Doctor Faustus, a well-respected German scholar, grows dissatisfied with the limits of traditional forms of knowledge

logic, medicine, law, and religionand decides that he wants to learn to practice magic. His friends Valdes and
Cornelius instruct him in the black arts, and he begins his new career as a magician by summoning up Mephastophilis,
a devil. Despite Mephastophiliss warnings about the horrors of hell, Faustus tells the devil to return to his master,
Lucifer, with an offer of Faustuss soul in exchange for twenty-four years of service from Mephastophilis. Meanwhile,
Wagner, Faustuss servant, has picked up some magical ability and uses it to press a clown named Robin into his
service.
Mephastophilis returns to Faustus with word that Lucifer has accepted Faustuss offer. Faustus experiences some
misgivings and wonders if he should repent and save his soul; in the end, though, he agrees to the deal, signing it with
his blood. As soon as he does so, the words Homo fuge, Latin for O man, fly, appear branded on his arm. Faustus
again has second thoughts, but Mephastophilis bestows rich gifts on him and gives him a book of spells to learn. Later,
Mephastophilis answers all of his questions about the nature of the world, refusing to answer only when Faustus asks
him who made the universe. This refusal prompts yet another bout of misgivings in Faustus, but Mephastophilis and
Lucifer bring in personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins to prance about in front of Faustus, and he is impressed
enough to quiet his doubts.
Armed with his new powers and attended by Mephastophilis, Faustus begins to travel. He goes to the popes court in
Rome, makes himself invisible, and plays a series of tricks. He disrupts the popes banquet by stealing food and boxing
the popes ears. Following this incident, he travels through the courts of Europe, with his fame spreading as he goes.
Eventually, he is invited to the court of the German emperor, Charles V (the enemy of the pope), who asks Faustus to
allow him to see Alexander the Great, the famed fourth-century B. C. Macedonian king and conqueror. Faustus
conjures up an image of Alexander, and Charles is suitably impressed. A knight scoffs at Faustuss powers, and
Faustus chastises him by making antlers sprout from his head. Furious, the knight vows revenge.
Meanwhile, Robin, Wagners clown, has picked up some magic on his own, and with his fellow stablehand, Rafe, he
undergoes a number of comic misadventures. At one point, he manages to summon Mephastophilis, who threatens to
turn Robin and Rafe into animals (or perhaps even does transform them; the text isnt clear) to punish them for their
foolishness.
Faustus then goes on with his travels, playing a trick on a horse-courser along the way. Faustus sells him a horse that
turns into a heap of straw when ridden into a river. Eventually, Faustus is invited to the court of the Duke of Vanholt,
where he performs various feats. The horse-courser shows up there, along with Robin, a man named Dick (Rafe in the
A text), and various others who have fallen victim to Faustuss trickery. But Faustus casts spells on them and sends
them on their way, to the amusement of the duke and duchess.
As the twenty-four years of his deal with Lucifer come to a close, Faustus begins to dread his impending death. He has
Mephastophilis call up Helen of Troy, the famous beauty from the ancient world, and uses her presence to impress a
group of scholars. An old man urges Faustus to repent, but Faustus drives him away. Faustus summons Helen again
and exclaims rapturously about her beauty. But time is growing short. Faustus tells the scholars about his pact, and
they are horror-stricken and resolve to pray for him. On the final night before the expiration of the twenty-four years,
Faustus is overcome by fear and remorse. He begs for mercy, but it is too late. At midnight, a host of devils appears
and carries his soul off to hell. In the morning, the scholars find Faustuss limbs and decide to hold a funeral for him.




