Film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

    As a task of thinking activity, here i write a blog about Film adaptation of Shakespeare's play Macbeth.

    Macbeth is one of the most famous tragedy by William Shakespeare, it was first performed in 1606. It is a five act's short play, set during the 11th century, in Scotland, in Tho northernmost region of what is now United Kingdom. The play focuses on the main theme of, "The destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral constraint". The play Macbeth is about a Scottish nobleman and his wife who murder their king for his throne, Charts the extreme of ambition and guilt. Here let we discuss short summary of Macbeth.

   Here is some paintings by some of the famous painters, which drawn in the reference of Shakespeare's play Macbeth.

Summary of play :-

     Macbeth is a play of contradiction and ambition. Driven to becoming King, Macbeth will kill all and any that get in his way. He puts his faith in the words and prophesies of three witches, after their first one (that he will become Thane of Cawdor) comes through. Macbeth's wife.When the play begins, Macbeth is a brave and loyal thane to King Duncan. However, after hearing a prophecy that he will become king himself, Macbeth is overcome by ambition and greed. Encouraged by the prophecy and his scheming wife, he kills King Duncan and seizes the throne. Afterwards, Macbeth’s guilt, fear, and paranoia lead him to commit even more murders to secure his power. His confidence in the prophecies eventually leads to his downfall, and he is overthrown and killed by those he has wronged.

    There are many filmmakers are amazingly influenced by this most intresting theme and story of Shakespeare's Macbeth. And it was resulting as a movie adaptation of Macbeth. Many movies in various languages are based on Shakespeare's Macbeth. Here we discuss some of them and compare the movies and original Macbeth.

Movie adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth :-

1] Orson Welles's Macbeth (1948)

Macbeth - 1948

Director - Orson Welles.

Notable Cast - Orson Welles, Jeannette Nolan.

    American film director Orson Welles released his Macbeth version in 1948. This black-and-white film features some minor changes to the original play along with significant edits. Welles increased the purpose and presence of the three Witches in the movie to play up the conflict between early Christianity and pagan beliefs in Scotland. Welles also emphasized the violence of the story: the film depicts Lady Macbeth’s suicide and the final battle that ends with Macbeth’s beheading by Macduff. And he also wanted all of the characters to speak with authentic Scottish accents, but the studio that produced the film insisted that the voices be dubbed after the film was completed. He acted as Macbeth in his film and

presented a ‘real’ Macbeth. Jeanette Nolan was in the role of Lady Macbeth, Edgar Barrier acted Banquo and, Erskine

Sanford was in the role of Duncan. Orson Welles's visual strategy, in this black-and-white adaptation, offers more to the

view, but in a blurring style that favors fluidity, uncertainty, and instability through a misty setting, out-of-focus shots, and

slow dissolves. In the established Welles tradition, which has been building for a number of years, the theatrical

mechanics of the medium are permitted to dominate the play and Shakespeare is forced to lower billing than the director,

the star or the cameraman. Welles transforms Macbeth into an expressionistic morality play. The swirling mists and vague

outlines of three crouching figures lure an audience into a disturbing world where supernatural powers seem to be

controlling events. Faceless witches defy our attempts at definition and the sight of them plunging their hands into the

bubbling cauldron confirms our fear.

   Welles Macbeth however look a cheap and feel rushed. But still despite of this Macbeth still stand above much more lavish rendition of the play. Filmsy props and ill - considered narrative changes do hurt the film. But the resulting expressionist visual language delivers what even Shakespeare's words cannot. Most of the scenes of castle and negative space on the sets was pormed from some hellish mountain top.many time he translated the physical space of the film into a nightmarish reflection of Macbeth's mental state. And Welles also removed various set pieces, background actors, and propse. Welles' adaptation of the narrative language of the play is more of a mixed bag thein his bold aesthetic choice. Few characters are also cut from the film and does not even mentioned their name. For example Ross is cut from film and much of his dialogues given to new major character, the Holy man. So the film of welles is little beat different than play but still close to the story and theme of play.

   So we can able to concider that Welles Macbeth is black and white but well structured and based on morality. I share here the opening scene of Orson Welle's Macbeth.

2] Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood (1957)

    Throne of Blood is a 1957 Japanese historical drama film co-written and directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film transposes the plot of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth from Medieval Scotland to feudal Japan, with stylistic elements drawn from Noh drama. The film stars Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada in the lead roles, modelled on the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

Macbeth vs. Throne of Bloode :- 

         

    The film is set in medieval Japan, while the play Macbeth is set in medieval Scotland.The location is not the only difference between the two productions. The portrayal of the characters is also very different; this is evident in Act 5, Scene 1. In this pivotal scene Lady Macbeth and Lady Asaji are seen cleansing their hands. While the two scenes share similarities, Shakespeare's depiction and Kurosawa's interpretation of the hand-washing scene are quite different: Lady Asaji appears to be without remorse while Lady Macbeth is filled with regret. As Lady Macbeth attempts to wash the blood from her hands she bellows: "Out, damned spot! Out, I say",There are a few ways that we can view this. We may regard Lady Macbeth as an evil person suffering from a guilty conscience. Lady Macbeth's prior encouragement of her husband to kill and betray in order to gain power has come back to haunt her. The bloodstained hands that Lady Macbeth attempts to scrub are not stained with blood at all. The blood she thinks she sees is all in her head, and could very well symbolize guilt. Living with her guilt all over her hands proves to be the best punishment because it is through this suffering that her once aggressive and bloodthirsty nature reveals the small, delicate woman she really is. Through this form of punishment, Lady Macbeth realizes that she is not a strong person and she then kills herself. William Carroll editor of Macbeth: Texts and Contexts recaps that: "When Lady Macbeth is strong, Macbeth is weak (as at the beginning of the murder plot), and when Macbeth is strong, Lady Macbeth becomes weak (as at the end of the play).

