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Welcome to our blog, In this post, we’re sharing the IGNOU MEG 2 Solved Question Paper of June 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.
You can also download all previous year question papers of MEG 2 from our website.
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Question 1
1. Critically comment on any four of the following passages with reference to the context in about 150 words each :
(a) “Galatea never does quite like Pygmalion: his relation to her is too godlike to be altogether agreeable.”
Answer:
This line from George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion highlights the problematic dynamic between creator and creation. Professor Higgins, like Pygmalion from mythology, “creates” Eliza by transforming her speech and manners, but he treats her more as a project than a person. The “godlike” relationship is unnatural and imbalanced, making mutual affection impossible. Eliza resents being treated as a product rather than a partner. Shaw critiques the patriarchal and classist mindset that seeks to mold individuals without regard for their autonomy or feelings. The line underscores Eliza’s growing independence and resistance to being objectified.
(b) “I’m in the fire and I’m burning, and all I want is to die!…… But what does it matter—this is what he wanted from me!”
Answer:
This emotional line from Look Back in Anger captures Alison’s inner turmoil after being emotionally shattered by Jimmy Porter. The metaphor of burning fire symbolizes intense emotional pain and frustration. Alison’s cry for death reflects the despair and suffocation she feels in a toxic relationship. The phrase “this is what he wanted from me” suggests that Jimmy derives satisfaction from breaking her spirit, revealing a deeply disturbing emotional dynamic. The line reveals the destructive power of suppressed anger, class resentment, and gender tension in post-war British society. Osborne portrays Alison as a tragic victim of emotional cruelty.
(c) “With a base fricace of your medicine; still you increase your friends.”
Answer:
This line from Ben Jonson’s Volpone mocks charlatanism and public gullibility. A “base fricace” refers to worthless or superficial medical concoctions, and yet the quack doctor gains popularity.
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(d) “When all your alchemy and your algebra… Could not relieve your corpse with so much linen.”
Answer:
In The Alchemist, this passage ridicules blind faith in pseudo-sciences like alchemy. The speaker mocks how, despite all mystical formulas and false learning, none of it can conquer death.
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(e) “Have you no modesty, no maiden shame,
No touch of bashfulness? What, will you tear?
Impatient answers from my gentle tongue.”
Answer:
This passage is from Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 4), spoken by Hamlet to his mother, Gertrude, during the intense “closet scene.” Hamlet confronts her over her marriage to Claudius, expressing disgust and moral outrage.
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Question 2
2. Comment on the use of a play within the play in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
Answer:
Shakespeare’s use of a play within a play in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, specifically the performance of Pyramus and Thisbe by the mechanicals, serves as a powerful structural and thematic device. This inner play not only provides comic relief but also acts as a mirror to the main plot, reinforcing central themes like love, illusion, and the nature of performance.
The mechanicals, a group of Athenian tradesmen, decide to perform a tragic love story to entertain Theseus and Hippolyta on their wedding day. Their selection, Pyramus and Thisbe, is a tale of two lovers who are kept apart by family opposition and meet a tragic end due to a misunderstanding. While the story is intended to be a tragedy, its performance by the bumbling amateurs is filled with mistakes, overacting, and absurd dialogue, which turn the tragedy into comedy. This comic failure reflects Shakespeare’s clever satire on poor theatrical practices and serves as a humorous break from the romantic entanglements of the main plot.
Thematically, the play within the play parallels the main story. Just like Pyramus and Thisbe, the young lovers Hermia and Lysander face societal restrictions and flee into the woods to be together. However, unlike the tragic fate of the lovers in the inner play, the four lovers in the main narrative end up reconciled and married. This contrast highlights the thin boundary between comedy and tragedy and suggests that miscommunication, if not resolved, can easily lead to disastrous outcomes.