Both dramatic and situational irony actually overlap each other in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's
Dream. Dramatic irony especially relates to how the audience perceives the four lovers' circumstances.
Both Demetrius and Lysander suddenly leave off being in love with Hermia and fall in love with Helena, and
they do not know why, even though the viewer does know. Likewise, another instance of dramatic irony is
seen when Helena's response is to believe that both men are playing a huge joke on her and that Hermia is
in on the joke. We see her reach the conclusion that Lysander is scorning her when she says, "Wherefore
was I to this keen mockery born / When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?" (II.ii.125-126). We further
see that she believes that even Demetrius is making fun of her when she says, "O spite! O hell! I see you all
are bent / To set against me for your merriment" (III.ii.147-148). Finally, we see that Helena believes that
even Hermia is in on the joke when Helena proclaims, "Lo, she is one of this confederacy!" (195). While
Demetrius and Lysander do not know that they have both fallen for Helena due to a love potion, the audience
does know; likewise, while Helena does not know that Demetrius and Lysander are actually being sincere
due to the fact that they have been enchanted, the audience does know, showing us that both of these
instances are perfect examples of dramatic irony. The characters' confusion certainly helps create the
comedy in the play, especially because their confusion creates arguments amongst the four of them with
many amusing lines. Puck describes it best when he says, "Shall we their fond pageant see? / Lord, what
fools these mortals be! (115-116).

However, these instances of dramatic irony overlap with situational irony because it is purely by accident
that both men leave off pursuing Hermia and begin pursuing Helena instead. Puck mistakes Lysander for
Demetrius, making Lysander fall in love with Helena because she comes into view just as Lysander wakes
up. Then, Oberon places the love potion on Demetrius's eyes, just as he had intended to do, making both
men pursue Helena. The situational irony created by Puck's mistake also leads to arguments amongst the
characters and humorous lines.
A Midsummer Night's Dream Summary
Introduction

Probably composed in 1595 or 1596, A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's early comedies but can
be distinguished from his other works in this group by describing it specifically as the Bard's original wedding
play. Most scholars believe that Shakespeare wrote A Midsummer Night's Dreamas a light entertainment to
accompany a marriage celebration; and while the identity of the historical couple for whom it was meant has never
been conclusively established, there is good textual and background evidence available to support this claim. At
the same time, unlike the vast majority of his works (including all of his comedies), in concocting this story
Shakespeare did not rely directly upon existing plays, narrative poetry, historical chronicles or any other primary
source materials, making it a truly original piece. Most critics agree that if a youthful Shakespeare was not at his
best in this play, he certainly enjoyed himself in writing it.
The main plot of Midsummer is a complex contraption that involves two sets of couples (Hermia and Lysander,
and Helena and Demetrius) whose romantic cross-purposes are complicated still further by their entrance into the
play's fairyland woods where the King and Queen of the Fairies (Oberon and Titania) preside and the impish folk
character of Puck or Robin Goodfellow plies his trade. Less subplot than a brilliant satirical device, another set of
charactersBottom the weaver and his bumptious band of "rude mechanicals"stumble into the main doings
when they go into the same enchanted woods to rehearse a play that is very loosely (and comically) based on the
myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, their hilarious home-spun piece taking up Act V of Shakespeare's comedy.
A Midsummer Night's Dream contains some wonderfully lyrical expressions of lighter Shakespearean themes, most
notably those of love, dreams, and the stuff of both, the creative imagination itself. Indeed, close scrutiny of the
text by twentieth-century critics has led to a significant upward revision in the play's status, one that overlooks the
silliness of its story and concentrates upon its unique lyrical qualities. If A Midsummer Night's Dream can be said
to convey a message, it is that the creative imagination is in tune with the supernatural world and is best used to
confer the blessings of Nature (writ large) upon mankind and marriage.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare has been viewed as one of the most brilliant and challenging
pieces of literature in history because the controversies therein have baffled both pleasure readers and scholars alike
since its penning. One particular controversy is that of Hamlets indecision throughout the play. The question that the
Prince of Denmark struggles so terribly with is whether or not he should kill his uncle Claudius who, he suspects and
the audience knows, killed Hamlets father. This begins the problem within the problem. After he agonizes through four
passionate soliloquies, Hamlet and the audience must judge whether his indecisiveness is due to strength or
weakness, wisdom or folly. However, by examination of Hamlets words and actions, it is more definitive that the reason
is all of the above.
In Act I scene ii, the majority of Hamlets first soliloquy is an emotional rant comparing Claudius to King Hamlet as
Hyperion to a satyr (I, ii, 141). His sincerity is clear, but no form of action is decided upon, leaving the reader with only
a sense of Hamlets moral strength. On the other hand, one can understand that, because of Hamlets mothers swift
marriage to Claudius, the situation and however Hamlet decides to act extends beyond the murder. In other words,
whatever Hamlet chooses may also grievously affect his mother, not only Claudius, the one he intends to hurt. At the
end of the soliloquy, Hamlet has concluded that he must hold my [his] tongue (I, ii, 159). Though the readership
knows otherwise, Hamlets knowledge of his fathers death is not yet confirmed, in his mind, enough to serve as the



The Prince of Denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play, Hamlet is the
son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy,
bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncles scheming and disgust for his mothers sexuality. A reflective and thoughtful
young man who has studied at the University of Wittenberg, Hamlet is often indecisive and hesitant, but at other times
prone to rash and impulsive acts.