  Here is a Trailer of "The throne of Blood ".

3] Roman Polanski's Macbeth (1971)

Macbeth - 1972

Director - Roman Polanski

Notable Cast - John Finch, Francesca Annis.

  

    Roman Polanski who is a renowned British film director translated Macbeth as film in 1971 with the same name.

starring is Jon Finch, Francesca Amis as lead actors. The film was set in the open countryside in Scotland and his castle was

more like the setting of the original play which makes it more traditional. It was the first film Polanski made after his

wife’s brutal murder. That is why this film is renowned for its horror, nudity and violence.

 

    Polanski wrote screenplay with

Kenneth Tynan and translated Bard’s play with his own ideas and changed many scenes and situations symbolically

confronting the spectators with a dangerous “gorgon” that could amaze them. This film stages the play in a cruel and pagan

world, between the Neolithic and the middle age. The film nonetheless inserts new possibilities into the play. From

beginning to the end there are notable changes. At some places, however, Polanski presents the key scenes of murder of

King Duncan, and Macbeth differently. The murder of the king Duncan, shown in visual images thrills the heart of the

spectators that isolates them to imagine what they felt at the time of reading the play.

The whole cast of the film is impressive. The actors are young fellows. Even the king lived young and died young

then. John Finch as Macbeth is both athletic and impassioned enough to carry off the soldiering, and young and

introspective enough to be moved by his wife as a women and a co-conspirator as well. In many respects Polanski’s

Macbeth seems near to the original play. For instance the castle keeps are cold, dark, and dirty. The common sleeping

cottages, straw bedding, flaring smoky torches, seeping walls, and muddy yards all contributes to the historical accuracy of

this production. All the scenes of murders are nasty which try to show that medieval Scotland was nasty and bloody.This R-rated film of the play features a nude sleepwalking scene by Lady Macbeth and plenty of on-screen violence. Polanski also emphasizes the passage of time – the events of play span several years, and the Macbeths visibly age over the course of the movie.

   This how Polanski's Macbeth is seems more classical and horror.

4] Rupert Goold's Macbeth (2010)

Macbeth - 2010

Director - Rupert Goold

Notable Cast - Patrick Stewart, Kate Fleetwood.

   Macbeth is a 2010 television film based on William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name. It was broadcast on BBC Four on 12 December 2010. In the United States, it aired on PBS' Great Performances. It was directed by Rupert Goold from his stage adaptation for the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2007. Patrick Stewart is featured in the title role, with Kate Fleetwood as Lady Macbeth. The film evokes the atmosphere of Romania in the 1960s, with subtle parallels between Ceaușescu and Macbeth in their equally brutal quests for power. The Three Witches likewise receive an update in keeping with the 20th century aesthetics, appearing as hospital nurses. Their presence is pervasive throughout the film, punctuating the horror of Macbeth's murderous reign. The film was shot entirely on location at Welbeck Abbey.

   William Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Macbeth, is a tragedy brilliantly brought to the 21st Century by Rupert Goold. Although Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play set in 16th Century Scotland, Rupert Goold modernizes the play by changing the setting to a Soviet-styled country and implementing modern elements into the characters and theme. Although Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Rupert Goold’s film adaptation share many ideologies and a general storyline, a difference exists in the setting, the characters, and the overall ambience of the story.

     In an effort to successfully relate the plot to his audience, Rupert Goold places the setting for Macbeth in a bleak, militaristic, Society-styled state, described by critic Ben Brantley as a “joyless, stark environment that resembles nothing so much as a morgue.” The setting contributes to a foreboding atmosphere, felt by the audience throughout the entire play. The mannerisms and costumes of the characters of Rupert Goold’s film are in context with the setting.

    As what critic Joseph White accurately describes as “more vicious and less pitiable,” Rupert Goold’s Macbeth is perceived by the viewers of film as a Stalin-like dictator. The halls of his palace are decorated with murals of his face. The film also illustrates the large masses of crowds. Through this perspective of Macbeth, Rupert Goold emphasizes the theme of the corrosive power of unbridled ambition.

    Not unlike Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the character of Macbeth in Rupert Goold’s film is a savage, power-hungry politician. In Goold’s film, however, Macbeth finds humor in the tumultuous events leading to his downfall. His chilling laughter upon the announcement of his wife’s suicide and his demeaning attitude towards his fellow regeeir half-truths and prophecies. In the end, they appear to be angels of Hell.

    The Lady Macbeth of Rupert Goold’s contemporary interpretation of Macbeth and the Lady Macbeth of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth are different in regards to their character traits and appearance. In Ruper Goold’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is depicted as an instrument of evil – a constant figure of fiery wrath. Through dark costumes and makeup, the viewers of the film see her as a morbid housewife, consumed with ambition.

   The film remains faithful to the themes of Macbeth. It does not dilute the eternal qualities of evil and treachery that are so viscerally expressed in the play.

