A dramatic descendant of mystery and miracle plays of the medieval period, a morality play’s purpose was to allegorically point out good and evil, and the dangers mankind faced in participating in sinful behaviors, and to highlight the cost of pursuing such immoral actions. The morality play, a medieval poeticContinue Reading
In tragedies, the playwright tries to give relief to tension in the mind of the audience by introducing comic scenes or episodes. The audience of the Elizabethan period pressed for such comic interludes. The producers also demanded them for success of the play. The comic interlude may have an appropriateContinue Reading
Marlowe based Doctor Faustus on the early sixteenth century German doctor Johann Faust, a practitioner of magic, who was thought to have sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for knowledge and magical power. Marlowe dramatizes tales that gathered around Faustus’s name, those typically involving the conflict between humanContinue Reading
Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593) was a seminal figure in Elizabethan drama and a contemporary of William Shakespeare. Born in Canterbury and educated at Cambridge, Marlowe was not only a playwright and poet but also a scholar with rumored ties to espionage. His short but impactful career significantly influenced the development ofContinue Reading
John Milton (1608–1674) was one of the greatest English poets, renowned for his epic poetry, political writings, and profound influence on English literature. Born in London and educated at Cambridge, Milton was a deeply learned scholar fluent in several languages and well-versed in classical literature, theology, and history. His earlyContinue Reading
Dawn at Puri Endless crow noisesA skull in the holy sandstilts its empty country towards hunger. White-clad widowed Womenpast the centers of their livesare waiting to enter the Great Temple Their austere eyesstare like those caught in a nethanging by the dawn’s shining strands of faith. The fail early lightContinue Reading
Jayanta Mahapatra (1928–2023) was a pioneering Indian English poet, renowned for his evocative imagery, meditative tone, and profound engagement with Indian ethos. Born in Cuttack, Odisha, Mahapatra began his career as a physicist, but his enduring legacy lies in literature, especially poetry. He was one of the first Indian poetsContinue Reading
Doris Lessing famously takes her title from T. S. Eliot’s The Wasteland, which blends antique myths and representations of contemporary society, finally resulting in a sombre and pessimistic vision. In one of the most cited passages – which is incidentally Lessing’s epigraph as well – the poet establishes a juxtapositionContinue Reading
Doris Lessing (1919–2013) was a British-Zimbabwean novelist, short story writer, and essayist, widely regarded as one of the most influential female voices of the 20th century. Born in Persia (now Iran) and raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Lessing’s early life in colonial Africa deeply shaped her political and socialContinue Reading
The Grass is Singing is a powerful psychological study of an unhappy woman and her marriage. Symbolism is one of the major literary devices by which Doris Lessing draws a picture of Rhodesian society; how badly white people treated black people during that period and tells the story of aContinue Reading
