LOYOLA COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), CHENNAI – 600 034
M.A. DEGREE EXAMINATION – ENGLISH LITERATURE
SUPPLEMENTARY EXAMINATION – JUNE 2009
EL 4811 - SHAKESPEARE - CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION
Date & Time: 26/06/2009 / 10:00 - 1:00 Dept. No.
1. This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air
Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself
Unto our gentle senses.
2. o, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife.
3. and all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay
And follow thee my lord all through the world
4. He was not born to shame,
Upon his brow shame is ashamed to sit.
5. There is thy gold—worse poison to men’s souls,
Doing more murdher in this loathsome world.
i. I’ll break my staff,
6. Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I’ll drown my book.
7. And in her most immitigable rage,
Into a cloven pine, within which rift
Imprisoned thou didst painfully remain
A dozen years;
I should sin
8. To think but nobly of my grandmother –
Good wombs have borne bad sons.
9. Not poppy nor mandragora,
Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world
Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep
Which thou owed’st yesterday
Of one whose hands
10. Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe;
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Max. : 100 Marks
PART – II
Answer any FIVE of the following in about 200 words each.(5 X 8 = 40).
11 Show how Desdemona by her meekness invites tragedy upon herself.
12 Comment on the significance of the Willow song.
13 What process of ‘education’ causes Prospero to say ‘the rarer action is in virtue
tahnin vengeance’?
14 How did the friends of Romeo help him?
15 King Duncan is a fine example of a person believing all, including his enemies.
Illustrate.
16 King Lear is a poor example of self love. Discuss.
17 Shakespeare’s comedies are like a child’s play. Explain.
PART III
Answer any Two in about 500 words each: (2x20=40)
18. Consider The Tempest as Shakespeare’s swansong
(or).
Iago is merely an agent of the oppressive racial forces of his times- do you agree?
19. If love is to rule the world we need people like Romeo and Juliet to sacrifice their
lives.Discuss.
(or)
To aim high is to kill the self first and to go high through wickedness is to kill a group.
Analyse this point with reference to Macbeth.
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