Shakespeare’s Heroines

Shakespeare’s Heroines

Ashim Kumar Paul

“Shakespeare has no heroes but only heroines” is one of the proclamations that is often asserted by the critics. Arguably, Shakespeare, the greatest dramatist of all ages, is said to not have heroes notably in the comedies because of the significant role led by female characters in the plays.  Critical view claims that in his comedies, one thing Shakespeare aimed for was to honour the qualities of Queen Elizabeth since other Elizabethan Renaissance writers similarly honoured the Queen Elizabeth in their writings, most notably Edmund Spenser in “The Faerie Queene”. Since Shakespeare aims to honour Elizabeth, he endows his heroines with qualities and attributes widely known to belong to the Queen. 

The heroine of “As You Like It”, Rosalind, favoured with youth, beauty, intelligence, wit, and depth of feeling, is one of Shakespeare's most appealing creations. She is frequently regarded as the ideal romantic heroine — very warm and very humane. So fully realized is she in the complexity of her emotions, the subtlety of her thought, and the fullness of her character that no one else in the play matches up to her. Rosalind is much admired of her verve and ability to subvert the limitations that society imposes on her as a woman. Rosalind outdoes everyone else, male and female, in the play. With confidence and imagination, she disguises herself as a young man for the majority of the play in order to parry the untoward experiences as a woman as well as woo the man she loves and instruct him in how to be a more accomplished, attentive lover—a tutorship that would not be welcome from a woman. Thus, there is endless comic appeal in Rosalind’s lampooning of the conventions of both male and female behaviour. Besides, Rosalind is a discerning judge of character. Jaques, for all of his ‘Continental’ pretensions, does not impress her at all. Rather, she lauds the wisdom, as well as the occasional witty foolishness of Touchstone. “Thou speak'st wiser than thou art ware of’ she tells in response to Touchstone's speech about his courting with a ‘peascod’. However, Rosalind is not beyond the humanely affection that gets exposed due to her rashly impatience to identify the forester who has been decking the trees with verses in praise of Rosalind. When she is told that it is Orlando, she questions her cousin Celia breathlessly and becomes concerned about her appearance — forgetting momentarily that she is in disguise as a man and shouldn't worry about such things. This sudden weakness is humorous. Despite that, it is very human and girlish, and it receives understanding sympathy from the audience.

Quick-witted, wealthy, and beautiful, Portia in “The Merchant of Venice” is the embodiment of the virtues that are typical of Shakespeare’s heroines. She stands out as the antidote to Shylock’s malice. At very outset of the play, Portia’s potential for initiative and resourcefulness is not found as she is a near prisoner, feeling herself absolutely bound to comply with her father’s dying wishes. This opening appearance, however, exhibits a revealing introduction to Portia, who emerges as that rarest of combinations—a free spirit who abides rigidly by rules. Rather than ignoring the stipulations of her father’s will, she watches a stream of suitors pass her by, happy to see these particular suitors go, but sadly, she has no choice in the matter. When Bassanio arrives, Portia proves herself to be highly resourceful, begging the man she loves to stay a while before picking a chest, and finding loopholes in the will’s provision that can hardly be thought. In addition, in her defeat of Shylock, Portia triumphs by applying a more rigid standard than Shylock himself, agreeing that his contract entitles him to his pound of flesh, but adding that it does not allow for any loss of blood. Anybody can break the rules, but Portia’s effectiveness comes from her ability to make the law work for her. Portia's second characteristic that is most readily obvious is her graciousness — that is, her tact and sympathy. Despite her real feelings about the Prince of Morocco, Portia answers him politely and reassuringly. Since the irony of her words is not apparent to him, his feelings are spared. She tells him that he is ‘as fair / As any comer I have look'd on yet / For my affection.’ She shows Morocco the honor his rank deserves. But once he is gone, she reveals that she did not like him. ‘A gentle riddance,’ she says; ‘Draw the curtains.’

