Lesson 1.

Introduction to English-American Literature

English-American Literature attempts to explore and appreciate the beauty and continuing relevance of
some of the finest English and American literary works and writings with respect to both form and
content. It also focuses on how some selected writers and their work can help us understand
contemporary English and American societies.

At the same time, it will include the development of the country (USA and England) in terms of culture,
politics, economy and society to the literary genius of British and American writers as evidenced by the
representative literary pieces of writings that the students or the reading public will read and encounter.

Objectives of the Course

1. develop an understanding of the aesthetic and an appreciation of British and American tradition and
can (from within such context), assess the significance of works' historical placement, cultural affiliation,
individual literary genius, etc.;

 2. identify prominent characteristics in form, content and themes of English and _American literary
texts. Literary form will deal with prose and poetry; content will deal with history, significant experience
and the society;

3. Exhibit a critical understanding of literature, and to communicate their awareness of literary

4. develop an appreciation for British and American literature as an articulation of the struggles and
triumphs of the human spirits in the attainment of justice, peace, joy and love;

 5. develop the readers' personhood, their self-realization as "transcendent beings" as they interact with
the literary texts, as they engage in reflective and critical thinking and learning; and

 6. develop a healthy perspective of the various truths, ideals and aspirations presented in or advocated
by different literary pieces in the light of our contemporary values and life.

English and American Literature

Ø  present not merely the literary works/writings of different writers but also those, which highlight
beauty and relevance in form and context focusing on literary texts of different literary periods and
perspectives.

Ø  explores or enhances reading and comprehension skills to promote and attain the following:

(1) an understanding of human expression; (2) an appreciation for the role of literature in history and in
one's life; and (3) a wider perspective about being human, about life, love and other universal emotion.

q  appreciation of literary texts for writing and creative skills to assess or express the following:
a) text’s critical or theoretical knowledge;

b) humanist values and good attitude;

c) skills in textual reading and writing; and

d) high level skill in literary critic or analysis, evaluation and good judgment.

Specific Learning Objectives

1. To interpret, generalize and evaluate the literary text.

2. To analyze and draw conclusion.

3. To explain, in some selections, the historical/ literary events.

4. To analyze/ synthesize some fine lessons and thoughts.

5.  To research on the author's life.

6. To analyze the writer's basic assumptions.       

7. To interpret poetry artistically.

8. To determine the author’s purpose of writing the selection.

9. To judge the author's message.

10 To compare and contrast the selections read.

11. To take a stand about an issue and support it.

12. To analyze literary elements/ writing techniques.

13. To understand and explore the writer’s ideas.

14. To analyze the introductory/ or concluding paragraph of the text.

This course serves to provide both the literature teacher and the student a representative body of
reading for undergraduate course in English and American literature.

Representative writings not only reflect the writer's life and thought, but also the ideals of British and
American history, culture, tradition and society.

q  English and American literature is an articulation of the struggles and triumphs of British and
American human spirit in the attainment of justice, peace, joy and love.
q  It is the manifestation or expression of their particular representative writers' endeavor and the way
that paved for fighting against the odds. These pieces of writing also express the victories of their people
to uplift their spirit in the search for equality and justice, peace and harmony, as well as happiness and
love.

Much of the writings of English and American authors, even from the beginning of their history — when
the American pioneers (in particular) landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, talked of the difficulties they
encountered to start their life in the New World.

It is the same way with the long recorded British history, which presented fiction or writings that
reflected the turmoil that lay beneath the surface of the Victorian era — some of their novels, which
beckon toward the twentieth-century sense of the modern time.

The bottom line is that through their literary writings, and since America and Great Britain have been
products of a long and difficult fight against internal and external forces, both countries are bullwark of
democracy evident in much of their writings.

In attaining justice, peace is a consequence, which is followed by happiness, contentment in living, and
finally, the love for one's self and others, in that order. The result is prosperity and financial freedom to
a majority of its populace. All of these are expressed in their respective literary writing.

ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE

           Literary works written and published in Great Britain and British colonies are referred by the term
English literature while American literature refers to literary works written and published in America.
English literature is written in British English while American literature is written in American English.

           Selections are from a variety of genres: essays, articles, interview, stories and poems by British
and American writers of diverse backgrounds. It is hoped that this capsulized anthology, through
implications and activity enhancers, will strengthen our literature student’s critical thinking and writing
skills by helping them move from personal forms of writing to more academic forms.