5] Justin Kurziel's Macbeth (2015)

Macbeth - 2015

Director - Justin Kurziel.

Notable Cast - Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard.

  This recent adaptation was filmed in Scotland, and opens with the funeral of the Macbeth’s dead son. This plot device links the couple’s thirst for power to their grief over losing their child, and makes the couple initially sympathetic to the audience.

   In Kurzel’s Macbeth, however, the text takes a backseat. Instead, Kurzel relies heavily on sound mixing and symbolic images — the whistling wind, the clashing swords, and the ghostly hooded figures — to communicate plot.Kurzel takes his cues from the text, but he expresses his ideas about the text through images and sounds rather than through the dialogue. Sometimes, these choices even contradict the information embedded in the verse.

    Kurzel’s Medieval Scotland is a harsh, hard world from the outset, full of grey clouds, damp weather, and fog. But the text itself isn’t so blunt.

6] Maqbool :-

    Maqbool was Vishal Bhardwaj's second film as a director. The film had its North American premiere at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. And it was also screened in the Marché du Film section of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. The film has a great star-cast: Pankaj Kapoor (he wins two awards for this role), Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, and Piyush Mishra. The screenplay was developed from the drama by Vishal Bhardwaj and Abbas Tyrewala. The most significant turn in the adaptation is that the film is about Mumbai Underworld. The King, Duncan I of Scotland is actually an underworld don, Abbaji. Macbeth (Maqbool) and Banquo (Kaka) are two of his goons who look after his business. And Lady Macbeth (Nimmi) is actually a mistress of Abbaji and not a wife of Maqbool.

    Two corrupt policemen predicts the reign of Maqbool on Abbaji's kingdom. The role of witches from the drama is taken by these two corrupt policemen. But, unlike drama, they are not passive fortune-tellers. In fact, they are active in manipulating the future events.

   The scenes of hallucination and fright of blood have been portrayed very powerfully. Both Maqbool and Nimmi were guilt ridden and hallucinating the blood and dead-bodies of the people they’ve killed. In drama, Macbeth had hallucination of Banquo during a meet at his castle. Lady Macbeth saved him by asking other guests to leave. In the movie, the scene was well-incorporated. It was a time of one of the death rituals of Abbaji, everyone was there. And the policemen bring the dead-body of Kaka. Maqbool, here, hallucinates that Kaka wakes up from death and discloses his evil intentions.

   When Macbeth asks about his demise, witches tell him that the jungle's arrival at his palace will bring his doom. Similar prediction is used here. On Maqbool's query Policemen tells him that sea's arrival at his palace will bring his doom. Such a prophecy, on literal level, is impossible to turn true. But, the Custom comes to Maqbool's palace to arrest him, due to his smuggling from sea route.

    Thus to conclud, we can able to say that, The Macbeth is one of the Major play with lots of intresting elements, themes, symbols, and horror and supernatural things. Always being a focus of many movie makers.

Words :- 2711

References :-

1)Shakespeare. Org. Uk.

2)encyclopedia

3)phd research papers of scholars.

4)enotes. Com

5)The conversation.com

6)sevent-row. Com

Paragraph :- 11

Neoclassical Age

     Hello, here i am writing a blog on Alexander pope and his notable work as a task of Thinking activity. Along with this i, also discuss about the very famous poem of neoclassical age called, Rape Of The Lock.

   Alexander pope is very famous figure. He was from the generation "The poet" of great nation. But the poetry was limited in the early Eighteenth Century. There were few lyrics, little or no love poetry, no epics, no dramas or songs of nature worth considering. But in the narrow filed of satire and didactic verse, pope was the undisputed master. Many of the foreign writers, as well as majority of English poets, looked him as their model.

   He was the only important writer of that age who gave his whole life to letters. Swift was a clergyman and politician, Addison was secretary of state, other writers also depended on patrons or politics or pensions for fame and livelihood. But pope was independent,and had no profession but literature. With the strong determination and by held it, inspite of religious prejudice, he overcome the physical and temperamental obstacles that would have discouraged him.

   He  knew little of the world of nature or of the world of the human heart. He was lacking, apparently, in noble feeling and instinctively chose a lie when the truth had manifestly more adventurages.  Yet this jealous, peevish, waspish little man became the most famous poet of his age and the acknowledged leader of English literature. Let us discuss about his life.

 :- Life of Pope

      He was born in London in 1688. The year of the revolution. His parents were both Catholics, who presently removed from London and settled in Binfield, near Windsor. Where pope passed his childhood. Pope received very little school education. Because of an unfortunate prejudice against Catholics In the public schools. And might be because of his own weakness and deformity.He contracted a tubercular infection in his later childhood; tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease that generally causes damage to the lungs but can also affect other areas, such as the spine, as it did in Pope's case. Tuberculosis was a widespread concern in Pope's time, since effective treatments for the disease were still two centuries away, and half of those who developed full-blown symptoms would eventually die. Pope lived, but because of his illness, he never grew taller than four feet six inches, suffering from curvature of the spine and constant headaches. His physical appearance, frequently mocked by his enemies, undoubtedly gave an edge to Pope's satire, but he was always generous in his affection for his parents and many friends.