Viola in “Twelfth Night”, for most critics, is one of Shakespeare’s most delightful and beloved feminine creations of his comedies. Viola, surrounded by characters who express the extremes of emotionalism and melancholy, is caught between Duke Orsino’s extreme melancholy and Lady Olivia’s aggressive emotionalism. She represents the norm of behaviour in this strange world of Illyria. She is, first of all, a very practical and resourceful person. As a shipwrecked orphan, who has no one to protect her, she must resort to some means whereby her safety is assured. She knows that a single woman unattended in a foreign land would be in an extremely dangerous position. Consequently, she evaluates the sea captain's character, finds it suitable, and wisely places her trust in him; then she disguises herself as a boy so that she will be safe and have a man's freedom to move about without protection. Accordingly, Viola is immediately seen to be quick-witted enough to evaluate her situation, of sound enough judgment to recognize the captain's integrity, resourceful enough to conceive of the disguise, and practical enough to carry out this design. Viola also has a native intelligence, an engaging wit, and an immense amount of charm. These qualities will help her obtain her position with Duke Orsino and they are also the same qualities which cause Lady Olivia to immediately fall in love with her. It was her charming personality, which won her the sea captain’s loyalty, without whose help her disguise would have never succeeded. And within a short three days’ time, her wit, charm, loyalty, and her skill in music and conversation won for her the complete trust of Duke Orsino. Even though she is in love with the duke, she is loyal in her missions when she tries to win Lady Olivia's love for him. However, Viola's charm lies in her simple, straightforward, good-humoured personality. She could have used her disguise for all sorts of conniving, yet she is forthright and honest in all of her dealings with Lady Olivia and with Duke Orsino, even though she does use her disguise to entertain the audience with delightful verbal puns. Perhaps the most surprising thing about Viola is that a young lady in possession of so many attributes falls in love with someone who is as moody and changeable as the duke.

Apart from the comedies, in the tragedies like “Macbeth”, “Othello”, the female characters dominate superbly over the development of the plot. Desdemona from “Othello” stands for the incarnation of, what most would believe to be, the perfect woman. She is loyal and trusting, innocent and pure, and her outer experience matches her inner beauty. Her somewhat naïve personality, however, leaves her exposed to the more worldly individuals who have learned how to take advantage of others through experience. Her downfall and her inexperience with the evils of the world leading to her demise initially attract many to Desdemona. One's innocence attracts all types, yet this attraction may become lethal. Desdemona does not know how to be unloving to one in need. When Cassio cannot amend his friendship with Othello, she willingly lends a helping hand. Her vow to “perform it to the last article” is fulfilled when her death is caused by her loyalty to this friendship. Desdemona is also completely blinded by her love for Othello. “Unkindness may do much, And his unkindness may defeat my life, But never taint my love.” This quote could be said to summarize all of the character of Desdemona. Her own words foreshadow her death, yet her love for her husband keeps her from seeing the truth of this statement. Desdemona does not know how not to love even those who, whether intentionally or unintentionally, mean her harm. The loyalty Desdemona feels towards all she meets keeps her from seeing their true colours. Her trust in the Moor that he was born without jealousy keeps her from noticing the changes in his everyday demeanour. Her loyalty to her husband also displays her innocence of the world. When Desdemona asks Emilia if there are really women who would cheat on their husbands, she puts her lack of worldly experience on display for all to see. Her ignorance of how the world works, and her supposedly trusting husband's belief in false statements, eventually leads her to the ultimate betrayal. The attributes of one such as Desdemona appear to be the perfect qualities that a woman can possess. Yet it is these same seemingly wonderful qualities that turn against their host, blinding them to the realities of society. Her trust in her husband does not allow her to see the beast he has become. Her loyalty to her friends blurs how the relationship may be seen from outside sources. Overall, this ‘perfect’ Desdemona leads herself to her death, yet has no knowledge of doing so while on her life’s journey.

In contrast with Desdemona of “Othello”, Lady Macbeth of “Mactbeth” is one of the most powerful as well as frightening female characters female characters in literature. Unlike her husband, Macbeth, she is short of all humanity, as we see well in her opening scene, where she calls upon the “Spirits that tend on mortal thoughts” to deprive her of her feminine instinct to care. Lady Macbeth Her smouldering ambition to be queen persistently manipulates her husband with remarkable effectiveness, overriding all his objections. Besides, she is able to act as the consummate hostess, enticing her victim, the king, into her castle. Lady Macbeth’s incredible strength of will persists through the murder of the king—it is she who steadies her husband’s nerves immediately after the crime has been perpetrated. Later, however, she begins a slow slide into madness—just as ambition affects her more strongly than Macbeth before the crime, so does guilt plague her more strongly afterward. She becomes mentally deranged, a mere shadow of her former commanding self, gibbering in Act V, Scene 1 as she ‘confesses’ her part in the murder. Her death is the event that causes Macbeth to cogitate for one last time on the nature of time and mortality in the speech “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” (Act V, Scene 5).