           English writers mostly emphasize their culture and manners, while American writers discuss
American history and social issues. As well as early writings in the UK, early American works involve
topics related to religion and politics.

 
American writers of the 17th century invoked Puritanical morals. In the 18th century, revolutionary
topics prevailed in American style.

Also, American writers often described events that took place during the development of the country.
For example, the American Civil War is described in “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell, and
theme of Slavery in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain.

It’s impossible to imagine English literature without William Shakespeare, who wrote historical plays
(Julius Caesar, Richard II, Antony & Cleopatra), tragedies (Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello), and comedies (A
Midsummer Night’s Dream). The Romanticism Period gave the world Robert Burns (Halloween, The Jolly
Beggars) and George Byron (Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Manfred).

Later, the historical novel emerged as a genre, with Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe. English writers’ contribution
to literature for children is prominent: “Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll and the Harry
Potter series by J.K. Rowling are known in each and every corner of the world.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

 English literature revolves around just a handful of common themes, many of which are shared
with Western literature, that describe nearly all its stories.

 The five most commonly identified and most commonly used are overcoming the monster, rags
to riches, the quest, voyage and return, and boy meets girl.

 English literature, like the literature of most of Europe and a large part of the Middle East, has
been heavily influenced by its Christian and Greco-Roman heritage.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE

 Early American Literature writing that emerged from the original U.S colonies during the period
from 1607 to the late 1700. It was largely influenced by British writers and was created to
inform people about colonial life, religious disputes and settlement issues.

 Many of characteristics of early American literature can be found in the poems, journals, letters,
narratives, histories and teaching material written by settlers, religious figures and historical
icons of the period.

 American Literature had been affected from many ways; each way makes a different in
America’s literature. The three characteristics of American Literature include – plot of decline,
indifferent of nature, 3rd person omniscient reaction to romanticism and surrealism.

 reflects beliefs and traditions that come from the nation’s frontier days. The pioneer ideals of
self-reliance and independence appear again and again in American writings. American authors
 have great respect for the value and importance of the individual. They tend to reject authority
and to emphasize democracy and the equality of people. They often celebrate nature and a
sense of boundless space.

 American writers have always had a strong tendency to break with literary tradition and to
strike out their own directions. Writers of other countries seem to absorb their national literary
traditions. But many American authors have rejected the old in order to create something new.

 lively streak of humor runs thorough American literature from earliest times to present. In many
cases a dash of salty humor saves serious theme from becoming too sentimental. American
humor tends to be exaggerated rather than subtle. It reflects the people’s ability to laugh at
themselves even during the most difficult times.

Anglo Saxon / The Old English Period

Anglo-French/ Medieval English Literature/ Middle Period

Lord Randal

An Adaptation

'O where have ye been, Lord Randal, my son?

O where have ye been, my handsome young man? "

l have been to the wild wood; Mother, make my bed soon,

For I'm weary with hunting, and fain would lie down."

"Where got ye your dinner, Lord Randal, my son?

"l din'd with my true-love; Mother, make my bed

For I'm weary with hunting, and fain would lie down."

"What got ye for your dinner, Lord Randal, my

What got ye for your dinner, my handsome young man?"

"l got eels boiled in broth; Mother, make my bed soon,

For I'm weary with hunting, and fain would lie down."

"What became of your bloodhounds, Lord Randal, my son?

What became of your bloodhounds, my handsome young man?"

"O they swelled and they died; Mother, make my bed soon,

For I'm weary with hunting, and fain would lie me down."

"O I fear ye are poisoned, Lord Randal, my son! O I fear ye are poisoned, my handsome young man!"

"O yes! I am poisoned; Mother, make my bed soon.

For l'm sick at the heart, and I fain would lie own.'
Bonny Barbara Allan

It was in and about the Martinmasl time

When the green leaves were a-falling,

That Sir John Greame, in the West Country,

Fell in love with Barbara Allan.

He sent his man down through the town,

To the place where she was dwelling;

“O haste and come to my master dear,

Gin ye be Barbara Allan."

To the place where he was lying,

And when she drew the curtain by,

"Young man, I think you're dying."

"O it's I'm sick, and very, very sick,

And it is all for Barbara Allan."

O the better for me-ye’s never be

Tho your heart's blood were a-spilling.