Additionally, Shakespeare uses the mechanicals’ performance to comment on the nature of theatre itself. The noble audience within the play—Theseus, Hippolyta, and the others—react with amusement and critique, emphasizing how audience perception influences the meaning and success of a play. The exaggerated acting and literal interpretations by the mechanicals serve as a meta-theatrical reflection on dramatic art, acting techniques, and the role of the audience. These elements invite the real audience to reflect on their own engagement with drama.
Moreover, the performance explores the theme of illusion and reality. The mechanicals’ attempt to create theatrical illusion, despite its failure, still evokes a response. It aligns with the broader theme of dreams, appearances, and transformations that run through the entire play.
In conclusion, the play within a play in A Midsummer Night’s Dream enriches the comedy, mirrors the central plot, satirizes theatrical conventions, and underscores the themes of love, illusion, and the power of storytelling.
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Question 3
3. Discuss the presentation of Jacobean society in Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist.
Answer:
Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist is a sharp satire of Jacobean society, exposing its greed, gullibility, and obsession with the wealth and social advancement. Written during the reign of James I, the play captures the anxieties and the moral corruption of early 17th century London through the comic exploits of con artists who prey on the vices of their victims. Jonson’s play acts as a mirror reflecting the materialism and hypocrisy of his time.
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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 one of the most prominent works of the Theatre of the Absurd, a literary movement that emerged in the aftermath of World War II. Absurdist plays often portray life as illogical, meaningless, and repetitive—highlighting the futility of human existence. In this context, Waiting for Godot powerfully explores the existential crisis of modern man, questioning the purpose of life, the nature of time, and the need for meaning in a seemingly indifferent universe.
The play features two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, who wait endlessly by a tree for someone named Godot. Godot never arrives, and his identity remains unclear. This act of waiting becomes symbolic of human life—filled with hope, but ultimately futile. The characters engage in repetitive dialogue, senseless banter, and circular arguments, reflecting the stagnation of their condition. They are trapped in a monotonous cycle, unable to act decisively or change their circumstances, which echoes the existential belief that life has no predetermined purpose.
The play’s minimalistic setting and lack of conventional plot further reinforce its absurd nature. There is no clear beginning, development, or resolution. The same events recur in both acts, suggesting the meaninglessness of time and routine. The characters’ inability to remember past events, along with their aimless actions, represents the fragmentation of human experience and the disorientation of modern life.
Beckett’s work is heavily influenced by existential philosophers like Sartre and Camus. Vladimir and Estragon’s search for meaning in a world that offers none reflects Camus’ idea of the “absurd condition”—the conflict between humans’ desire for purpose and the silent universe. Godot, a figure who might represent God, hope, salvation, or meaning itself, never appears, emphasizing the absence of ultimate answers.
Despite its bleak vision, the play also contains elements of dark humor, which humanizes the characters and makes their struggle relatable. The companionship between Vladimir and Estragon, though filled with tension, offers a glimmer of warmth in an otherwise empty world. Their continued hope—even when constantly disappointed—reveals a deep human resilience in the face of absurdity.
In conclusion, Waiting for Godot exemplifies absurd drama by portraying a world devoid of logic, structure, and meaning. Through its depiction of two men waiting endlessly for a savior who never comes, the play reflects the existential crisis of modern humanity—caught in a cycle of uncertainty, seeking purpose in a universe that offers none.
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Question 5
5. Discuss the significance of the title of the play Look Back in Anger.
Answer :
The title Look Back in Anger is highly significant as it encapsulates the central theme, tone, and emotional core of John Osborne’s groundbreaking play. It reflects both a personal and generational outcry—capturing the frustration, disappointment, and resentment felt by the post-war youth in 1950s Britain.
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Question 6
6. Discuss the role of the Renaissance in the growth of Elizabethan drama.
Answer:
The Renaissance, a cultural rebirth that began in Italy during the 14th century and spread across the Europe, had a profound influence on English literature and drama, especially during the Elizabethan era. It brought about a renewed interest in the classical antiquity, humanism, scientific inquiry, and artistic innovation. These changes deeply shaped the themes, structure, and character of Elizabethan drama, transforming it into a rich and enduring tradition.
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