     But he started reading lots of English books and mainly focus on reading classics. Very early he began to write poetry. Because of his Catholic religion, he rejected by many of hid desirable employment. So he decided to make literature his life work. And he started following the Dryden, whom he consider his only master. Though much of his works seems to depended on Boileau, The French poet and critic.

 Some intresting facts about Pope's life :-

1] Second quoted writer in the English Language :-

   Alexander Pope’s poetry and famous sayings are extremely popular to this day, a well-known fact about Alexander Pope. The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations places him second only to William Shakespeare. Some of his verses are now idioms in common speech, e.g. “damning with faint praise”.

2] Health issues :-

   Even from a young age, Alexander Pope had bad health. He suffered from Pott disease which is a form of tuberculosis affecting the spine. As a result, his growth was stunted and he developed a hunchback. He also had breathing difficulties, eye inflammation, and high fever. His poor health made it even harder for him to integrate in society, on top of his Catholic roots, a sad fact about Alexander Pope.

3] He rarely left the house without a gun and his Dog :-

  His satire made him lots of enemies and he developed a slight paranoia, after also being advised by friends to not leave his house on his own. This was especially the case after a failed attack by the son of critic John Dennis. Pope therefore carried a brace of pistols and brought with him his dog, a Great Dane called Bounce.

4] His lavish London home :-

    From his earnings after translating Homer, Alexander Pope actually made a good living. This meant that he was able to live in a villa in Twickenham in London, complete with a grotto and lovely gardens, an interesting fact about Alexander Pope.

5] Three of the moons of Uranus are named after characters from his poetry :-

  Alexander Pope’s best-known poem is The Rape of the Lock and in it, the heroine Belinda and two Sylphs, Umbriel and Ariel, inspired the naming of the satellites of the planet Uranus. All the 27 known satellites of Uranus are named after literary characters, but it’s interesting that the other 24 all owe their names to Shakespeare.

6] famous phrases originate from Pope’s work :-

    We use a lot of phrases and idioms which first appeared in Pope’s poems. For example, the line “To err is human; to forgive, divine” come from Alexander Pope’s work.

The popular film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind owes its title to Pope’s poem Eloisa to Abelard.

Finally, the phrase “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” is extremely well-known and has been used everywhere from Hollywood movies to everyday life. It comes from Pope’s work An Essay on Criticism.

7] He cured his headaches with coffee :-

    Samuel Johnson used to say that Alexander Pope inhaled the steam of coffee to cure headaches., an interesting fact about Alexander Pope. Pope called this “Mocha’s happy tree”. This might just be connected to the rising popularity of coffee during his time, especially among English tea-drinkers. Samuel Johnson was known for drinking extremely large amounts of tea in one sitting, so it’s only normal that he’d have found Pope’s love of coffee peculiar. As for Pope, he advised drinking strong coffee on a regular basis.

8] His nickname was “the Wasp of Twickenham” :-

   Because of his satirical works, Alexander Pope didn’t make many friends among the famous people of his age. For example, he wrote The Dunciad as a comic version of Virgil’s Aeneid and basically ridiculed everyone he didn’t like: the stupid, the tasteless, the incompetent.This will have caused his many enemies to be created.

9] His skull may have been exhumed :-

    Upon his death, Alexander Pope was buried in the nave of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin at Twickenham, next to his mother. There are rumors that his skull was dug up afterwards, and bought to be examined by phrenologists. This has fed into a belief that his spirit now haunts the church.

   This is some of the intresting facts about his life.  Now let we discuss about some of his notable works.

MAJOR WORKS :-

(1) An Essay on Criticism (1711)

(2) The Rape of the Lock (1714)

(3) The Dunciad (1728)

(4) Moral Essays (1731–1735; collected 1751)

(5) An Essay on Man (1733)

  Alexander Pope was a superstar of English neoclassical literature, so much so that the first half of the British eighteenth century is often referred to as “the age of Pope.” Pope alternately defined, invented, satirized, critiqued, and reformed almost all of the genres and conventions of early-eighteenth-century British verse. He polished his work with meticulous care, and he is generally recognized as the greatest English poet between John Milton and William Wordsworth.

  

    For convenience we may separate Pope's work into three groups, corresponding to the early, middle, and later period of his life. In the first he wrote his "Pastorals," "Windsor Forest," "Messiah," "Essay on Criticism," "Eloise to Abelard," and the Rape of the Lock; in the second, his translations of Homer; in the third the Dunciad and the Epistles, the latter containing the famous "Essay on Man" and the "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot," which is in truth his "Apologia," and in which alone we see Pope's life from his own view point.

   1} Pastorals (1709):-

 

   Pope was a child prodigy. His first publication, Pastorals (1709), drew on long-established literary conventions but nevertheless announced him as a major new talent. Pope's next major work, An Essay on Criticism (1711), was much bolder. In the work, Pope finds modern literature largely failing in its responsibility to follow unchanging “nature,” the test of which is how well we can recognize basic human truths in ancient classical works (particularly Homer). An Essay on Criticism became the manifesto for a major movement in literary criticism: neoclassicism. Pope wrote the entire essay in heroic couplets (pairs of rhymed iambic pentameter lines).