"O do you remember, young man," said she,

"When ye was in the tavern a-drinking,

That ye made the healths go round and round,

And slighted Barbara Allan?"

And death was with him dealing;

"Adieu, adieu, my dear friends all,

And be kind to Barbara Allan."

And slowly, slowly rose she up,

And slowly, slowly left him,

And sighing said she could not stay,

Since death of life had bereft him

She had not gone a mile but two,

When she heard the death-bell ringing

And every note that the death-bell gave,

It cried woe to Barbara Allan!

O make it soft and narrow!

Since my love died for me today,

I'll die for him tomorrow."

Get Up and Bar the Door

It fell about the Martinmas time,

And a gay time it was then,

When our goodwife got puddings to make,

And she ’s boild them in the pan.

And blew into the floor;

Quoth our goodman to our goodwife,

“Gae out and bar the door.”

“My hand is in my hussyfskap,

Goodman, as ye may see;

An it shoud nae be barrd this hundred year,

It ’s no be barrd for me.”

They made a paction tween them twa,

They made it firm and sure,

That the first word whaeer shoud speak,

Shoud rise and bar the door.

At twelve o clock at night,

And they could neither see house nor hall,

Nor coal nor candle-light.

“Now whether is this a rich man’s house,

Or whether is it a poor?”

But neer a word wad ane o them speak,

For barring of the door.

And first they ate the white puddings,

And then they ate the black;

Tho muckle thought the goodwife to hersel,

Yet neer a word she spake.

“Here, man, tak ye my knife;

Do ye tak aff the auld man’s beard,

And I ’ll kiss the goodwife.”

“But there ’s nae water in the house,

And what shall we do than?”

What ails thee at the pudding-broo,

That boils into the pan?”

O up then started our goodman,

An angry man was he:

“Will ye kiss my wife before my een,

And scald me with pudding-broth?”

Gave three skips on the floor:

“Goodman, you’ve spoken the foremost word,

Get up and bar the door.”

The Death of Arthur

Sir Thomas Malory

King Arthur fell in a swoon i to the earth, and there he swooned often. And Sir Lucan the Butler and Sir
Bedivere lifted him up. And thus weakly they led him betwixt them both to a little chapel not far from
the seaside. And when the king was there, he thought himself well eased. Then heard the people cry in
the field. "Now, go thou, Sir Lucan," said the king, Xiand let me know what means that noise in the
field." So Sir Lucan departed, for he was grievously wounded in many places. And as he went, he saw by
the moonlight how thieves and robbers were come nto the field to steal and to rob many a full noble
knight of brooches and beads, of many a rich jewel; oncl those who were not entirely dead, they slew
them for their harness? and their riches. When Sir Lucan understood this work, he came to the king as
soon as he could and told him all that he had heard and seen. "Therefore, by my advise," said Sir Lucan,
'Vit is best that we bring YOU to some town."
"l would it were so," said the king. "But I may not stand, mine head aches so."

Then Sir Lucan took up the king on one side and Sir Bedivere on the other, and the lifting caused the king
to swoon; and Sir Lucan fell in a swoon with the lift, and therewith the noble knight's heart burst. And
when the king awoke, he beheld Sir Lucan, how he lay foaming at the mouth. "Alas," said the king, "it is
to me a full heavy sight to see the noble duke die for my sake, for he would have helped that had more
need of help than l. Alas, he would not complain, his heart was so set to help me; now Jesus have mercy
upon his soul!" Then Sir Bedivere wept for the death of his brother. "Leave this mourning and weeping,"
said the king, "for all this will not avail me, for know thou well if I might live myself, the death of Sir
Lucan would grieve me evermore; but my time hurries fast," said the king. Therefore, said Arthur unto
Sir Bedivere, "Take thou Excalibur, my good sword, and go with it to yonder waterside and when thou
comest there, I charge thee, throw my sword into that water and come again and tell me what thou
there seest."

"My Lord," said Bedivere, "your commandment shall be done and I will quickly bring your sword again."
So Sir Bedivere departed, and as he walked, he beheld that noble sword, whose scabbard and hilt were
full of precious stones; and then he said to himself: "If I throw this rich sword in the water, thereof shall
never come good but harm and loss." And then Sir Bedivere hid Excalibur under a tree. And so, as soon
as he could, he came again unto the king and said he had been at the water and had thrown the sword
in the water. ''What saw thou there?" said the king.