Truly speaking, William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright, has enriched the world of dramas with his marvellous creations. It would not be exaggerated to say that dipping into the unknown horizon of human psychology and analysing that enigmatic sphere was his key interests that have again and again been reflected through his splendid plays. However, her female characters appearing as supporting and central characters in the plays have been endowed with a rarely brilliant set of beauty, wit, humour and of course, a blend of human and passionate quality. Without their presence, the dramas may lose their savour. In a word, the heroines portrayed in Shakespeare’s plays have been gifted with undying qualities. 

 

 

Aesop and His Fabulous Fables

Aesop and His Fabulous Fables

Ashim Kumar Paul

In the childhood when our ‘golden’ days were replete with numerous kinds of puerile activities, we were taught by our mentors, no matter, from our own house or school, the very axiom:  “slow and steady wins the race” that consistency, although progress may be slow, will eventually be more beneficial than being hasty or careless just to get something done. It does not really matter whether most of us paid heed to the axiom or the lesson of the axiom went unheard but we were taught to memorise the very sentence.

However, it always remained unknown to most of us about the man who generated the great lessons through the simple tale “The Tortoise and The Hare” or “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. We just savour the tales printed on our books or told by our mentors. In fact, very few of us know the man, namely, Aesop.

Aesop is ever-remembered all over the world for his illustrious fables which convey moral lessons by means of weaving stories involving animals. He was a historical figure and many stories are told about him in ancient manuscripts. Most of his fables can be traced to 6th BC. Countless generations have been enthralled with his amusing and thought provoking tales always marked by a moral and ethical undertone.

Aesop, the most famous fabulist of all time, is a legendary figure shrouded in mystery. The history of Aesop is buried in antiquity and, like that of Homer, is cloaked in myth and legend. The place of his birth is uncertain -- Thrace, Phrygia, Aethiopia, Samos, Athens and Sardis--- all claiming the honour. It is argued by many that he was born a slave, and during his lifetime, two different masters owned him before being granted his freedom. The slave masters were named, Xanthus and Iadmon while the latter gave him his freedom as a reward for his opulent wit and intelligence.

However, the legend behind his freedom can be added to illustrate his stockpile of intelligence. The lord of Aesop, during a feast, too boldly stated that he would drink the sea. If he couldn't he would lose all his wealth. The next morning, realizing his claim was impossible to complete, he called Aesop. Aesop quickly comprehended the trouble his master was in and promised that he would help save his master’s dignity and honour. At that, both men went to the seashore to face a noisy crowd, gathered to see how the stupid man would make possible to "drink the sea". Aesop explained to the people that his master could "drink" the sea, but for the rules to be met all the water from the rivers and lakes, flowing into the sea, should be removed. Needless to say, nobody was able to separate the sea, and the master saved his wealth and honour. As a reward, Aesop received his freedom.

Although all of the fables by Aesop are relatively short and many of them are designed as cautionary tales, it is up to us to discover ourselves what is hidden behind the images presented by the author.  Many of them feature anthropomorphised animals. Each fable features a situation and a set of actions, and finishes with a brief moral. As a genre of fables, they are close to the artistic atmosphere of fairy tales about animals. They are not the typical Greek myths that we know from the Greek mythology about Gods and Heroes. Observing the life and characteristics of animals, the fabulist makes a comparison between them and the moral characteristics of men. Trickery is not only exclusive to the fox, calmness - not only for pigeons, deceit - not only for the snake, cowardice - not just for rabbits.

All these properties can be encountered in the conduct of people. Seeing these similarities, people began to call one another fox, snake, and rabbit in their domestic relations. But the images of animals and plants also have a parabolic meaning: the donkey began to express the characteristics of a hard and stupid man, the sheep - of the gentle and harmless, the snake - of the evil and vindictive, and the wolf reveals the nature of an evil and cruel man.

In that sense, Aesop summarises the essential morals of his time, giving them a satirical evaluation. Not only to hide the sharpness of his critics, but also to provoke the resourcefulness of people, Aesop often likens people with animals and plants.

This particular sense of expression has been associated with Aesop throughout the centuries, starting from ancient Greece, going into Rome and Byzantium, reaching the Renaissance and surviving until today. Since the time of Aesop the fable was a powerful tool to expose and ridicule our ills and vices as people and as a society.

