tenet of faith that
the divine is in key ways unknowable, being infinite and eternal (outside of time) and ineffable.
Donne’s poems, such as this one, even though they may not at first appear to be religious, often
express such spiritual themes
A Poison Tree - William Blake

I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I waterd it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night.

Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.
And into my garden stole,

When the night had veild the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My foe outstretched beneath the tree
Summary
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his life,
Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic
Age. He is known for his important collections of the poems Songs of Innocence and Songs of
Experience. A Poison Tree is one of the best poems of William Blake dealing with theme of anger
and hatred.
‘A Poison Tree’ by William Blake is a poem with a message. The poem is famous for the poet’s use
of symbolism coupled with mysticism. William Blake, in A Poison Tree, condemns the emotions
of hatred and dislike. He criticizes those who harbour malice for others. It is an allegory that

highlights man’s deceptiveness and hypocrisy. Blake believes that these feelings bring about
damage and decline to humanity. A Poison Tree by William Blake also contains allusion. This
poem is William Blake’s masterpiece.
In A Poison Tree, Blake tells us that he got angry with his friend. He had faith in his friend. This
faith encouraged him to share his feelings of anger with his friend. It provided them with a chance
to resolve their dispute. As a result of this, Blake’s wrath on his friend dissolved.
On the contrary, when Blake got angry with his enemy, he did not share his feelings with him. It
exhibits a lack of trust between them. This unshared emotion continued to grow in his heart. It
proved a seed of hatred in the poet’s heart.
The poet had fears and doubts about the intentions of his enemy. Therefore, he nourished this seed
of hatred like a gardener would nourish the seed of a plant. Blake watered this seed with his tears
of dislike and grudge. He gave it the warmth of his insincere smiles and dishonest guiles.
As a consequence of careful nourishment, the seed grew into a poison tree. This tree bore a bright
apple that shone as if it were made of gold. However, the beauty of this apple was deceptive as it
was poisonous.
The enemy of the poet harboured the same feelings of hatred of malice against the poet. He felt
jealous of the poet for his fascinating tree and its attractive fruit. Therefore, he decided to steal it.
However, he was unaware of the fact that it was a poison tree and its fruit contained deadly
qualities. He stole into the poet’s garden in the darkness of the night, picked the bright apple, and
ate it. The toxic effect of the apple killed the enemy there and then.
In the morning, the poet found the body of his enemy lying under the poison tree. He felt jubilant at
the success of his scheme and the death of his enemy. It is reflective of the moral degradation of
the poet who rejoiced in the death of a human being
A Poison Tree by William Blake contains a deep message. Blake condemns the people who fail to
resolve their disputes. The poet shows how a lack of trust creates evil emotions and brings about
the destruction of humanity and human values. He stresses the need for the development of reliable
relations among human beings.
Of Love
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord
Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both natural philosophy and the scientific
method and his works remained influential even in the late stages of the Scientific Revolution. He
is famous for his short essays. There are remarkable for their aphorism. He wrote essays on all the
important matters of human life. Of Love is one of the significant essays written by Francis Bacon.
Bacon opens the essay by claiming that the love or romance shown on the stage, plays, and theatres
is highly unrealistic, far from reality. On stage, love is portrayed as a noble trait leading to joy and
excitement. It often brings tragedy and sorrow. However, in the real life, love does the real disasters
by bringing dark and foreboding. History has a record that all the great, noble, and worthier man
who has done something great in the life have refused this week passion and keep themselves and
their business away from such things.
Bacon illustrates the example of Marcus Antonius, a member of Roman royalty who was given a
chance to rule over 1/3rd of the empire, and Appius Claudius, the second member of royalty who
was given the other 1/3rd of empire, to explain the destructing effects of love. The former was the