"Sir," he said, "l saw nothing but waves and winds.„

"That is untruly said by thee," said the king. 'Therefore, go thou quickly again and do my Corn.
mandment. As thou are to me beloved and dear, spare not but throw it in.
Then Sir Bedivere returned again and took the sword and returned, again and told the king that he had
been at the water and done his commandment. "What saw thou there?" said the king.

"Sir," he said, "l saw nothing but the water lapping on the shore and the waves wane."

"Ah, traitor untrue," said King Arthur. "Now hast thou betrayed me twice. Who would have believed
that thou hast been to me so beloved and dear? And those are named a noble knight, and would betray
me for the richness of the sword. But now go again quickly, for thy long tarrying 3 putteth me in great
danger of my life, for-I have taken cold. And unless thou do now as I bid thee, if ever I may see thee, I
shall slay thee with mine own hands; for thou wouldst for my rich sword see me dead."

Then Sir Bedivere departed and went to the waterside; and there he bound the girdle about the hilt and
then he threw the sword as far into water as he might; and there came an arm and a hand above the
water and met it and caught if and so shook it thrice, and then vanished away the hand with the sword
in the water. So Sir Bedivere came again to the king and told him what he saw. "Alas," said the king,
"help me hence, for I fear I have tarried too long." Then Sir Bedivere took the king upon his back and so
went with him to the waterside. And when they were at the waterside, even fast by the bank came a
little barge with many fair ladies in it/ and among them all was a queen, and all of them had black hoods,
and all of them wept and shrieked when they saw King Arthur. "Now put me into the barge, said the
king. And so he did softly, and there received him three queens with great mourning, and so they sat
them down, and in one of their l,aps King Arthur laid his head. And the queen said, "Ah, dear brother,
why have you tarried so long from me? Alas, this wound on your head hath caught overmuch cold." And
so then they rowed from the land, and Sir Bedivere beheld all those ladies go from him.

Then Sir Bedivere cried: "Ah, my Lord Arthur, what shall become of me, now ye go from me and leave
me here alone among mine enemies?"
"Comfort thyself," said the king, "and do as well as thou mayest, for in me is no more strength; for I will
go into the vale of Avilion to heal me of my grievous wound; and if thou hear never more of me, pray for
my soul." But ever the queens and ladies wept and shrieked, that it was a pity to hear them.

More of the death of King Arthur could I never find, but that the ladies brought him to his burial. Yet
some men Say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead but taken by the will of our Lord
Jesus into another place; and men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the holy cross.

The Prologue

When April with its showers sweet,

The drought of March has pierced to the root,

And bathed every vein in such liquor,

Of whose magic engendered is the flower;

And the wind with its sweet breath

Has touched in every nook and corner

Has half of his course run;

The small birds make melody.

So people long to go on pilgrimages.

And especially from every shire

Of England to Canterbury they go.

The Knight

A knight there was and that a worthy man,

That from the time that he first began

To ride out, he loved chivalry

Truth and honor, freedom and courtesy.

Full worthy was he in his lord’s wars

And even honored for his worthiness.

And even more he earned his sovereign praise.

And though he was worthy, he was modest

And his bearing as meek as a maid.

He never yet no villany he said.

He was a very true and gentle perfect knight.

-Retold from Chaucer’s Middle English

The Pardoner's Tale

Retold from the Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

There were once three wicked men who spent their time sitting in taverns, drinking and quarreling.
Once when they were so occupied, they heard the clinking of a bell preceding a corpse about to be bur.
ied. One of the young men, very drunk, called to the servant of the tavern and said, "Go quickly and find
out who the dead person is and be Sure to report his name correctly."

"Sir," the boy said, "l need not go out and find out. I was told who he is two hours ago. He is an old
friend and companion of yours. He was slain suddenly last night, for as he sat drunk on a bench, there
came a private thief whom men call Death and whom in this country all men feat With his spear he
smote your friend's heart in two. He has slain a thousand in this pestilence. And, Master, if you ever
come in his presence, you must gird yourself well with such an enemy, for he is very powerful."

"The boy speaks true," the tavern keeper added. "This year he seems to have placed his habitation in a
village a mile from here where he has slain men, women, and children."

"Ye God's arms," cried this wicked young man. "Is this Death so terrible to meet? I shall seek him in town
and field, I swear, by God, that we three friends, acting as one, shall not rest until we have slain this
Death. Listen to me, fellows; let us join hands and vow to kill this traitor Death."