Known history shows that Aesop never wrote down any of his fables (there’s actually no evidence that he could write at all), and that the first-known collection of fables bearing his name was collected by Demetrius Phalareus (founder of the Alexandria Library) in the 4th century BCE, but did not survive beyond the 9th century CE. Later, a Greek freedman of Augustus Caesar named Phaedrus turned Aesop’s fables into Latin iambics (verse poems). Finally in the 1300s, a monk named Maximus Planudes of Constantinople compiled the definitive book of Aesop’s fable. Two hundred years after his death, the famous statue of Aesop, carved by master craftsman Lysippus, was erected at Athens, set in place in front of the statues of the Seven Sages.

Among the Aesop’s tales packed up with amusing as well as thought-provoking contents, the tales like “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse”, “The Hare and the Tortoise”, “The Lioness and Small Respect”, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”, “The Dog and His Reflection” are well-read in our school days. The tale, “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse” shows that although it’s tempting to envy another person’s life, their life is rarely as great as it seems from a distance while “The Hare and the Tortoise” is one of the famous tales by Aesop that concerns a hare who ridicules a slow-moving tortoise who challenges him to a race. The hare soon leaves the tortoise behind and, confident of winning, takes a nap midway through the course. The tortoise gets tired but he keeps going. When the hare awakes, however, he finds that his competitor, crawling slowly but steadily, has arrived before him. As in several other fables by Aesop, there is a moral ambiguity about the lesson it is teaching. Later interpreters have asserted that it is the proverbial 'the more haste, the worse speed'. We may also be familiar with the tale “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”   involving a shepherd boy who repeatedly tricks nearby villagers into thinking a wolf is attacking his flock. When a wolf actually does appear, the villagers do not believe the boy's cries for help, and the flock is destroyed. Or think of the tale “The Dog and His Reflection” that reflects the moral it is better to be satisfied with what you have because if you go running greedily after what somebody else has, you'll lose what you've got.

It is of note that many popular fables throughout history have been attributed to Aesop, the imprecision surrounding the writings and the accounts of his life has been yet to be culminated in. According to some legends, his death was unnatural. He was said to have been killed in Delphi by some people following a misunderstanding. There is no general consensus as to what constitutes the original fables of Aesop and how many were later added on ascribed to him owing to his popularity. There is also a theory that Aesop probably got some of his stories from the sailing Indian merchants or the traveling Buddhist monks and added them to his own. The similarity between some stories of the Panchatantra and those of Aesop do suggest that both these works had drawn probably from some common folklore of their times. It is possible that some of the fables might have traveled either ways along the trade routes and the wandering tribes and were incorporated in course of time into respective lists. However, notwithstanding the controversial stories surrounding the myths of the stories and life-span of Aesop, the fables still read by millions of readers in this busy, hectic and information technology-wrapped world have even now shield their ascendancy. 

 

 

In The Colours of Baishakh

Pabna: In The Colours of Baishakh

Ashim Kumar Paul

Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla New Year, curves out its distinction in the lives of the people of Bangladesh who wait for receiving the hoary festivity. Tradition marks its idiosyncratic features in the trait of Pahela Baishakh. Liveliness and enthusiasm of these Baisakhi fairs pulls the people of various other communities, religion and ethnicity towards itself. Like all other national cultural festivity, it has significantly substantiated its importance and interest to the common people especially to the young generation. It embraces the traditional values as well as colourful image of our culture. In conjunction with upholding our longstanding traditional heritage and culture, the day arrives with the message of change for enlivening the youthful spirit. It is a festival that surpasses religion and race, and unites every Bengali in its celebrations. Pahela Baishakh is, in truth, about celebrating the simpler, rural roots of the Bengal.  It is a public festival of the Bengalis that also marks a day of cultural unity without distinction between class and religious affiliations.

The lifestyle and cultural heritage of rural Bangla is showcased in the Baishakhi celebration. On the very day, different socio-cultural organisations sketch out elaborate programmes like musical events, colourful parade and Boishakhi fairs across the country to welcome the Bangla New Year. The streets are bound to be crammed with colours and other festive activities, representing the different forms of Bengali culture and heritage.

Like every year, Pahela Baishakh had been celebrated in Pabna district with the same zeal and gusto this time to welcome the Bangla New Year 1420. Wearing new dresses that highlighted the true essence of Bengali identity, people from all walks of life gathered at the premises of Government Edward College exchanging greetings with each other subsequent to the rise of the sun to hail the New Year. To mark the day, Square Consumer Products Limited organised a daylong event, crowded by myriad people at the premise. The daylong programme was followed by a musical concert where renowned singers like James, Porshi Mehrab, Nishita Barua enthralled the audience.

