"Drama of Ideas" is a theatrical genre that strongly emphasizes the exploration and discussion of complex philosophical, political, or social ideas. This...Continue
Doctor Faustus
Ans: Morality Play is a sort of play that teaches moral lessons.
Ans: The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus.
Ans: Faustus is the protagonist of the play “Doctor Faustus”. Historically, he is a black art professor who lives in Germany.
Ans. The Good Angel and the Old Man continuously urge Faustus to repent for his sins.
Ans. Faustus wounded his own arm to write a bond with Lucifer using his own blood.
Ans: Man should not hanker after limitless power.
Ans: These Angels are nothing but the personification of Faustus’ internal conflict.
Ans. Satan’s proper name is Lucifer.
Ans: Lucifer is the proper name of Satan, and Beelzebub is one of his officials.
Ans: In classical Greek drama, the chorus was a group of actors who commented upon the main action of a play through song, dance, and recitation.
Ans. Faustus is the speaker.
Ans: Carthage was an ancient city situated in North of Africa, famous for trade and strong force.
Ans: Born in Germany, Faustus has acquired a profound knowledge of the branches of Divinity and Theology.
Ans: The Seven Deadly Sins include Pride, Covetousness, Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, and Lechery.
Ans: It is a vision that values the individual more than God.
Ans: He is Lucifer’s servant.
Ans: His friends are Valdes and Cornelius. Faustus desires to see them, thinking that they will help him learn necromancy.
Ans: This phrase refers to one’s weak point.
Ans: “Who made the world? Now tell me, who made the world?”
Ans: They are late 16th-century English poet and playwrights, including Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd, John Lyly, George Peele, Robert Greene, Thomas Nashe, and Thomas Lodge.
Ans: It is the practice of magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits.
Ans: To gain limitless power, wealth, knowledge, and authority for himself.
Ans. Trinity refers to the Christian concept of one God in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.
Ans: 24 years.
Or, What is Mephistophilis’s idea of hell?
Ans. According to Mephistophilis, hell does not mean any particular place to which Lucifer and his followers have been confined. To him, hell means the loss of heaven.
Ans: Soliloquy means self-revelation. It is a dramatic device in which a character speaks to himself when he is alone on the stage.
Ans: In Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete.
Ans: Excessive pride.
Ans. Renaissance means rebirth (Re=again; naissance=birth). It has been described as the birth of the modern world out of the ashes of the “Dark Ages.”
Ans. The fault Faustus finds in medical science is that it cannot make men immortal and raise the dead man to life.
Ans: Mephistophilis brings Faustus something hot to make his blood flow, and then Faustus goes on to finish signing the deal.
Ans: His blood congeals because it does not support the pact.
Ans: Marriage is considered to be a rule of the church. Faustus, being a follower of the Devil, should not think about anything connected to the church.
Ans: Faustus notices the inscription on his arm “homo fuge” means ‘O man, fly’.
Ans: His greed for overpowering knowledge overcomes this repentance, so he cannot believe that God favours him and has granted him salvation.
Ans. Faustus’s own blood hinders the signing of the contract.
Ans: His desire for worldly pursuits prevents him from killing himself.
Ans: Faustus wants to be Paris in order to become the lover of Helen, the destructive Greek beauty.
Ans: Mephistophilis.
Ans: The old man tells him that there is an angel hovering over his head, ready to bless him with God’s grace if only he appeals to God for mercy.
Ans: Theology.
Ans: Icarus had waxen wings.
Ans: In eight days.
Ans: Elizabethan Period (1558-1603).
Ans: Because he wants to walk on foot through the lovely green spot.
Ans: Faustus warns the dealer not to ride the horse in the water because, in water, it will vanish into nothingness and turn into a bundle of hay.
Ans: According to the Scholars, Helen of Troy, in Greek legend, is the most beautiful woman of Greece and the indirect cause of the Trojan War.
Ans: He thinks that this kiss will make him immortal.
Ans. Wagner is the servant to Faustus.
Macbeth
Ans. Inverness is the name of Macbeth’s castle.
Ans: Macbeth is the play’s protagonist, and Lady Macbeth is his wife.
Ans: Representing evil, darkness, chaos, and conflict, the Three Witches, also known as the Weird Sisters, plot against Macbeth using spells and prophecies.
Ans- Hecate is the Goddess of witchcraft.
Ans: They greet Macbeth as the Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and as the future King.
Ans: Macduff is a general in Duncan’s army. His wife and son were killed by Macbeth’s men, and eventually he was able to slay Macbeth.
Ans: Lady Macbeth refuses to kill Duncan because he looks like her father sleeping there.
Ans: Her guilt over her crimes causes Lady Macbeth’s madness.
Ans. She wants to be filled with cruelty, given a hard heart, and the thick blood necessary to do what has to be done in order to make Macbeth king.
Ans: What is considered good is, in fact, wrong, and what is considered bad is actually good.
Ans: Duncan, a fictitious character, was the excellent King of Scotland.