 2}  Rape of the lock (1714):-

    Pope surprised many by showing he was also a master of humor and satire with "The Rape of the Lock", which immediately made Pope famous. A fashionable young lady, Arabella Fermor, had a lock of her hair cut off without permission by a suitor, and Pope was asked by a mutual friend to soothe ruffled tempers with a jest. Adopting a mock-heroic style that drew upon Homer and others (who were valorized so seriously in An Essay on Criticism), Pope showed how ridiculous it was to treat the event overseriously and simultaneously satirized the vanity and glitter of upper-class society. Here i am sharing the small trailer of poem Rape of the lock.

3} Pope's Translations :-

  He had done poetic imitations, transformations, or translations of Vergil, the Bible, and Chaucer. The fame of Pope's Iliad, which was financially the most successful of his books, was due to the fact that he interpreted Homer in the elegant, artificial language of his own age. Not only do his words follow literary fashions but even the Homeric characters lose their strength and become fashionable men of the court. So the criticism of the scholar Bentley was most appropriate when he said, "It is a pretty poem, Mr. Pope, but you must not call it Homer." Pope translated the entire Iliad and half of the Odyssey; and the latter work was finished by two Cambridge scholars, Elijah Fenton and William Broome, who imitated the mechanical couplets so perfectly that it is difficult to distinguish their work from that of the greatest poet of the age.

Works In Literary Context :- 

1] Pope and Neoclassicism :-         

  

   Pope, particularly in An Essay on Criticism and “Epistle to Arbuthnot,” contributed to neoclassicism, or the resurgence in ancient ideals in art and literature—particularly the ideals of ancient Greece and Rome. For Pope, the core truth is whatever has lasted longest across many generations of readers; thus we should look to ancient literature for truth. In the epics of Homer, for example, the ethics of heroism, loyalty, and leadership are as true now as they were then. In addition, the balanced and symmetrical structures of classical literature and architecture represent values of reason and coherence that Pope says should remain central to all modern arts.

2] Comic Satire :-

     Pope used his great knowledge of and respect for classical literature to write mock-epics that poked fun at the elite. Essentially Pope believed the upper class possessed an exaggerated sense of its own importance. He also made fun of hack writers, comparing their shoddy work with timeless stories of the past. Pope is credited for proclaiming, “Praise undeserved is satire in disguise.”

3] Pope and Proverbs :-

     Pope's style and personal philosophies have become part of the English language. For example, “A little learning is a dang'rous thing” comes from An Essay on Criticism, as does “To err is human, to forgive, divine.” Other well-known sayings from An Essay on Criticism include “For fools rush in where angels fear to tread” and “Hope springs eternal.”

Conclusion :-

       Pope was died at 30 May 1744, in Radnor House, Independent school, Twickenham, United Kingdom. But remain in the heart of people for his extraordinary works and satires. 

Question - 2

Write in a brief about your favorite work from the neoclassical age.

  Rape of the lock is one the most famous work of the neoclassical age. So here i want to discuss the poem is in brief.

    The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope.it was first published anonymously in Lintot's Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. In May 1712 in two cantos. Contains 334 lines.a revised edition "Written by Mr. Pope" published in March 1714 as a five-canto version contains 794 lines.this was sold more than three thousand copies in its first four days.The final form of the poem appeared in 1717 with the addition of Clarissa's speech on good humour. The poem was much translated and contributed to the growing popularity of mock-heroic in Europe.

   The story focuses on the central character, Belinda, whose lock of hair is cut off at a social gathering. Although trivial to most, Belinda is outraged that her lock of hair has been cut by the Baron. In the Rape of the Lock, Pope uses Belinda and the Baron to mock two of his acquaintances, Arabella Fermor, and Lord Petre. The poem follows the events of the night, leading up to Belinda’s “horrific” loss.

Why was the poem written?

   Pope wrote The Rape of the Lock in response to a request made my his friend John Caryll, a prominent Roman Catholic of the time. Caryll explained that his friend, Lord Petre, had cut off a lock of Arabella Fermor’s hair. Ever since the incident, the families had been feuding. In order to make light of the situation, Pope wrote The Rape of the Lock. “The stealing of Miss Belle Fermor’s hair, was taken too seriously, and caused an estrangement between the two families, though they had lived so long in great friendship before. A common acquaintance and well-wisher to both, desired me to write a poem to make a jest of it, and laugh them together again. It was with this view that I wrote the Rape of the Lock.”

Summary of the poem :-

  At the opening of the poem, Belinda, a beautiful and wealthy young woman is asleep. Ariel, her guardian sylph, watches over her and sends her a dream which highlights what the role of the sylph is namely to protect virtuous young women.He is worried that some disaster is close at hand, though he is not sure what form it will take. He instead warns her through the dream to “beware of man.” Belinda then awakes and begins dressing herself for a day of social engagements. With the help of her maid Betty, and that of her attendant sylphs, Belinda then completes the elaborate process of beautifying herself.

 Then she sails from London to Hampton court.The two locks in which she has styled her hair look especially attractive, and the Baron eyes them in admiration he has resolved to take one for himself, either by force or by theft.

Belinda soon sits down with two men to play a game of ombre. With a little help from her band of sylphs, Belinda begins the game well, declaring that spades are to be trumps, and quickly gaining the upper hand. The Baron, however, is quick to fire back and begins to dominate the game, and Belinda is close to being beaten. At the very last second, though, Belinda is able to win the final play.she was extremely happy. But baron decided the to steal her lock of hair with the help of Clarissa. Clarissa draws out a pair of scissors. And he unexpectedly steal Belinda's lock of hair. The Baron crows with delight and Belinda screams in horror at what has happened.