man of ambition and power, however, amorous, impulsive, and restrained. He had little or no
control over his heart and wandered in pursuit of love and lust. While Claudius was a sober, sage
and wise man of great wisdom. He never brought himself disgrace while rushing towards quixotic
desire.
Bacon quotes the Greek philosopher Epicurus who promoted self-control, self-discipline, and
restraint in one’s life. He warned his followers against chasing the worldly desires and says that
“we are sufficient for one another”. By this, he conveys a message that one must live his life fully,
without indulging into conflicts with others. One should not avenge other and must restrain himself
from other such misdeeds. He expresses his disproval for a man of great worth who bowed in front
of a woman he loves and makes themselves small and miserable.
Bacon, furthermore, talks about the unfettered love that destroys the man. He says that such love
devalues the man and make them insignificant in front of others. Moreover, Bacon argues about
romantic poetry in which the writer exaggerates the beauty of his beloved unnecessary. To him,
such exaggeration is only suitable for romance and writing; they are not applicable in practical
life. A paramour who detriments his discriminating influence to transfer flattering words to his
woman evidently negotiates with his intellect, and judging power. A proud man will never make
his beloved to rule over him by pouring sugarcoated words on her. For Bacon, a wise man must
not love as it is impossible to be wise and to love at the same time.
In an unrequited love, the praises and compliment of a man for his beloved woman appear to be a
weakness of his character. Moreover, when her woman doesn’t feel responding the paramour, she
treats his love as a pitiable weakness of his character. The love of man can result in two things:
either the woman will respond to him in the same way or will create an inward feeling of
insignificant in a woman for the man. So, Bacon warns, the man before falling in love should
understand one thing that it doesn’t harm anything but man’s self-esteem
Those who see the world as nothing but a place to fulfill their carnal desires destroy themselves.
They losses both affluence and wisdom in search or sexual pleasures in the world. Bacon argues
that such passions are overwhelmed in the period of prosperity than of adversity. Carnal pleasures
get accentuated in the time of both happiness and distress and can be called as “child of folly”.
However, these sensual pleasure when are uncontrolled can lead to the destruction of business,
wealth, and health.
The army men seem to have a special attraction for love as they have for the wine. Bacon discusses
the men’s nature and argues that men have a special inclination towards love for other. He makes
his love universal by expanding it towards everyone, no matter such love gentle and kind and
people who have some spiritual and religious belonging have this kind of love. In the end, Bacon
says that the love that arises from marriage is the root cause of mankind’s creation, while love in
friendship makes it perfect but lust corrupts it and embarrass it.

Man In Black (Text)
Oliver Goldsmith
Though fond of many acquaintances, I desire an intimacy only with a few. The Man in Black,
whom I have often mentioned, is one whose friendship I could wish to acquire, because he
possesses my esteem. His manners, it is true, are tinctured with some strange inconsistencies; and
he may be justly termed a humorist in a nation of humorists. Though he is generous even to
profusion, he affects to be thought a prodigy of parsimony and prudence; though
his conversation be replete with the most sordid and selfish maxims, his heart is dilated with the
most unbounded love. I have known him profess himself a man-hater, while his cheek was glowing
with compassion; and, while his looks were softened into pity, I have heard him use the language
of the most unbounded ill-nature. Some affect humanity and tenderness, others boast of having
such dispositions from nature; but he is the only man I ever knew who seemed ashamed of his
natural benevolence. He takes as much pains to hide his feelings, as any hypocrite would to conceal
his indifference; but on every unguarded moment the mask drops off, and reveals him to the most
superficial observer.
In one of our late excursions into the country, happening to discourse upon the provision that was
made for the poor in England, he seemed amazed how any of his countrymen could be so foolishly
weak as to relieve occasional objects of charity, when the laws had made such ample provision for
their support. "In every parish-house," says he, "the poor are supplied with food, clothes, fire, and
a bed to lie on; they want no more, I desire no more myself; yet still they seem discontented. I am
surprised at the inactivity of our magistrates in not taking up such vagrants, who are only a weight
upon the industrious; I am surprised that the people are found to relieve them, when they must be
at the same time sensible that it in some measure encourages idleness, extravagance, and
imposture. Were I to advise any man for whom I had the least regard, I would caution him by all
means not to be imposed upon by their false pretences; let me assure you, sir, they are imposters,
every one of them; and rather merit a prison than relief."
He was proceeding in this strain earnestly, to dissuade me from an imprudence of which I am

seldom guilty, when an old man, who still had about him the remnants of tattered finery, implored
our compassion. He assured us that he was no common beggar, but forced into the shameful
profession to support a dying wife and five hungry children. Being prepossessed against such
falsehoods, his story had not the least influence upon me; but it was quite otherwise with the Man
in Black: I could see it visibly operate upon his countenance, and effectually interrupt his harangue.
I could easily perceive, that his heart burned to relieve the five starving children, but he seemed
ashamed to discover his weakness to me. While he thus hesitated between compassion and pride,
I pretended to look another way, and he seized this opportunity of giving the poor petitioner a
piece of silver, bidding him at the same time, in order that I should hear, go work for his bread,
and not tease passengers with such impertinent falsehoods for the future.
As he had fancied himself quite unperceived, he continued, as we proceeded, to rail against beggars
with as much animosity as before: he threw in some episodes on his own amazing prudence and
economy, with his profound skill in discovering impostors; he explained the manner in which he
would deal with beggars, were he a magistrate; hinted at enlarging some of the prisons for their