Ans: Malcolm was King Duncan’s oldest son, the heir to the throne, and brother to Donalbain.
Ans: Gentleness of human nature.
Ans. Lady Macbeth wishes to drive away feminine qualities so that she can execute her design of putting an end to Duncan’s life.
Ans: Golgotha was the place where Christ was hanged on the cross.
Ans: The gentleness of human nature.
Ans: After Macbeth murders King Duncan, he takes the daggers to his wife instead of leaving them with the guards.
Ans: Alliteration & Assonance, and Paradox.
Ans: A precious Diamond.
Ans: On the heath (marshes).
Ans: His high ambition.
Ans: Lady Macbeth spoke this hyperbolic line.
Ans: “The peerless dame of Greece” is Helen, the wife of Menelaus.
Ans: The Witches say, “Fair is foul and foul is fair.”
Ans: Macduff kills Macbeth.
Ans: Malcolm and Donalbain were Duncan’s sons.
Ans. They greet him as “Thane of Glamis, “Thane of Cawdor, and King hereafter” (future king).
Ans: In an attempt to distract Macduff from her husband’s inadequate reasoning, Lady Macbeth pretends to faint.
Ans. Macbeth is described as “Bellona’s bridegroom”.
Ans: Lady Macbeth’s fainting signifies that she is completely shocked that the king has been murdered.
Ans: “It is a tale told by an Idiot, full of sound and fury”.
The Merchant of Venice
Ans: A romantic comedy.
Ans: A fictitious city in Venice, Italy.
Ans: The men must select one of three caskets: one made of gold, one of silver, and one of lead. One of the caskets contains a portrait of Portia, and whoever chooses it will marry her.
Ans. Shylock is a Jew.
Ans. He loses his wealth and is forced to convert to Christianity.
Ans: “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.”
Ans: Only the leaden casket contained Portia’s picture.
Ans: “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath”.
Ans: All ships of Antonio are reported to have been lost in the storm of the sea.
Ans: The trial scene is the critical perspective in the play. Antonio is trialled in the court of the Duke because he has failed to repay the debt which he had taken from Shylock. According to the condition, he can cut a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body.
Ans. Portia was compared to Daniel because of her wisdom and fairness in the courtroom scene.
Ans. Antonio expressed his hatred towards Shylock by calling him a dog in the public.
Ans: The duke declares that he is waiting for a certain “Bellario, a learned doctor,” to arrive from Padua before he makes a final decision concerning this case.
Ans: “Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire.”
Ans: Her speech extols the power of mercy, “an attribute to God Himself.”
Ans: Antonio.
Ans: He is a Jew.
Ans: Shylock.
Ans: Portia saves Antonio by disguising herself as a lawyer and defending him in court.
Ans: Shylock is left empty of his daughter, his property, and his religion.
Ans: Shylock hates Antonio because he is a Christian and lends money to people without charging excessive interest.
Ans: Bassanio is the hero of the casket story. He is Antonio’s most intimate friend and Portia’s husband.
Ans: To regain his fortune.
Ans. Portia is the central character of the play, The Merchant of Venice.
Ans: The young Dr. Balthazar is no other than the young lady Portia, who comes to the court in the dress of a doctor of law.
Ans. Shylock will pay Antonio three thousand ducats on condition that Shylock will take a pound of flesh from any part of Antonio’s body in case of his failure to repay the loan in time.
Ans. As it was impossible for Shylock to cut one pound of flesh, nor more or less, without shedding any blood, he broke the agreement with Antonio.
Volpone
Ans: Volpone (The Fox) is a Venetian gentleman who pretends to be on his deathbed after a long illness to dupe Voltore (The Vulture), Corbaccio (The Raven), and Corvino (The Crow), three men who aspire to inherit his fortune.
Ans: An epistle is a formal or didactic letter sent to a person or a group of people.
Ans. Volpone feigns illness to attract legacy hunters.
Ans. Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino are the three legacy hunters in Volpone. Voltore stands for vulture, Corbaccio stands for raven, and Corvino stands for crow.
Ans: Mosca (the gadfly) is a parasite; this bestiary name encompasses the superficial character of Volpone’s servant
Ans: Bonario is “a young Gentleman, son of Corbaccio.”
Ans: Celia is the wife of the Merchant, Corvino.
Ans: Improve humanity by criticizing social follies and faults.
Ans: Comedy of Humour is a type of comedic play that explores the idea of characters being dominated by a particular “humour” or temperament.
Ans: The Prologue expresses Jonson’s hope that the play will be both entertaining and enlightening.
Ans. A prologue is the beginning part of a play or any literary work.
Ans: When Volpone insists that he is not dead, in direct contradiction to Mosca, he is taken away to be whipped for his lie.
Ans: Mosca is to be whipped first and then sent as a galley slave.
Ans: Nano, Castrone, Androgyne, Mosca, and Volpone
Ans: Voltore means vulture.
Ans: Volpone means fox.