So these three roisterers l joined hands to live or die in this adventure and to be true to each other as if
they were brothers. Then up they left, still very drunk, and forth they went toward the village of which
the tavern keeper had spoken, vowing that they would not rest until they had slain Death.

They had barely gone half a mile when they met an old man who greeted the three very meekly, saying,
"My lords, God protect you."

The proudest of the roisterers answered the old man rudely, "Slave, why are you so wrapped up except
for your face? And, being so old, why are you still alive?"
The old man answered sadly, "11m still alive because I can find no man who will exchange places with
me. And therefore am I alive still as long as it is God's will. And Death, alas, will not take my life; and so
with my staff I knock upon the ground for Mother Earth to open

and let me in. And so God be with you. I'll go my way."

"No, old slave, you don't go away so fast," the young man said rudely. "You are a spy of this traitor,
Death, so tell us where he lives, this slayer of youth."

"Now, sirs," said the old man, "If you really want to find Death, turn up this narrow path, for in that
grove2 1 left him under a tree. For all your boasts, he will not avoid you. See that oak tree? You should
find him there unless you mend your ways."

The three wicked young men ran to the tree and there they found a treasure of gold coins. They
promptly forgot about Death, whom they were seeking, when they saw the gleaming coins piled around
the trunk of the tree. They sat down staring greedily at the money.

The worst of the three was the first to speak. "Brothers, listen to me. Fortune has given us this treasure
so that we can live the rest of our lives in eating and drinking. Who would have thought that today we
would have such good fortune? But we must hide this gold in my house or in yours. But we cannot do so
by day; men would see us and say that we had stolen it and get us hanged. Therefore let us carry away
this treasure secretly by night. Now, I suggest that we draw lots and he who gets the shortest lot should
go to town and bring us bread and wine while the two of us will stand by and watch this gold, and
tonight we shall take this fortune where we think best."
Then they drew lots and the shortest lot was drawn by the youngest, who immediately went to town to
buy bread and wine. As soon as he had left, one said to the other, "You know that you are like my
brother. I have a plan which will bring much profit to us both. Our companion is gone and here is much
gold that should be divided among us three. Now if we can bring it to pass that it shall be divided only
between us two, would it not be better for us?"

"Yes, it would," said the other. "But how can we do that when he knows that the money is with us?"

"l will tell you," answered the other. "When he returns with the bread and wine, we shall kill him and,
my dear friend, we shall divide this gold between us."

On the other hand, the one who had gone to town also began to think how he could get the gold for
himself alone. "O lord," he thought, "If I could get all that treasure for myself, how happy I would bel"
And he planned to poison his friends so that he could have all the gold.

He went to an apothecary and bought some poison, telling the man that his house was full of rats and
he wanted to get rid of them. He borrowed two bottles in which he poured the poison. He then filled the
bottles with wine and returned to his friends, thinking how rich he was going to be.
As he drew near, his friends killed him. Then they sat down to drink the wine. Thus ended the story of
three wicked young men.

The English Renaissance Period

The Middle Ages came to an end in England and a brave new world took its place. The characteristics of
this new world can be packed in one word—expansion. The world was expanding geographically,
politically, economically, and socially, as well as in education, religion, literature, and art. Geographically,
Columbus thrilled the world with his discovery of unknown lands. The Cabots—John and Henry, father
and son—landed in North America. With the discovery of these mysterious lands in the far west and
their promise of gold and adventure, it became apparent that Britain would expand by water and come
"to rule the waves" and push out the boundaries of her far-flung empire. Not surprisingly, therefore, the
sea figured so persistently in the literature of this period. 

The New Poetry

The Renaissance produced the fullest and freshest lyrical burst in the history of English literature. The
lyrical spirit—full, and spontaneous—was so generally diffused that lyrical expression seemed almost
universal. Poetry seemed the natural language of the people. Dramas were written in poetry; song and
lyrics were generously interspersed in the dramatic framework.

The Drama

William Shakespeare

The temper of the age was not only lyrical but also highly dramatic. Consequently, the flower of the
English Renaissance is, by general consent, a dramatist: William Shakespeare (1564-1616). He was both
a poet and a playwright, but his greatest work was in the field of the drama and his finest lyrics are those
that adorn his plays.