Hamlet has fascinated audiences and readers for centuries, and the first thing to point out about him is that he is enigmatic.
There is always more to him than the other characters in the play can figure out; even the most careful and clever readers
come away with the sense that they dont know everything there is to know about this character. Hamlet actually tells
other characters that there is more to him than meets the eyenotably, his mother, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
but his fascination involves much more than this. When he speaks, he sounds as if theres something important hes not
saying, maybe something even he is not aware of. The ability to write soliloquies and dialogues that create this effect is one
of Shakespeares most impressive achievements.

A university student whose studies are interrupted by his fathers death, Hamlet is extremely philosophical and
contemplative. He is particularly drawn to difficult questions or questions that cannot be answered with any certainty.
Faced with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, evidence that any other character in a play would believe, Hamlet
becomes obsessed with proving his uncles guilt before trying to act. The standard of beyond a reasonable doubt is simply
unacceptable to him. He is equally plagued with questions about the afterlife, about the wisdom of suicide, about what
happens to bodies after they diethe list is extensive. But even though he is thoughtful to the point of obsession, Hamlet
also behaves rashly and impulsively. When he does act, it is with surprising swiftness and little or no premeditation, as
when he stabs Polonius through a curtain without even checking to see who he is. He seems to step very easily into the role
of a madman, behaving erratically and upsetting the other characters with his wild speech and pointed innuendos. It is
also important to note that Hamlet is extremely melancholy and discontented with the state of affairs in Denmark and in his
own familyindeed, in the world at large. He is extremely disappointed with his mother for marrying his uncle so quickly,
and he repudiates Ophelia, a woman he once claimed to love, in the harshest terms. His words often indicate his disgust
with and distrust of women in general. At a number of points in the play, he contemplates his own death and even the
option of suicide. But, despite all of the things with which Hamlet professes dissatisfaction, it is remarkable that the prince
and heir apparent of Denmark should think about these problems only in personal and philosophical terms. He spends
relatively little time thinking about the threats to Denmarks national security from without or the threats to its stability
from within (some of which he helps to create through his own carelessness).