reception, and told two stories of ladies that were robbed by beggarmen. He was beginning a third
to the same purpose, when a sailor with a wooden leg once more crossed our walks, desiring our
pity, and blessing our limbs. I was for going on without taking any notice, but my friend looking
wistfully upon the poor petitioner, bid me stop, and he would show me with how much ease he
could at any time detect an impostor.
5
He now, therefore, assumed a look of importance, and in an angry tone began to examine the
sailor, demanding in what engagement he was thus disabled and rendered unfit for service. The
sailor replied in a tone as angrily as he, that he had been an officer on board a private ship of war,
and that he had lost his leg abroad, in defence of those who did nothing at home. At this reply, all
my friend's importance vanished in a moment; he had not a single question more to ask: he now
only studied what method he should take to relieve him unobserved. He had, however, no easy
part to act, as he was obliged to preserve the appearance of ill-nature before me, and yet relieve
himself by relieving the sailor. Casting, therefore, a furious look upon some bundles of chips which
the fellow carried in a string at his back, my friend demanded how he sold his matches; but, not
waiting for a reply, desired in a surly tone to have a shilling's worth. The sailor seemed at first
surprised at his demand, but soon recollected himself, and presenting his whole bundle, "Here
master," says he, "take all my cargo, and a blessing into the bargain."
It is impossible to describe with what an air of triumph my friend marched off with his new
purchase: he assured me that he was firmly of opinion that those fellows must have stolen their
goods who could thus afford to sell them for half value. He informed me of several different uses
to which those chips might be applied; he expatiated largely upon the savings that would result
from lighting candles with a match, instead of thrusting them into the fire. He averred, that he
would as soon have parted with a tooth as his money to those vagabonds, unless for some valuable
consideration. I cannot tell how long this panegyric upon frugality and matches might have
continued, had not his attention been called off by another object more distressful than either of
the former. A woman in rags, with one child in her arms, and another on her back, was attempting
to sing ballads, but with such a mournful voice that it was difficult to determine whether she was
singing or crying. A wretch, who in the deepest distress still aimed at good-humour, was an object
my friend was by no means capable of withstanding: his vivacity and his discourse were instantly
interrupted; upon this occasion his very dissimulation had forsaken him. Even in my presence he
immediately applied his hands to his pockets, in order to relieve her; but guess his confusion, when
he found he had already given away all the money he carried about him to former objects. The
misery painted in the woman's visage was not half so strongly expressed as the agony in his. He
continued to search for some time, but to no purpose, till, at length recollecting himself, with a
face of ineffable good-nature, as he had no money, he put into her hands his shilling's worth of
matches.

Doctor Faustus
Christopher Marlowe
Character List
Doctor John Faustus A learned scholar in Germany during the fifteenth century who becomes
dissatisfied with the limitations of knowledge and pledges his soul to Lucifer in exchange for
unlimited power.
Wagner Faustus' servant, who tries to imitate Faustus' methods of reasoning and fails in a
ridiculous and comic manner.
Valdes and Cornelius Two German scholars who are versed in the practice of magic and who
teach Faustus about the art of conjuring.
Lucifer King of the underworld and a fallen angel who had rebelled against God and thereafter
tries desperately to win souls away from the Lord.
Mephistopheles A prince of the underworld who appears to Faustus and becomes his servant for
twenty-four years.
Good Angel and Evil Angel Two figures who appear to Faustus and attempt to influence him.
The Clown The clown who becomes a servant of Wagner as Mephistophilis becomes a servant to
Faustus.
Horse-Courser A gullible man who buys Faustus' horse, which disappears when it is ridden into
a pond.
The Pope The head of the Roman Catholic church, whom Faustus and Mephistophilis use as a
butt of their practical jokes.
Charles V, Emperor of Germany The emperor who holds a feast for Faustus and at whose court
Faustus illustrates his magical powers.
Knight A haughty and disdainful knight who insults Faustus. In revenge, Faustus makes a pair of
horns appear on the knight.
Duke and Duchess of Vanholt A couple whom Faustus visits and for whom he conjures up some
grapes.
Robin An ostler who steals some of Dr. Faustus' books and tries to conjure up some devils.
Rafe (Ralph) A friend of Robin's who is present with Robin during the attempt to conjure up
devils.