One who reads a few of Shakespeare's great plays and then the brief story of his life is generally filled
with wonder. Here is a poor, unknown country boy who arrives at the great city of London and goes to
work at whatever job is available in the theater. In a year or two he is associating with scholars, master
dramatists, and even members of the nobility. He writes of kings clowns, of gentlemen and heroes and
of noblewomen, all of whose lives he seems to know by close association. In a few more years, he
becomes the leader of that brilliant group of poets and dramatists who gives undying glory to that age.
 

It is generally said that if Shakespeare had written no plays, his poems alone would give him
commanding place in English literature. He wrote two narrative poems and about 154 sonnets. He wrote
thirty-seven plays of wonderful variety—comedies, tragedies, and historical plays. A comedy is a drama
in which the characters re placed in humorous, comic situations. A tragedy, on the other hand, is a
drama in which the principal characters are involved in desperate circumstances or are led by some
overwhelming passion that destroys them. A historical play seeks to present a historical situation or
character and may be a comedy or a tragedy.

The tragic heroes in Shakespeare's plays are great men who are unquestionably noble, but each one has
a tragic flaw from where stems the tragedy. In Hamlet, the tragic flaw is in decision, "To be or not to be,
that is the question." In Macbeth, it is the tragedy of ambition brought on by a very willful wife. In
Romeo and Juliet, the flaw in Romeo is acting on impulse—so he kills himself.

By general acclaim, Shakespeare holds the foremost place in world literature, and his overwhelming
greatness makes it difficult to criticize or even praise him. Only two poets, Homer and Dante, may be
considered his equals. However, Homer and Dante wrote within narrow limits, but Shakespeare's genius
included the world of nature and men. Most critics recognize him as the universal poet. The critic
William Long says of him:

To study nature in his works is like exploring a new and beautiful country; to study men in his work is like
going into a great city containing all sorts and conditions of men. Shakespeare lifts the mask from every
face. Let us see the man as he is in his own soul and show in each one some germ of good, some "soul of
goodness" even in things evil. He tells us that good always overcomes evil in the long run and that love,
faith, work, and duty are the four things that, in all ages, make the world right.

Romeo and Juliet: A Summary

The play is set in Verona, Italy, where a feud has broken out between the families of the Montagues and
the Capulets. Romeo, a Montague, has fallen in love with Juliet Capulet. Juliet finds out who Romeo is
and laments the fact that she is in love with her family's enemy. She wishes Romeo could shed his name
and marry her, but Juliet is obligated to marry another man named Paris. Juliet then goes to Friar
Laurence, her confidant, who gives her a potion that will make her seem dead for at least two days. She
takes the potion and drinks it that night.

The next morning, the day Juliet is supposed to marry Paris, her nurse finds her "dead" in bed. Romeo's
servant arrives and tells his master that Juliet is dead and buried. Romeo hurries back to Verona. Seeing
Juliet dead within the tomb, Romeo drinks some poison he has purchased and dies kissing her. Friar
Laurence arrives just as Juliet wakes up within the bloody vault. He tries to get her to come out, but
when she sees Romeo dead beside her, Juliet takes his dagger and kills herself with it. The rest of the
town starts to arrive, including the Capulets and Montagues. Friar Laurence tells them the whole story.
The two family patriarchs agree to become friends. Each family erects a golden statue of the other's
child.

Hamlet: A Summary

Hamlet is the son of the late King Hamlet (of Denmark), who died two months before the start of the
play. After King Hamlet's death, his brother, Claudius, becomes king and marries King Hamlet's widow,
Gertrude (Queen of Denmark). Young Hamlet fears that Claudius killed his own brother (Hamlet's father)
to become king of Denmark, greatly angering Hamlet. Two officers, Marcellus and Bernardo, summon
Hamlet's friend Horatio and later Hamlet himself to see the late King Hamlet's ghost appear at midnight.
The ghost tells Hamlet privately that Claudius indeed murdered him by pouring poison in his ear. Hamlet
is further enraged and plots to revenge his father's death.