The Alchemist (Jonson) Summary
Lovewit has left for his hop-yards in London, and he has left Jeremy, his butler, in charge of his house in
Blackfriars. Jeremy, whose name in the play is Face, lives in the house with Subtle, a supposed alchemist,
and Dol Common, a prostitute. The three run a major con operation.
The play opens with an argument that continues throughout the play between Subtle and Face. It concerns
which of them is the most essential to the business of the con, each claiming his own supremacy. Dol quells
this argument and forces the conmen to shake hands. The bell rings, and Dapper, a legal clerk, enters, the
first gull of the day. Face takes on the role of Captain Face, and Subtle plays the Doctor.
Dapper wants a spirit that will allow him to win at gambling. Subtle promises one and then tells him he is
related to the Queen of the Fairies. Dispatched to get a clean shirt and wash himself, Dapper leaves,
immediately replaced by Drugger, a young tobacconist who wants to know how he should arrange his shop.
Subtle tells him, and Face gets him to return later with tobacco and a damask. Their argument looks set to
resume when Dol returns to warn them that Sir Epicure Mammon is approaching.
Sir Epicure Mammon and his cynical sidekick, Sir Pertinax Surly, are next through the door. Mammon is
terrifically excited because Subtle has promised to make him the Philosophers Stone, about which Mammon
is already fantasizing. Face changes character into Lungs or Ulen Spiegel, the Doctors laboratory
assistant, and the two conmen impress Mammon and irritate Surly with a whirl of scientific language. Face
arranges for Captain Face to meet Surly in half an hour at the Temple Church, and a sudden entrance from
Dol provokes Mammon, instantly besotted, into begging Face for a meeting with her.
Ananias, an Anabaptist, enters and is greeted with fury by Subtle. Ananias then returns with his pastor,
Tribulation. The Anabaptists want the Philosophers Stone in order to make money in order to win more
people to their religion. Subtle, adopting a slightly different persona, plays along. Kastrill is the next new gull,
brought by Drugger, who has come to learn how to quarreland to case the joint to see if it is fit for his rich,
widowed sister, Dame Pliant. Face immediately impresses young Kastrill, and he exits with Drugger to fetch
his sister.
Dapper, in the meantime, is treated to a fairy rite in which Subtle and Face (accompanied by Dol on cithern)
steal most of his possessions. When Mammon arrives at the door, they gag him and bundle him into the
privy. Mammon and Dol (pretending to be a great lady) have a conversation which ends with them being
bundled together into the garden or upstairsFace is pretending that Subtle cannot know about Mammons
attraction to Dol.
The widow is brought into the play, as is a Spanish Don who Face met when Surly did not turn up. This
Spaniard is in fact Surly in disguise, and the two conmen flicker between arguing about who will marry the
widow and mocking the Spaniard by speaking loudly in English of how they will cozen or deceive him.
Because Dol is occupied with Mammon, the conmen agree to have the Spaniard marry the widow, and the
widow is carried out by Surly.
Alchemist as an Allegory Essay
An allegory is an extended metaphorical narrative in which a figure stands for a specific quality. It is a
story or narrative, usually of some length, which carries a second meaning or relevance, as well as that
of its surface story; It is usually a method of telling one story whilst seeming to tell another. Ben Jonson's
The Alchemist is a comedic expose in which the fabric of society is inextricably linked to the status-quo
and its ravenous desire for wealth and power. Through the characters in the play, Jonson presents an
allusive manifestation of Elizabethan society, and a clairvoyant analysis of human vices. On the surface,
it is a story that makes use of the alchemical powers of fiction to put a bleakly humorous spin on foolish
people and those who greedily exploit them. However, through deeper inference it is obvious that what
Jonson is proposing is not merely a portrait of the status-quo in his own society, but of the maleficent
faults apparent in human nature. These conditions are deeply rooted and historically enduring.
Ultimately, Ben Jonson's critique of the Elizabethan status-quo is relevant to our own society in which
wealth, power, and the desire for status casts a shadow over a dismal human reality in desperate need
of reform. The characters of the play are all spellbound with greed and in pursuit of some form of wealth
or power. In The Alchemist, Ben Jonson presents the interesting idea that not only the Plague thrives
within the populated city, but vice also flourishes. Since urban areas historically house more poor people
than rural areas, a desire for money may understandably become associated with the inner city. This
greed, as Jonson illustrates with his plot and characters, leads to peoples immoral activities.



The playboy of The Western World, first written and performed just over onehundred years ago
still addresses many themes that are relevant in today's society. The play is set in rural western Ireland,
still under British rule and still in relative poverty, the play is set over just one day. The general themes
that are addressed in the play are; feelings of community, the importance offantasy and reality, Heroism,
love, authority and morality. All of which can be applied to today's society.
When Christy Mahon first walks into Flaherty's tavern boasting eloquently of how he has killed his father,
the townspeople do not berate him for committing an immoral and evil deed. Instead, his story of rising
up and destroying his father (a figure of authority) inspires the people in the pub and Christy becomes
an unlikely hero. This singular act signifies theimportance of fantasy and storytelling, the people in the
tavern have not seen the deed and they do not know if its necessarily true but it creates a great deal of
excitement in their rather mundane and boring lives. Storytelling, embellishment and stories of "heroism"
are still just as important today, but expressed through different mediums such as the mass media rather
than in the setting of a tavern. When Christy attempts to kill his father again in front of the villagers they
turn against him, because seeing this immoral act in reality betrays the fantasy they had envisaged in
their heads about Christy and his challenging of authority. In the end when Christy is banished from the
Village with his father, Pegeen then laments betraying and losing Christy, The Playboy of the Western
World. The ending signifies that language, fantasy and love is superior to mundane, boring and
oppressive lives.