Vintner A man who appears and tries to get payment for a goblet from Robin.
Old Man He appears to Faustus during the last scene and tries to tell Faustus that there is still time
to repent.
Chorus A device used to comment upon the action of the play or to provide exposition
Plot Summary of Doctor Faustus
Marlowe is regarded as the greatest of University Wits. He is one of the most suggestive figures
of English Renaissance. Marlowe is famous for four dramas. The first of these is Tumbarlaine
(1587). It is the story of Timar and Tarter. His other plays are Doctor Faustus, The Jew of Malta,
and Edward II. Marlowe’s tragedies are character tragedies. His tragic heroes are great human
beings. Edward II is the first historical play in English. He beautifully handled history in this
drama. The Jew of Malta is also one of the important plays of Marlowe, which influenced Ben
Jonson’s to write Volpone and Shakespeare’s creation of Shylock in Merchant of Venice.
Doctor Faustus is considered as one of the best tragedies written by Christopher Marlowe. It is in
this tragedy he injected the renaissance spirit of new learning. The plot of the play revolves round
the character of Doctor Faustus. We understand in the beginning of the play that Faustus becomes
dissatisfied with his studies of medicine, law, logic and theology; therefore, he decides to turn to
the dangerous practice of necromancy, or magic. He has his servant Wagner summon Valdes and
Cornelius, two German experts in magic. Faustus tells them that he has decided to experiment in
necromancy and needs them to teach him some of the fundamentals.
When he is alone in his study, Faustus begins experimenting with magical incantations, and
suddenly Mephistophilis appears, in the form of an ugly devil. Faustus sends him away, telling
him to reappear in the form of a friar. Faustus discovers that it is not his conjuring which brings
forth Mephistophilis but, instead, that when anyone curses the trinity, devils automatically appear.
Faustus sends Mephistophilis back to hell with the bargain that if Faustus is given twenty-four
years of absolute power, he will then sell his soul to Lucifer.
Later, in his study, when Faustus begins to despair, a Good Angel and a Bad Angel appear to him;
each encourages Faustus to follow his advice. Mephistophilis appears and Faust agrees to sign a
contract in blood with the devil even though several omens appear which warn him not to make
this bond.
Faustus begins to repent of his bargain as the voice of the Good Angel continues to urge him to
repent. To divert Faustus, Mephistophilis and Lucifer both appear and parade the seven deadly
sins before Faustus. After this, Mephistophilis takes Faustus to Rome and leads him into the pope's
private chambers, where the two become invisible and play pranks on the pope and some
unsuspecting friars.
After this episode, Faustus and Mephistophilis go to the German emperor's court, where they
conjure up Alexander the Great. At this time, Faustus also makes a pair of horns suddenly appear
on one of the knights who had been skeptical about Faustus' powers. After this episode, Faustus is

next seen selling his horse to a horse-courser with the advice that the man must not ride the horse
into the water. Later, the horse-courser enters Faustus' study and accuses Faustus of false dealings
because the horse had turned into a bundle of hay in the middle of a pond.
After performing other magical tricks such as bringing forth fresh grapes in the dead of winter,
Faustus returns to his study, where at the request of his fellow scholars, he conjures up the
apparition of Helen of Troy. An old man appears and tries to get Faustus to hope for salvation and
yet Faustus cannot. He knows it is now too late to turn away from the evil and ask for forgiveness.
When the scholars leave, the clock strikes eleven and Faustus realizes that he must give up his
soul within an hour.
As the clock marks each passing segment of time, Faustus sinks deeper and deeper into despair.
When the clock strikes twelve, devils appear amid thunder and lightning and carry Faustus off to
his eternal damnation.
Doctor Faustus is called renaissance tragedy because the character of Doctor Faustus shows
interest in new learning and humanism. He sells his soul for the sake of knowledge and sacrifices
his life. The interest in the human past and beauty of human body is also shown in the play. It is
one of the best known plays of Marlowe.
Marlowe’s contribution to English drama is immense. He was the shining morning star of
Renaissance. Of all University Wits, he was the greatest. Swinburne says, “Marlowe was the first
poet, the father of English tragedy and the creator of blank verse” Marlowe raised the subject
matter of drama to a higher level. By introducing heroic subjects, he made drama popular. His
heroes are great individuals. The presentation of tragic conflict is another contribution of Marlowe.
His dramas are also known for creating ‘Cathartic’ effect. Hence, Marlowe is regarded as the
Columbus of the literary world. He freed English drama from classical bondage. He created
romantic tragedy, which received highest dramatic popularity in England. His influence on
Shakespeare’s tragedy is remarkable
Character of Faustus
When we first meet Faustus, he is a man who is dissatisfied with his studies in dialectics, law,
medicine, and divinity. Even though he is the most brilliant scholar in the world, his studies have
not brought him satisfaction, and he is depressed about the limitations of human knowledge. In
order to satisfy his thirst for greater knowledge, he decides to experiment in necromancy. He wants
to transcend the bonds of normal human life and discover the heights beyond. One might say that
he wants to have godlike qualities.
Faustus is willing to sell his soul to the devil under the terms of a contract by which he will receive
twenty-four years of service from Mephistophilis and, at the end of this time, will relinquish his
soul to Lucifer. At first he is potentially a great man who desires to perform beneficial acts for
humanity, but as a result of his willingness to exchange his soul for a few years of pleasure, he
begins to sink toward destruction. He allows his powers to be reduced to performing nonsensical
tricks and to satisfying his physical appetites. At various times throughout the drama, Faustus does
stop and consider his dilemma and comes to the verge of repentance. He often thinks about