   Belinda asked then for her lock of hair to Baron. But even Baron became failed to find it. So everyone started searching lock of hair.At last, Clarissa quiets the group and makes her own speech, which essentially argues that this whole debate is silly that everyone, including women themselves, places too much value on transient female beauty, and that women should instead invest their time and energy in being the best moral beings they can be. But her good sense is lost on the assembled company, and Belinda calls the women to arms.

    However the lock of hair. She Never get back but it will burn brightly in the sky as an eternal testament to Belinda’s spectacular beauty. And there the poem ends.

For better understanding of poem. Here i am sharing of one video about virtual MCQs related poem.

 

References :-

1] https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/english-literature-1500-1799-biographies/alexander-pope

2] https://factsking.com/historical-people/alexander-pope-facts/

3] https://interestingliterature.com/2016/01/five-fascinating-facts-about-alexander-pope/

4] English Literature by W. J. Long

5] https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-rape-of-the-lock/summary

Words :- 

Samuel Butler (1613 - 80)

   Samuel Butler was a great poet and satirist. He was baptized 14 February 1613. Baptized in England. And died at 25 September 1680, in London, England. He was the son of farmer and churchwarden. His date of Birth is unknown, but there is documentary evidence for the date of his baptism of 14 February. Samuel Butler was brought up in the household of sir William russell of strensham and became his clerk. He was educated at the King's school, Worcester, under Henry Bright, whose teaching is recorded favourable by thomas fuller. A contemporary writer, in his worthies of England.

   After the restoration, he became secretary, or steward, to Richard Vaughan, 2nd earl of carbery lord president of wales. Until January 1662, while he was paying craftmen working or repairing the castel there. In late 1662 the first part of Hudibras, which he began writing when lodging at Holborn, London, in 1658 and continued to work on while in Ludlow, was published, and the other two in 1664 and 1678 respectively.

During the latter part of his life butler lived in a house in now partially demolished rose street, to the west of convent Garden. And later on died of consumption on 25 September 1680. But he will always remain as his most famous works named Hudiras.

  

Hudiras :-

   

The Hudibras is very long, satiric poem, created in complex eight-syllable couplets. The poem starts off as a mock romance before becoming a critique of time. The story start with, the Knight hudibras and Ralph go Through a series of adventure, they trying to stop bear baiting, courtship, all are which meant to be allegorical. The poem is full of grotesque characters and polemics and is a devastating satire of Puritanism. The poem is most beautiful work of that time. But still,Despite the popularity of Hudibras, Butler was not offered a place at Court. "Satyrical Witts disoblige whom they converse with; and consequently make to themselves many Enemies and few Friends; and this was his manner and case."

The first part of Hudibras was apparently on sale by the end of 1662, but the first edition, published anonymously, is dated 1663. Its immediate success resulted in a spurious second part appearing within the year; the authentic second part, licensed in 1663, was published in 1664. The two parts, plus “The Heroical Epistle of Hudibras to Sidrophel,” were reprinted together in 1674. In 1677 Charles II, who delighted in the poem, issued an injunction to protect Butler’s rights against piratical printers and awarded him an annual pension. In 1678 a third (and last) part was published.

The hero of Hudibras is a Presbyterian knight who goes “a-coloneling” with his squire, Ralpho, an Independent. They constantly squabble over religious questions and, in a series of grotesque adventures, are shown to be ignorant, wrongheaded, cowardly, and dishonest. Butler had derived his outline from Cervantes’s Don Quixote, and his burlesque method from Paul Scarron. However, his brilliant handling of the octosyllabic metre, his witty, clattering rhymes, his delight in strange words and esoteric learning, and his enormous zest and vigour create effects that are entirely original. Its pictures of low life are perhaps the most notable things of their kind in English poetry between John Skelton and George Crabbe, with both of whom Butler has a certain affinity.

    The two parts, plus “The Heroical Epistle of Hudibras to Sidrophel,” were reprinted together in 1674. In 1678 a third (and last) part was published. The work is directed against the fanaticism, pretentiousness, pedantry, and hypocrisy Butler saw in militant Puritanism.

The eponymous hero of Hudibras is a Presbyterian knight who goes “a-coloneling” with his squire, Ralpho, an Independent. They constantly squabble over religious questions and, in a series of grotesque adventures, are shown to be ignorant, wrongheaded, cowardly, and dishonest. Butler derived his outline from Miguel de Cervantes and his burlesque method from Paul Scarron. However, his brilliant handling of the octosyllabic metre, his witty, clattering rhymes, his delight in strange words and esoteric learning, and his enormous zest and vigour create effects that are entirely original.

Hudibras is directed against religious sectarianism. The poem was very popular in its time, and several of its phrases have passed into the dictionary. It was sufficiently popular to spawn imitators. Hudibras takes some of its characterization from Don Quixote but, unlike that work, it has many more references to personalities and events of the day.Butler was also influenced by satirists such as John Skelton and Paul Scarron's Virgile travesti; a satire on classical literature, particularly Virgil.

Hudibras was reprinted many times in the centuries following Butler's death. Two of the more noteworthy editions are those edited by Zachery Grey (1744) and Treadway Russell Nash (1793). The standard edition of the work was edited by John Wilders (1967).

