Welcome to our blog, In this post, we’re sharing the IGNOU MEG 2 Solved Question Paper of December 2020 examination, focusing on British Drama.
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In this post, we’ll discuss all the answers including the short and long answer questions.
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Question 1
1. Critically comment on any four of the following passages with reference to the context, in not more than 150 words each :
(a) O that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
His canon against self-slaughter! O God! O God!
Answer: In this early soliloquy from Hamlet, Shakespeare introduces the prince’s intense grief and existential despair following his father’s death and his mother Gertrude’s hasty remarriage to Claudius. Hamlet wishes his “sullied flesh” would melt, indicating a longing for escape through death. However, his religious belief in God’s commandment against suicide prevents him from acting. The imagery of melting and dew conveys his emotional fragility, while his repeated cry of “O God!” emphasizes spiritual turmoil. This passage establishes the central conflict in Hamlet’s mind between moral duty and personal suffering, foreshadowing his later indecision and philosophical reflections on life and death.
(b) When I behold the heavens, then I repent,
And curse thee, wicked Mephistophilis,
Because thou hast depriv’d me of those joys.
Answer: This passage is from Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. Here, Faustus momentarily regrets the pact he has made with Lucifer through Mephistophilis. As he gazes at the heavens, he is reminded of divine beauty and eternal salvation—things he has forfeited for worldly power. His repentance, however, is unstable and superficial. Instead of fully turning to God, he blames Mephistophilis for his damnation, refusing to accept personal responsibility. The lines capture Faustus’s tragic conflict: the pull between divine grace and hellish ambition. His inability to truly repent is central to the play’s theme of tragic irresolution and spiritual loss.
(c) There aren’t any good, brave causes left. If the big bang does come, and we all get killed off, it won’t be in aid of the old-fashioned, grand design. It’ll just be for the Brave New-nothing-very-much-thank-you.
Answer: This passage is from John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, spoken by the protagonist Jimmy Porter. It reflects the post-war disillusionment and existential emptiness felt by the younger generation in 1950s Britain.
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(d) Now is my way clear, now is the meaning plain:
Temptation shall not come in this kind again.
The last temptation is the greatest treason:
To do the right deed for the wrong reason.
Answer: These lines are from T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral, spoken by Thomas Becket as he reaches spiritual clarity. He recognizes that the gravest temptation is not physical harm or fear but the pride in martyrdom itself.
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(e) Women upset everything. When you let them into your life, you find that the woman is driving at one thing and you’re driving at another.
Answer: This line is from George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, spoken by Professor Henry Higgins. It reflects Higgins’s misogynistic and cynical attitude toward women and relationships.
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Question 2
2. “Discuss Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist as a Comedy of Humours”
Answer: Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist is a quintessential example of a Comedy of Humours, a dramatic form developed during the Elizabethan era in which characters are driven by dominant personality traits or “humours.” Rooted in medieval medical theory, the four bodily humours—blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile—were believed to influence temperament. In this play, Jonson exaggerates these traits to create satire, exposing the follies and vices of London society.
Each character in The Alchemist embodies a specific humour or obsessive desire that defines their behaviour. For example, Sir Epicure Mammon is overwhelmed by greed and lust. His vision of luxury, youth, and sensual pleasure blinds him to reason, making him an easy target for deception. His humour is the unrestrained appetite for wealth and pleasure.
Subtle, the so-called alchemist, represents intellectual arrogance and cunning. He manipulates others through elaborate speech and pseudo-science, driven by pride in his supposed knowledge. His partner, Face, is a chameleon-like character, shifting identities to serve their scam. He is governed by opportunism and duplicity, constantly adapting to circumstances.
Tribulation Wholesome, the Puritan pastor, and Ananias, his companion, are mocked for their hypocrisy. They denounce worldly pleasures but secretly desire material gain, showing the contradiction between their religious façade and real ambitions. Their humour is false piety mixed with avarice.
Dapper, the law clerk, is ruled by superstition and ambition. His gullibility reflects a desire for quick success, which blinds him to rational thought. Drugger, the tobacconist, is driven by naïve business aspirations, making him similarly easy to exploit.
