The Riders to the Sea.

John Millington Synge is undoubtedly the most remarkable English speaking prose dramatist of the century. ( a short story ) He was an solitary man, and no one could follow him. Synge wrote many famous plays. “Riders to the sea” is one of them. Synge’s masterpiece “Riders to the sea” opens with the presence of sea in the back ground. ( a short story ) The sea is not only a background but also a living character and a symbol of fate.( a short story )

In this play all men are the domed riders to the sea. The sea is not visible for a single moment in the play, but its dominant presence in the life of the people of Aran Islands.( a short story )  The sea weaves the tragic net in which characters are caught.

In “Riders to the Sea.” Maurya  is a control figure. She is the tragic figure who suffers heavily for the loss of all her sons one after another. ( a short story ) She becomes a victim of a relentless fate presented here by the sea like Oedipus, she does not motivate the action of the play. When Maurya enters the stage, she already lost five of her sons.( a short story )  The play begins with the search for the dead body of the Michael who was drowned nine days ago. Maurya is a passive sufferer. Maurya tries to prevent Bartly from crossing the stormy sea. She is stronger as she offers resistance to fate by trying to hold Bartly back.( a short story )  But Bartly must go, because “it is the life of a young man to be going on the sea.

Bartly enters the stage to subdued spirit “quiet” and “sad”.( a short story )  Bartly, the only living son of Maurya, has to cross the sea to earn a living for the family. Bartly represents all young man who have to face the challenge the sea, nor does he show any arrogance of spirit. He is a victim of the sea or fate. After the Micheal’s death, he is the only earning son of the family. He is very dutiful, practical and brave. Bartly is hurled into the sea by the grey pony following to red mare.( a short story )  The gray pony is the instrument of the dark power. It is Fate working over men that brings about the tragedy. Maurya’s life time suffering is complete with Bartley’s death.( a short story )

In this way, the sea appears to be the dominant force of nature. ( a short story ) With the death of all the riders to the sea in Maurya’s family, Maurya becomes destitute. A new realization of the fundamental fact of life:

                                             “No man at all can be living forever.”

At the same time she wins over the predominant fate. Thus the tragedy in “Riders to the Sea” is based on men or character not on unbending fate.  ( a short story )     

Treatment of supernatural element of Coleridge in “the rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

Ans :- Before bringing out the supernatural elements from Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, it will be wise for us to be acquainted with supernaturalism. Supernaturalism means that which cannot be known or understood by the familiar law of nature. In other words, supernatural is that which we see or hear but the source of which remains unknown to us. ( a short story ) In our study of the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, we get some happenings and incidents which are not believable to us because the source or origin of them is not known to us. Coleridge has very skillfully handled the supernatural elements and incidents and they appear to be natural.( a short story )  Now we shall bring out the supernatural elements from the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

Among the romantics, Coleridge is the master artist of handling supernatural elements. ( a short story ) While Wordsworth chose nature, Coleridge chose supernatural. ( a short story ) “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is written basing upon a series of supernatural events. ( a short story ) The Ancient Mariner and his fellow mariners start their journey from the harbor of human habitation. For the first few days their journey was enjoyable and comfortable but subsequently they became in hazards and obstacles.( a short story )  Mist and fog surrounded their voyaging ship. ( a short story ) Then one day the Ancient Mariner saw an Albatross. The bird had some super natural association with it. ( a short story ) They got the favorable wind and nice weather at the coming of the bird. But out of whim, the Ancient Mariner one day killed the Albatross and this killing was followed by untold sufferings inflicted upon the mariners through many a supernatural way and event.( a short story )

                            Coleridge has used the technique the willing suspension of disbelief. He has tack his reader to the south sea which is far away from human habitation. ( a short story ) The action of the story takes place in that dreary and desolate sea. We don’t know whether the Ancient Mariner killed the Albatross or not. ( a short story ) Again we do not know whether his killing of the Albatross was followed by untold sufferings of the mariners.( a short story )  But the way in which he has narrated the story comprising the events and incidents are believable to us. At first we hesitate to believe in them. But we shake off our disbelief and put faith in the story. ( a short story ) We think that these happenings and incidents might have taken place in the desolate sea. So skilful is Coleridge’s art o handling the story framed upon a supernatural basis.( a short story )

                                                                                                        Coleridge has very closely blended natural and supernatural and it is a distinctive feature of his poetry. Indeed, the two are so indistinguishably fused with each other that it becomes difficult to locate where the one ends and where the other begins. The phrasal words the bloody sun, the copper shy, the death fires, the witch’s oils, constitute natural or supernatural phenomena. Indeed, Coleridge had the magical sagacity to create a supernatural atmosphere by means of natural object.( a short story )  The very familiar objects of nature have so artistically been conveyed to us that they seem to be quite supernatural. ( a short story ) The poet has said-

                                     “Her lips were red, her looks were free, 

                                       Her locks were yellow as gold,

                                       Her skin was as white as leprosy.”

Though these lines Coleridge has exposed the natural thinks in a supernatural way.

                Supernatural spell gradually reaches its climatic phase. The fellow mariners died one after another and their dead bodies lay flat upon the Ancient Mariner. The strange thing here is that, the dead bodies did not rot or stink even in a long period of seven days. ( a short story ) It is quite supernatural that the dead bodies did not rot that were to rot during that period. Again the deck and they began to work with living Ancient Mariner. ( a short story ) It is also supernatural in tone. Coleridge has rightly expressed-

                                      “The body of my brother’s son,

                                        Stood by me, knee to knee,  

                                         The body and I pulled at one rope.

                                       But he said naught to me.”