Most of his other writings never saw print until they were collected and published by Robert Thyer in 1759. Butler wrote many short biographies, epigrams and verses the earliest surviving from 1644. Of his verses, the best known is "The Elephant on the Moon", about a mouse trapped in a telescope, a satire on Sir Paul Neale of the Royal Society. Butler's taste for the mock heroic is shown by another early poem Cynarctomachy, or Battle between Bear and Dogs, which is both a homage to and a parody of a Greek poem ascribed to Homer, Batrachomyomachia. He wrote the poem Upon Philip Nye's Thanksgiving Beard about the Puritan Philip Nye and later also mentioned him in Hudibras.

His supposed lack of money later in life is strange as he had numerous unpublished works which could have offered him income including a set of Theophrastan character sketches which were not printed until 1759. Many other works are dubiously attributed to him.

     Thus to conclud we can able to concider that samuel Butler was one of the most prominent figure of the restoration period.And one of the best satirical poet. His longer poem hudibras became so famous instantly and still people used to read it.

:- 1002 Words

Poem :- Lockdown by Simon Robert Armitage.

   As we all suffering from pandemic crisis called covid - 19 or corna. We all know which kind of problems we are facing, like compulsory vaccination, hectic masks, quarantine period, sanitization, and we all locked our selves into the home, no meetings, no celebrations, nothing... But we are not first who face this all.but also decades ago this kind of crisis existing. And millions of people suffering from this. The name of the decease is plague. 

   Plague is a decease that effects human and other mammals. It is caused by the bacterium, yersinia pestis. Humans usually get plague after being bitten by a rodent flea that is carring the plague bacterium or by handling an animal infected with plague. It was believed that the plague was start in china in 1334, spreading along trade routes and reaching Europe via Sicilian ports in the late 1340s. The plague killed an estimated 25 million people, almost a third of the continent's population. The black death lingered on for centuries, particularly in cities. 

    But where in all other nations, the situation of plague continued of being more and more worse. On the other side in India, there is a beautiful time, people where cheering, nature were blossoming, and the happy weather located. This thing created  a great contrast in history.

    So a great English poet Simon Robert Armitage, wrote beautiful poem on this concept. And portrayed both the situation by using a dream sequences. The first dream sequence is about plague condition. And in contrast of it, the other dream sequence is about  kalidasa's "meghaduta".

    Meghaduta is a story of "yaksha", who is cursed by God and now pinning for his beloved on a lonely mountain peak. When at the beginning of a monsoon, a cloud perches on the peak. He asks it to deliver a message to his love in Himalayan city of Alaka. And then the journey of cloud described the geography of India. Kalidasa in his Meghadut, talk about a beautiful places of india. This thing is also beautifully covered in the poem of Simon Robert Armitage.

   Simon Armitage is a well known English poet, playwright and novelist. Who was appointed as a poet laureate on 10 may 2019. He is also professor of poetry at the University of Leeds and succeeded Geoffrey Hill as Oxford professor of poetry when he was elected to the four year part time appointment from 2015 to 2019. In 21 March 2020, he wrote an amazing poem, titled as a "lockdown". So let me share my first impression of understanding of poem. 

  

 The poem starts with ,

  "And I couldn't escape the walking dream of infected fleas."

   The poem decided into the two dream sequences. The First is about condition of London, during pandemic plague time. In a small village Eyam. At the 17th century. The first sequence is a heallucinating dream sequence of 1665 -66 plague. He start with infected fleas,which carries the bacteria of plague. And call it as a infected fleas. And also talk about the situation of small village named Eyam.  It is very close to London. 

   Armitage wrote that no one allowed to cross the boundary stones, boundary stones means a mile stones. No one able to go to another city. Then he further wrote that there where a cock - eyed dice, with six dark holes. And that dice use for purging plagued coins with the help of vinegar wine. Now a day we have sanitizer, but at that time they don't have so they use vinegar wine to wash infected coins. And because of this situation, poet remember the sorry story of Emmott syddall, and Rowland Torre. So this is also very interesting reference he took here. Then he further wrote that stars crossed lovers, now lives within the  quarantine line. And they were not meeting eachother since long time. So they were suffering from separation. And pinning eachother. But can't meet because of plague. 

    Then the second dream sequence he wrote, he wrote that,

  "But sleep again,

  And dreamt this time"

    This time also he seen a dream about seperation, the seperation. The seperation of the "Yaksha".  He is The protagonist of the Kalidasa's "meghaduta". Armitage wrote that, Exiled Yaksha, sending message to his dear beloved. Message with passing cloud, we all know that cloud is non living thing and it is very much artificial, if someone send message by cloud. But Kalidasa's metaphor is something which made Sanskrit literature Richest. Further Simon Armitage, talk about the story of Meghaduta. Which is about the geography of India. The cloud move further and followed early map of camel trail and cattle tracks. And he compared the shape of stream with Necklaces, and also talk about various places and art and nature of india. Like, Fan - tailed peacock, painted elephants, embroidered bedspreads of medows and hedges, bamboo forests, snow - hatted peaks (Himalayan peaks), waterfalls, creeks, the hieroglyphs of wide - winged cranes, and glistening lotus flowers after rain, and also mentioned a rain, which hypnotically see - through rare. And here Armitage end his poem by describing beautifully the "meghaduta". 

