IGNOU MEG 2 Solved Question Paper | December 2024
- Last Updated on August 12, 2025
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Welcome to our blog, In this post, we’re sharing the IGNOU MEG 2 Solved Question Paper of December 2024 examination, focusing on British Drama.
This guide is here to help you prepare for your exams with clear answers and explanations. Whether you’re just starting or revising for your exams, this resource will make studying easier and more effective.
In this post, we’ll discuss all the answers including the short and long answer questions.
So whether you are a student of IGNOU MEG 2 looking to ace your examination or a learner willing to increase your knowledge, this blog post will help you in all the ways possible.
You can also download all previous year question papers of MEG 2 from our website.
Question 1
1. Critically comment on any four of the following passages with reference to the context, in about 150 words each :
(a) “O, good Sir!
There must be a world of ceremonies pass,
You must be bathed, and fumigated, first.”
Answer :
This line is from Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist. Spoken by Subtle, it showcases the elaborate deception used by tricksters in the play. Subtle pretends to be an alchemist and insists on a series of rituals like bathing and fumigation before beginning any process. The exaggerated ceremonial language mocks blind belief in pseudo-scientific practices. Jonson uses satire to criticize those who exploit others through pretended knowledge and mystical jargon. The passage highlights the play’s theme of greed and gullibility and how conmen like Subtle manipulate language and ritual to maintain their control over naïve victims.
(b) “To die, to sleep;
to sleep: perchance to dream;
ay, there is the rub”
Answer :
From Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Act III, Scene 1), these lines are part of Hamlet’s profound soliloquy contemplating life and death. He likens death to sleep, a peaceful release from worldly pain. However, the phrase “perchance to dream” introduces the fear of unknown consequences after death—what dreams may come in the eternal sleep. “There’s the rub” (the problem) expresses Hamlet’s hesitation. Though life is full of suffering, the uncertainty of what follows death makes people endure it. This moment captures Hamlet’s philosophical dilemma and the Renaissance concern with existence, mortality, and the metaphysical unknown, revealing his introspective and troubled nature.
(c) “I hit a blow on the ridge of his skull, laid him stretched out, and he split to the knob of his gullet.”
Answer :
This brutal line is from Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great and reflects the ruthless ambition of the protagonist, Tamburlaine.
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(d) “Was not all the knowledge of the Egyptians writ in mystic symbols? Speak not the scriptures off in parables?”
Answer:
This line appears in Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist and is part of Subtle’s elaborate scheme to justify the cryptic and obscure nature of alchemical practices.
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(f) “Galatea never does quite like Pygmalion; his relation to her is too godlike to be altogether agreeable.”
Answer :
This line comes from George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and critiques the power dynamics in the relationship between creator and creation.
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Question 2
2. Examine Doctor Faustus as a study of conflict with reference to Christian faith.
Answer:
Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus is a powerful Renaissance tragedy that centers on the spiritual and moral conflict within an individual torn between the thirst for worldly knowledge and the teachings of Christian faith. The play is deeply rooted in Christian ideology, portraying Faustus as a man who defies divine order and, in doing so, brings about his own damnation. Marlowe uses the character of Faustus to reflect on the consequences of turning away from God and the eternal struggle between salvation and damnation.
The central conflict of the play is Faustus’s inner turmoil as he grapples with the choice between repentance and the pursuit of forbidden knowledge. Christian doctrine, especially as interpreted during Marlowe’s time, emphasized the importance of divine grace, the sinfulness of pride, and the potential for salvation through repentance. Faustus, however, driven by hubris, chooses to reject God and make a pact with Lucifer in exchange for twenty-four years of magical power and worldly pleasures.
Throughout the play, Marlowe presents Faustus as a man divided. On one hand, he desires the pleasures and power that come from his deal with the devil. On the other, he is haunted by the consequences of his actions. This tension is dramatized through the figures of the Good Angel and the Evil Angel, who represent the opposing spiritual forces influencing Faustus. The Good Angel urges him to repent and return to God, while the Evil Angel tempts him to enjoy the fruits of his unholy contract.
Faustus’s conflict is further complicated by moments where he seriously considers repentance. He often expresses regret and fears damnation, but his pride and despair prevent him from seeking redemption. He believes he has gone too far for God’s mercy, a belief that aligns with the doctrine of despair being one of the gravest sins in Christian theology. Marlowe shows that it is not God’s unwillingness to forgive but Faustus’s refusal to ask for forgiveness that seals his fate.