Ans: The Fox
Ans: Voltore brought a considerable gold plate engraved with Volpone’s name and arms as a gift.
Ans: Volpone is a comedy of humours.
Ans. A comedy of humours refers to a type of drama that focuses on characters, each character representing a type of personality.
Ans: Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino are the three legacy hunters.
Ans: Corvino is “a Merchant” by profession.
Ans: Mosca suggests suicide to escape dishonour.
Ans. He enjoys pretending to be a dying rich man to deceive greedy legacy hunters.
Ans: Bonario and Celia are the only two good characters in Volpone.
Ans: At last, Volpone is ordered to be imprisoned and in chains while his property is confiscated and given to the hospitals for the incurables.
Ans: Oglio del Scoto.
Ans: Mosca earns his livelihood by flattering his patron and by servile behaviour.
Ans: Volpone offers her jewels and wealth to seduce her.
Ans: Mosca’s name means the fly.
Ans: Corbaccio offers to give Volpone, a sleep-inducing drug.
Ans: According to Mosca, Celia is Italy’s blazing star.
Ans: A person who deceives others, especially in order to trick them out of their money; a charlatan.
Ans. When the judges ask Volpone in the guise of the commentators to be whipped for his insolent lie, Volpone finds himself in a desperate situation and throws off his disguise, and reveals his true identity.
The Duchess of Malfi
Ans: The Tragedy of the Dutchess of Malfy.
Ans: Bosola, the villain in The Duchess of Malfi.
Ans: Malfi is a dukedom in Italy.
Ans. Bosola says. “I am a tomb maker.”
Ans. A decadent play typically refers to a work of drama that embodies the characteristics of decadence. It usually describes a period of art or literature in comparison with the excellence of the former age.
Ans: The madmen include a mad lawyer, a secular priest, a doctor, an astrologer, and a crazed English tailor.
Ans. Bosola gives the Duchess some apricots to be sure whether she is pregnant or not.
Ans: Because he has vowed never to see her again.
Ans: In Greek legend, Tantalus was the son of Zeus or Tmolus (a ruler of Lydia) and the nymph or Titaness Pluto (Plouto) and the father of Niobe and Pelops. He was a mighty king of Sipylus, an ancient kingdom near present-day Lydia.
Ans: Plum trees that are rich in fruit.
Ans. Historically, the name of the Cardinal was Luigi or Lodovico.
Ans. The Duchess gives him the ring that her (first) husband gave her at the time of her wedding.
Ans: Ferdinand pretends to sleep in the law court so that offenders may become careless in their statements.
Ans: Bosola arrests the Duchess in disguise, wearing a mask on his face.
Ans: Vincentio Lauriola has made wax figures for Antonio and his children.
Ans: Jacobean Period (1603-1625).
Ans: Cariola is the Duchess’s maid and confidant.
Ans: Cariola dies tragically by strangling.
Ans: Ancona is a city-state in Italy.
Ans: Cariola.
Ans: The parting request from the Duchess to Cariola is to take care of her children.
Ans: The Duchess of Malfi is a tragedy.
Ans: Melodrama is a dramatic work where events, plots, and characters are sensationalized to produce strong emotional reactions from the audience.
Ans: Ferdinand was the Duke of Calabria.
Ans: Ferdinand offers Bosola gold to carry out his orders and do what he wants him to do.
Ans: Her brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, forbid her from remarrying, seeking to defend their inheritance and to avoid a degrading association with a social inferior.
Ans. Ferdinand visits the Duchess in a darkened room because he has vowed never to see her again and places in her hand a dead man’s hand that she will assume to be Antonio’s.
Ans: Ferdinand shows the Duchess his father’s dagger to threaten her that he will use it if she does not keep her lust under control.
Ans: The Duchess had never vowed to give the ring to anybody except her second husband.
Ans. He poisons her with a poisoned Bible.
Ans. Antonio believes that marriage brings either complete happiness or absolute misery.
Ans. In his last words, Delio gives the message to the audience that integrity is the best friend of reputation; integrity is rewarded even after death.
Ans: When Bosola gives her some apricots, she eats them very greedily. Then they make her stomach feel uneasy. It makes her feel sick. This proves that the Duchess is pregnant.
Ans: Apricot is a fruit.
Ans. The Duchess is buried next to the Cardinal’s house.
Ans: After Bosola and Antonio fight, Antonio flees, dropping the child’s horoscope by mistake, and Bosola gets it.
Ans: The Duchess gave birth to three children, two sons and a daughter.
Ans: Hearing the news, he goes crazy, angrily curses the Duchess, and brashly describes her as a strumpet.
"Drama of Ideas" is a theatrical genre that strongly emphasizes the exploration and discussion of complex philosophical, political, or social ideas. This...Continue
The Restoration Age (1660-1700) is a significant period in English history and literature. It began when Charles II was restored to the...Continue
How does love degrade a human being? In Francis Bacon's (1561-1626) "Of Love," he discusses how love can degrade a human being...Continue