  This poem "Lockdown", is normally about two different situations, of history or a time. But both the dream sequence covered a sorrow story of separation and suffering. Either it is a Victorian journey or Indian journey. Separation are there, but situation it different, in one side there is a suffering by plague. Where in other side, there is a beautiful Indian nature. And weather we see so the poem is very important and interesting I found. And I enjoyed to read poem and to analyse it.

  Here i am sharing a video of poem Lockdown, in poet's own voice.

:- 940 words.

Frankenstein; or the modern Prometheus.

      Hello, here i write a blog as a part of thinking activity on novel "Frankenstein". And discussed various questions related to the movie "Frankenstein".

Frankenstein; or the modern Prometheus, is one of the most famous novel by Mary Shelley. The novel have a beautiful storyline and interesting themes, and first published in 1818 . The novel tells the story of gifted scientist Victor Frankenstein. Who succeeds in giving life to a being of his own creation. However, this is not the perfect specimen, he imagine that it will be, but rather a hideous and mankind in general. and at the last part the monster seeking its Revenge through murder and terror.

1] Why victor was not able to accept his dream experiment and it's result?

  The story of Frankenstein is a story of a life of creature as well as his creator victor Frankenstein. The story is about a creature's transformation into the monster. Victor has a strong desire to understand the world. at the University Excel at chemistry and other science, and soon developing secret technique to impart life to non - living matter. and he made creature, tall about 8 feet in height, proportionally large, despite victor's selecting in features to be beautiful, upon animation. the creature is instead hideous, with watery white eyes and yellow skin. Fat Barely conceals the muscles and blood vessels underneath.

      So because of his hideous look, victor ran away after seeing the creature and being so afraid of his look.  creature's creator, or we can say father of creature, himself rejects him. Victor think that society never accept such ugly figure and so that he also started hating him. He afraid that society never pardon him for creating such moster and so he thought that it is better that no one never came to know that creature is creation of Victor. So this is the reason that victor does not able to accept his creation.

    Here let me share some videos from movie Frankenstein.

2] can appearance over power reality?

    

    Here in movie Frankenstein, we can able to see that appearance over powered reality. In reality, the monster is so innocent like a child, but he has a lots of scarce and stitching marks on his face and body and that's why he hated by Society. He was beaten by people, living alone in jungle, even he did good enough with the Delecy family and still they treat him so badly. even when he go to Victor, Victor also rejected him. and consider him as a monster.just because of his hideous look she was suffering this all kind of harassment. This thing make us think that how marry Shelley's society and our society are have several kind of similarities. Where society used to judge people by his look. That if person is beautiful and have no skills still, he is good. And if person has good skills but ugly in appearance than his skills have no meaning. He will surely hate by society. This thing shows that how reality over power reality.

3] What made creature a monster?

  In the movie, we saw that how the process of transformation creature to Monster begins .creature is most innocent like a child but he still ignored by all. He relates his first day of life, living alone in the wildness. people were afraid of and hated him due to his appearance and hideous look. which led him to fear and hide due to his appearance.people used to considered him as a monster and beats him and through stones on him and harass him. So at the end he decided that if society and all think him as a monster, then now he will be a monster. Thought of society and behaviour of society towards creature, force creature to transforming into Monster. and then he sword revenge against all humans. He travelled to Geneva using details from victor's journal, murdered William, and framed Justin for the crime.  And continue doing evils. He asked victor to create female partner for him or he kill victor's beloved Elisabeth.

"You can creat a partner for me, or I will be there with you, on your wedding night."

    Here we are able to see that he is seeking for the love from someone but no one able to accept him with his hideous look so we can able to justify that due to lack of Love and companion he turns into the monster.

4] Why society has rejected Victors idea of experiment and then the result of experiment?

  

    If we notice, according to Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". Society placed greater importance on outer beauty radher than inner beauty, and for one to be social accepted, outer beauty must prevail over inner beauty. For example, victor is very handsome and somewhere this is the reason why he could not accept creature with such hideous look. "Frankenstein" is set in 18th century, where society's acceptance was based on first impression of one's physical beauty. The women in the novel gained social acceptance based on their looks. Like Elizabeth, Justin and other all women are portrayed as beautiful ladies. Also men in novel are attracted to the women, based on physical appearance and rarely consider their personality. Like Caroline, victor and all. Through out the novel only creature. We find ugly and hedious. And also a disguised, alone, in novel so we can able to say that somewhere that is the reason that why society rejected Victors idea of experiment and the result,(The Creature)of experiment. Appearance play vital role in the movie as well as in suffering of creature.

5] Villain in Frankenstein.

      We have lots of characters in the novel. And even if we analyse the novel, we can easily find that this novel do not have one perticular protagonist., similarly do not have any one antagonist. This we can easily understand by analysing transformation of creature to monster.  Creature is at one point, we found villain, cause he was doing murders and violence. But if go deep, we found that he did this all things, because he don't get love and companion, which he pine. Victor created the creature, but left him without giving him true knowledge about the world and knowledge that how to deal with society, what kind of behaviour he needs to survive. So that's how, the victor is villain at another point. But society also we found as a villain because creature's monstrous form is result of society's ignorance, disguise, and misbehavior. villains are also changes along with the various parts of Novel.

   After analysing the whole novel, we found it so intresting and well structured. And the novel keep the attention of audience thoroughly. Here i am also sharing some of the part which based on novel, "Frankenstein".

Words :- 1142

References :-

1) Wikipedia

2) encyclopedia

3) Britannica