repentance, but he consciously remains aligned with Mephistopheles and Lucifer, and never takes
the first steps to obtain forgiveness.
By the end of the drama, when he is waiting for his damnation, he rationalizes his refusal to turn
to God. Throughout the drama, internal and external forces suggest that Faustus could have turned
to God and could have been forgiven. In the final scene, the scholars want Faustus to make an
attempt to seek the forgiveness of God, but Faustus rationalizes that he has lived against the
dictates of God, and he makes no effort to invoke God's forgiveness until the appearance of the
devils. By then, he can only scream out in agony and horror at his final fate
Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles is the second most important dramatic personage in the drama. He appears in most
of the scenes with Faustus. When he is first seen by Faustus, he is horrendously ugly. Faustus
immediately sends him away and has him reappear in the form of a Franciscan friar. The mere
physical appearance of Mephistopheles suggests the ugliness of hell itself. Throughout the play,
Faustus seems to have forgotten how ugly the devils are in their natural shape. Only at the very
end of the drama, when devils come to carry Faustus off to his eternal damnation, does he once
again understand the terrible significance of their ugly physical appearance. As Faustus exclaims
when he sees the devils at the end of the drama, "Adders and serpents, let me breathe awhile! /
Ugly hell, gape not."
In his first appearance, we discover that Mephistopheles is bound to Lucifer in a manner similar
to Faustus' later servitude. Mephistopheles is not free to serve Faustus unless he has Lucifer's
permission. Then after the pact, he will be Faustus' servant for twenty-four years. Consequently,
the concepts of freedom and bondage are important ideas connected with Mephistopheles and
Faustus. In other words, no person in the entire order of the universe is entirely free, and what
Faustus is hoping for in his contract is a complete and total physical, not moral, freedom. It is
paradoxical that the brilliant Dr. Faustus does not see this contradiction in his views about freedom
and bondage.
In most of the scenes, Mephistopheles functions as the representative of hell and Lucifer. Only in
a few fleeting moments do we see that Mephistopheles is also experiencing both suffering and
damnation because of his status as a fallen angel. In the third scene, he admits that he is also
tormented by ten thousand hells because he had once tasted the bliss of heaven and now is in hell
with Lucifer and the other fallen angels.
Upon Faustus' insistence to know about the nature of hell, Mephistopheles reveals that it is not a
place, but a condition or state of being. Any place where God is not, is hell. Being deprived of
everlasting bliss is also hell. In other words, heaven is being admitted into the presence of God,
and hell, therefore, is deprivation of the presence of God. This definition of hell corresponded to
the newly founded doctrine of the Anglican church, which had just recently broken with the Roman
Catholic church. But Marlowe also uses a medieval concept of hell for dramatic purposes. As the
devils appear in the final scene and as Faustus contemplates his eternal damnation, there are strong
suggestions and images of a hell consisting of severe punishment and torment, where ugly devils
swarm about and punish the unrepentant sinner

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Notes on BA III Semester DSCC English Paper 5- History of English Literature (NEP 2020 Syllabus)

Major Authors and Books

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 1

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 2

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 3

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 4

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 5

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 6

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 7

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 8

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 9

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 10

Absalom and Achitophel

Rape of the Lock

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 11

Letters of Elizabeth Carter

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 12

Poems Prescribed for BA III Semester

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 13

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 14

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 15

Or if then thou gavest me all,

Yet I would not have all yet,

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 16

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 17

A Poison Tree - William Blake

And I waterd it in fears,

And it grew both day and night.

And into my garden stole,

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 18

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 19

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 20

Man In Black (Text)

He was proceeding in this strain earnestly, to dissuade me from an imprudence of which I am

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 21

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 22

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 23

Plot Summary of Doctor Faustus

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 24

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 25

Compiled/Edited/Prepared by Dr G K Badiger, GFGC Dharwad pg. 26

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