Jonson uses these exaggerated humours not just for comedy, but also for moral instruction. The characters’ obsessions lead them into ridiculous and humiliating situations, exposing the dangers of vice, gullibility, and excess. The audience is invited to laugh at their downfall while recognizing real social flaws.
The structure of the play reinforces its comedic nature. Set in a single location and within a tight timeframe, the play maintains unity of action, allowing Jonson to intensify the farcical elements. The rapid entrances and exits, mistaken identities, and escalating deceptions heighten the absurdity while keeping the narrative focused.
In conclusion, The Alchemist stands as a masterful Comedy of Humours where Ben Jonson skillfully combines satire, moral critique, and comic exaggeration. Through sharply drawn characters driven by overpowering humours, Jonson mocks the absurdities of human behaviour and society, making the play both entertaining and intellectually engaging.
Question 3
3: “Examine the role of the Chorus in Murder in the Cathedral”.
Answer: In T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral, the Chorus plays a central and multifaceted role, functioning not merely as a narrative device but as a spiritual, emotional, and thematic anchor of the play.
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Question 4
4. Comment on the nature and significance of the theme of revenge in Hamlet. How do the various characters in the play respond to the issue of revenge ?
Answer: The theme of revenge lies at the very heart of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, providing the primary motivation for the unfolding drama while simultaneously offering a profound examination of the moral, psychological, and philosophical dimensions of human action.
Shakespeare does not treat revenge as a straightforward act of justice; instead, he explores its emotional weight, ethical consequences, and its power to consume individuals and societies alike.
The play opens with a grave injustice—the murder of King Hamlet by his brother Claudius, who then ascends the throne and marries Queen Gertrude. This crime demands retribution, and the ghost of King Hamlet entrusts his son, Prince Hamlet, with the solemn task of avenging his “most foul and unnatural murder.” However, Hamlet does not respond with swift violence. Instead, his reaction is marked by introspection, moral doubt, and philosophical inquiry. He questions the legitimacy of revenge, the trustworthiness of the ghost, and the very nature of right and wrong. Hamlet’s delay in executing vengeance becomes a defining element of his character, shifting the narrative from action to contemplation.
In contrast to Hamlet’s hesitation, Laertes emerges as a more conventional avenger. On learning of his father Polonius’s death, he returns from France in a rage, demanding justice and vowing revenge against Hamlet. His response is emotional and impulsive, driven by honor and family loyalty. Yet, as the play progresses and he becomes entangled in Claudius’s scheming, Laertes recognizes the moral ambiguity of his actions. His repentance and reconciliation with Hamlet at the moment of death underscore the moral cost of vengeance.
Fortinbras, the prince of Norway, serves as another foil. He too seeks to avenge a father’s wrong, but his approach is measured and strategic. His successful military campaign and eventual succession to the Danish throne suggest that revenge, when balanced with discipline and honor, can lead to restoration and order, unlike the chaos left in Hamlet’s wake.
Revenge in Hamlet is also interwoven with themes of madness, corruption, mortality, and fate. Hamlet’s descent into feigned or real madness, the rot in Denmark’s political order, and the graveyard scene all reflect the existential consequences of a revenge-driven life. The final scene, marked by multiple deaths, portrays revenge not as a solution but as a force that destroys both the guilty and the innocent.
In conclusion, Shakespeare uses Hamlet to expose revenge as a double-edged sword—emotionally compelling yet morally corrosive. Through Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras, he presents varying responses to revenge, ultimately revealing its destructive potential and deep moral implications.
Question 5
5: Beckett rejects the conventional structure of a play to depict the absurd predicament in Waiting for Godot. Discuss.
Answer: Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is a landmark play in modern theatre, primarily because of its radical departure from traditional dramatic structure. By rejecting conventional plot progression, character development, and resolution, Beckett crafts a theatrical experience that mirrors the existential absurdity and spiritual desolation of the modern human condition.
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Question 6
6: Look Back in Anger presents the conflicts of post-war youth. Critically comment.
Answer: John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger is a seminal play that gave voice to the disillusionment, frustration, and emotional turbulence of post-war British youth.
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