Merchant of Venice: A Summary

In a street of Venice, the merchant Antonio laments that he is sad but knows not why. His friends,
Solano and Salerio try to cheer him up to no avail. More friends, Lorenzo and Gratiano also try and fail.
Anto_ nio's friend, Bassanio, informs him that he intends to seek the wealthy Portia's hand in marriage,
yet needs financial backing. Antonio, though reluctant, offers Bassanio 3,000 ducats (money) to help
him. At Bel. mont, Portia's house, she laments to her servant, Nerissa, that a suitor must choose
correctly from three chests (gold, silver, and lead) to marry Portia. She likes none of her six suitors, but
wishes Bassanio would come and choose the correct chest. Back in Venice, after much beg. ging,
Bassanio convinces the merchant Shylock the Jew to lend him 3,000 ducats, with Antonio putting UP his
property as the bond. Although Shylock hates Antonio, he lends the money anyway, hoping Antonio will
default on the loan. Antonio, though, has confidence that one of his ocean vessels will come one month
before the deadline. Antonio's vessels do not come before the deadline and he finds himself summoned
to meet Shylock and suffer the penalty for nonpayment. The contract stated that in case of default
Antonio is to pay a pound of flesh to be cut nearest his heart.

Portia comes in as Antonio's lawyer and agrees that the contract must be paid and is legal. However, if
Shylock would agree to the offer of payment three times the amount, the case will be closed. Shylock
does not agree and so Portia says that he can get his pound of flesh no more no less, and not a drop of
blood. Otherwise, he would be penalized with a confiscation of his estate—half to go to Antonio and half
to go to the state of Venice. Antonio gives his share to Shylock's daughter who married a Christian. The
judge decreed that the other half of the estate would be given back to Shylock if he becomes a Christian.

A sonnet is a poem made up of fourteen lines that rhyme in a fixed pattern. It is made up of iambs. An
iamb is a metrical foot in poetry. 'An iambic foot has two syllables, first unstressed, then stressed. It
sounds like "ba-BUM." One iambic foot can be a single word or two words.

 
Sonnet XVIII

BY 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.

Sonnet XVIII follows the typical Shakespearean style, comprising of three quatrains (a poem or verse
that has four lines) in iambic pentameter (a line of verse consisting of five pairs or ten syllables of
alternating unstressed and stressed syllables), ending in a heroic couplet (a pair of rhyming iambic
pentameters). It follows the rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg.

Let’s look at the last lines from Sonnet WIII using iambic pentameter.

             so LONG / as MEN/ can BREATHE / or EYES / can SEE,         

            So LONG / lives THIS / gives LIFE / to THEE.

Let's analyze more lines from Sonnet XVIII. Shakespeare uses figurative language in this sonnet.
Figurative language consists of words or phrases with a different interpretation other than the literal
meaning.

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

 
Thou ad more lovely and more temperate:

In the sonnet, the persona contrasts his lover to a summer day. Shakespeare Uses metaphor in this line
(comparing two unlike things without using like or as).

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd'

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;

Shakespeare uses metaphor to compare the sun to the eye of heaven. Even the sun, the eye of heaven,
dims, but the beauty of his beloved will never fade.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Shakespeare used personification here. Personification is the practice of representing a thing or idea as a
person. So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Sonnet XXIX

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state,

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,

And look upon myself and curse my fate,

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least;

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,

(Like to the lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;

For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Sonnet 116:

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove.

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wand'ring bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me prov'd,

I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.

Sonnet XLIII

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

Song: to Celia

BY BEN JONSON

Drink to me only with thine eyes,

         And I will pledge with mine;

Or leave a kiss but in the cup,

         And I’ll not look for wine.

The thirst that from the soul doth rise

         Doth ask a drink divine;

But might I of Jove’s nectar sup,

         I would not change for thine.

I sent thee late a rosy wreath,

         Not so much honouring thee

As giving it a hope, that there

But thou thereon didst only breathe,

         And sent’st it back to me;

Since when it grows, and smells, I swear,

         Not of itself, but thee.

Of Studies

Francis Bacon

Studies perfect nature and are perfected by experience; for natural abilities are like natural plants that
need pruning by study; and studies themselves to give forth directions too much at large, except they be
bounded in by experience.

Crafty men condemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their
own use, but there is a wisdom without them and above them, won by observation. Read not to
contradict and confuse, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk for discourse, but to weigh
and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and
digested; that is, some few to be chewed and only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously2, and
some few to be read wholly and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy3,
and extracts made of them by others; but that would be only in less important arguments4 and the
meaner sort of books; else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy5 things. Reading
makes full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little,
he need have a great memory; if he confer little, he need have much present wit; and if he read little, he
need have much cunning to seem to know what he does not.