In the final scene, Faustus’s terror becomes overwhelming as he realizes the reality of eternal damnation. His desperate pleas for more time and cries to be saved show the tragedy of a soul that understood too late the cost of rejecting divine grace. His death is not just the end of a man but a moral lesson on the perils of pride, ambition, and turning away from Christian teachings.
Thus, Doctor Faustus is a profound study of a man in conflict, a tragic figure caught between Renaissance ambition and Christian morality.
Question 3
3. Discuss the presentation of Jacobean society in Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist.
Answer:
Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist is one of the most brilliant satirical comedies of the Jacobean era. Written and performed in 1610 during the reign of King James I, the play offers a vivid and critical portrayal of Jacobean society, exposing its greed, gullibility, obsession with social mobility, and moral corruption. Jonson uses sharp wit and clever characterization to reflect the social dynamics and flaws of contemporary London, turning his play into a mirror for his audience.
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Question 4
4. Critically evaluate Waiting for Godot as an absurd play focusing on the existential crisis of man.
Answer:
Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is widely regarded as one of the most influential works of the Theatre of the Absurd. First performed in 1953, the play explores the meaninglessness of existence, the uncertainty of human purpose, and the paralysis caused by waiting for external salvation. Through its minimalistic plot and repetitive dialogue, Waiting for Godot becomes a profound commentary on the existential crisis of modern man.
The play centers around two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who wait on a barren road for someone named Godot. Godot never arrives, and the characters engage in seemingly trivial conversations and actions to pass the time. This endless waiting without resolution mirrors the human experience of seeking purpose or divine meaning in an indifferent universe. The absence of a clear plot, logical progression, or character development reflects the absurdist belief that life lacks inherent order or reason.
The existential crisis in the play is most apparent in the characters’ actions and dialogues. They often question their existence, memory, and identity. Vladimir asks, “Was I sleeping, while the others suffered?”—a line that reflects guilt, confusion, and the burden of awareness. Estragon, more passive, often wishes to leave or forget, representing the human desire to escape from the pain of existence. Their endless waiting for Godot, who may symbolize God, hope, meaning, or death, highlights the futility of expecting external validation or salvation.
Beckett’s use of language reinforces the absurdity. The dialogue is circular, repetitive, and often contradicts itself. The characters frequently forget what happened moments before, mirroring a fractured consciousness and the disjointed nature of time in modern life. This verbal absurdity reveals the limitations of language as a tool for understanding or communicating profound truths about existence.
The secondary characters, Pozzo and Lucky, add another layer to the existential theme. Pozzo, who claims to be the master, and Lucky, who is subservient and abused, represent arbitrary power dynamics and the illusion of control. Lucky’s monologue, a stream of incoherent thought, exemplifies the breakdown of rational discourse and the chaos underlying human attempts to understand the universe.
In Waiting for Godot, Beckett does not offer solutions or comfort. Instead, he presents a world where man is alone, confused, and searching for meaning in a silent cosmos. The absurdity of waiting becomes a metaphor for life itself—a constant state of expectation without fulfillment.
Ultimately, Waiting for Godot is a quintessential absurdist drama that encapsulates the existential crisis of man, illustrating the despair, repetition, and uncertainty that define human experience in a meaningless world.
Question 5
5. Discuss the significance of the title of the play Look Back in Anger.
Answer:
The title Look Back in Anger, written by John Osborne and first performed in 1956, is a powerful encapsulation of the emotional, cultural, and political frustration that defines the play. The phrase signals a deep resentment toward the past—both personal and societal—and reflects the protagonist Jimmy Porter’s fury at the state of post-war Britain. The title is both literal and symbolic, expressing how characters, especially Jimmy, are trapped in a cycle of disillusionment, regret, and unresolved anger about their lives and the social order.
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Question 6
6. Discuss the role of the Renaissance in the growth of Elizabethan drama.
Answer:
The Renaissance, a period of cultural revival that began in Italy and spread across Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries, played a pivotal role in shaping Elizabethan drama. During Queen Elizabeth I’s reign (1558–1603), England experienced a flourishing of arts, literature, and intellectual inquiry, heavily influenced by Renaissance ideals. This cultural movement profoundly impacted English theatre, elevating it from medieval morality plays to complex, poetic, and psychologically rich dramas.
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