It is quite absurd that a dead person will get back his life and work with a living person. But it has been made possible because of Coleridge’s unique artistic skill of creating supernatural atmosphere. The final charm of creating supernatural spell comes to the reader when the dead body of the Ancient Mariner floated and he as a living human being jumped into the boat of the pilot. Being astonished the pilot Shrieked and fell down in a fit.( a short story )  The Hermit too was highly afraid. But it creates a high supernatural spell when the Ancient Mariner began to row. Coleridge has described thus-

                                         I took the oars: the Pilot’s boy,

                                             Who now doth crazy go,

                                        Laughed loud and long and all the while

                                             His eyes went to and fro.

                                       “Ha, ha!” quoth he, “full plain I see,

                                              The Devil knows how to row.”

                                                               Suggestiveness is the hall mark of Coleridge’s treatment of the supernatural. He has only suggested it without much descriptive detail. And concretization of the supernatural as a tangible reality is bound to damage its effectiveness. Mystery unraveled ceases to be mysterious. ( a short story ) That’s why Coleridge has not made any effort to unravel the mystery. He passes on with a subtle suggestion, leaving it to the readers imagination to fill in the necessary details. ( a short story ) The following lines express the idea in full-

                   ‘The Night-mare, Life-in-Death was she,

                            Who thicks man’s blood with cold”

Indeed, the suggestive note has added much more charms to the supernatural atmosphere created by the subtle texture of the poet’s imagination.

                                                    From the long discussion over the poem we come to an end that “the Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” is replete with supernatural elements.( a short story )  Coleridge has used the supernatural machinery to impart a good lesson to his readers. Indeed, we not only get pleasure from our reading of the story but also filled with lofty moral lessons.         

                                        

Critically examine Aristotle`s view on the importance of plot and character. Part 1

Aristotle says, “The representation of the action is plot of the tragedy; for the ordered arrangement of the incidents is what I mean by plot.” Actually the tragedy, according to Aristotle is impossible is without plot but it can be without character. The plot is the ordering of the incidents; for tragedy is a representation, not of men, but of action and life, of happiness and unhappiness and happiness and unhappiness are bound up with action. There cannot be tragedy without action but there can be without character. Plot is essential for the arrangement of the incidents; character, on the other hand, is that which enables us to define the nature of the participants and  thought comes out in what they say when they are proving / indicating a point or expressing an action. Let us discuss the view of Aristotle’s plot and character.

Aristotle defines, “tragedy, then is a representation of an action that is worth serious attention, complete it in self, and of some amplitude; in language enriched by a variety of artistic devices appropriate to the several parts of the play, presented in the form of action, not narration, by means of pity and fear bringing about the purgation of such emotions. “ Aristotle determines six constituents of every tragedy. They are plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle and song. Of these two represented. According to Aristotle, of all the elements the most important is the plot, the ordering of the incident;…………… Next Page 2

Critically examine Aristotle`s view on the importance of plot and character. Part 2

Previous Page……………….……….The plot is the first essential of tragedy, its life-blood, some plots are simple and some plots are complex, for the obvious reason that the action of which they are represented are of one  or other of these kinds. A simple action refers to one which is single and continuous and in which the change of fortune comes about without a reversal or a discovery. A complex action is one in which the change is accompanied by a discovery or both. It is told that tragedy is the representation of an action that is complete and whole and of a certain amplitude for a thing may be whole yet lack amplitude. Now a whole is that which has a beginning, a middle and an rnd. So, well –constructed plots must neither begin nor end in a haphazard way but must conform to the pattern.

Aristotle also arrests that the plot of tragedy should be such that it must arouse pity and fear ad does not necessarily end in total gloom but produces us a kind of tragic pleasure – cathartic effect and with this view in mind Aristotle recommends suffering involving near and dear relations in the plot of tragedy. Aristotle says that pity is awakened by undeserved misfortune and he does say that fear comes out by that of someone just like ourselves. Aristotle would like to say that it is the plot that gives the form to the drama and it is the plan that makes character significant and dramatic. A play id like a living organism and the plot is its driving force - soul. The plot is the origin of the play, the foundation of the play. The plot is not only the beginning but also the end of the tragedy. The important tragic action originates in a conflict, Hence…………… Next Page 3

Critically examine Aristotle`s view on the importance of plot and character. Part 3

Previous Page 2…………….….According to Aristotle character is sub – ordinate to plot. Character is that which enables us to define the nature of the participants. The purpose of living and which is a kind of activity, not a quality; it is their characters, indeed, that make men what they are, but it is by reason of their actions that they are happy or the reverse. Tragedy is performed, therefore, in order to represent character, although character is involved for the sake of action. There could not be a tragedy without action but there could be without character. In life as in drama both the mental disposition, moral thoughts of a person express himself in his speech and in his action. The character of an individual is formed by the action. His depends on his action. Therefore, we can say character is sub – ordinate to action. In character we notice the inner self of a man. The character resorts to dialogue to explain his motives and actions. Character comes secondary to action. Aristotle says, “Plot is the first principle and the soul of the tragedy and character hold the second place. “There is another important point to note that reversals and recognitions are two constituents of plot. The dramatic action consists of a series of events that are related to one another. The characters do not act as they like. They have to act according to the situation and circumstances in which they are placed as well as in relation to other characters.

The well conceived plot will have single interest, and nit as some say, a double. The change in fortune will be, not from misery to prosperity but the reverse, from prosperity to misery, and it will be due, not to depravity but to some great error either in such a man or in another better than this, but nit worse.

In fine, it is told that both plot and character are important constituents of composing a tragedy but between the two, Plot plays most important role because the well-constructed plot functions as the life-blood and it ends in a smooth way and must conform to the purpose the writer desires but the character acts as the secondary medium of a tragedy. However, both the constituents the plot and the character are very essential to form a tragedy.