Centering on the event, a number of stalls initiated mostly by the students of the college were built around the premises of the college. From the earlier day before Pahela Baishakh, the stalls were seen ready to colour the day. Those stalls arranged Panta-Ilish (Watered rice and fried Hilsa), drawing various coloured tattoos etc. “Baishakhi Rong” was among the stalls that organised a henna festival. Hasan Mahmud, a student of English department of the college and the spokesperson of “Baishakhi Rong” stall, informed that many enthusiastic students took part in the henna festival. “The aim to arrange such an event is to guard and uplift our national integrity, heritage and unity through the time-honoured values. Traditional Bangla songs crooned by the singers of Sahitya-Songskrito Kendro of the college, a musical soirée of folk song were the key attractions on the day.” added Mahmud.

My Love

My Love

Ashim Kumar Paul

What a prison for me have made you

No grille, no sentry; only surrounded by love dew

That captivates my soul with soft care-

Escaping your love can never I dare.

Within the prison flows ever Spring

Smell of Love that binds me like the ring

Too hard to be yielded to any adversity done

Whisper me to be imprisoned in the long run.

“I am restless, free like the stormy wind

Never try me with your love to bind”

Falls apart like the falling star from sky

Surrender I before you with a deep sigh;

Sigh really it is? Oh, no! it’s boundless mirth

Realise, yes I realise, takes my Love birth.

Countdown to Baishakh

Countdown to Baishakh

Ashim Kumar Paul

Days coming closer to the end of Spring stir up more oomph among the assiduous students of the Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA) of Dhaka University who are busy exerting the last drop of their unsullied verve and vitality to conclude their preparations earlier than the cut-off date as the people living in Dhaka city, with their ardent enthusiasm and festive mood, look forward to the longed-for day when  Mongol Shobhajatra or the new year colourful procession, like every year, will be brought out from the FFA on the street to welcome Pahela Baishakh, first day of Bangla New Year 1420.

Since 1989, every year the students and teachers of the FFA have formed Mongol Shobhajatra parading around the campus with hand-made colourful masks, sculptures and art projects, each welcoming the new and blessed, and wishing past evils away. Mongol Shobhajatra creates a huge trail of throng fervently participated by people from all walks of life regardless of religious, class and regional differences. The crowds wearing traditional Bengali dresses spill out of house into the street to converge into the streams of the grand colourful procession to demonstrate their innate impulse for the age-old tradition and heritage of the nation. Celebration of Pahela Baishakh in the metropolis life is, therefore, deemed incomplete without the presence of the pulsating Mongol Shobhajatra. But behind the luminous, splendid march, hardly people know about the unremittingly endeavour of the actors of the magnificent works who never relinquish their robust hope and aspirations and always toil together to bring about the long-cherished success.

The premise of the FFA, before the advent of Pahela Baishakh, has turned out a bustling crux with the lively presence of the learners sweating their guts out to meet the onus shouldered on them. From the morning to late night, students can be seen in the premise and found on the go to hone the paintings, potteries, especially well decorated shora, T-shirts etc. “Since almost one month ago, we have been preparing for Pahela Baishakh. Generally, we come in the premise at around 10 a.m. But nowadays, the schedule is overtly overlooked to finish our preparations for we are much closer to the orbit of the day,” says Sumon Baidya, a student from the 12^th batch of FFA.

Like every year, this year the 12^th batch has been given the responsibility to lead the whole programme. “Though we are leading the entire episode, students from all batches are working hard together to make the event a successful one,” cites Sumon.

Mongol Shobhajatra, symbolising the eradication of all kinds of evil spirits and the salutation of the new beneficent for mankind, is accompanied by outsized colour-clad replicas of birds and animals based on folk motifs from traditional folklores of Bangladesh. “This year, rebellious bull, flying birds, Moron Chand Paul’s rickshaw and a pair of sponge wood-made birds will be among the features of the replicas. The theme of this year’s rally seeks justice for war crimes and voices out against the threat on our culture and heritage,” states Anika Hoque, from drawing and paintings department of FFA.

One of the major jobs is to manage a sizeable fund for the multihued procession. Maintaining their traditional norm, the organisers do not let any multinational company or organisation to sponsor. “Former and current students, teachers raise fund by receiving orders, selling the paintings, traditional potteries, masks and more.  At the beginning, we kick off our preparations on our own money. Later, earning from the sale of paintings, potteries and other items is adjusted to pay off that fund. Prices of the paintings by the students of FFA vary from 500 BDT to 3000 BDT while the paintings by the teachers of FFA worth from 5000 BDT up to 100000 BDT. However, we all work here voluntarily and even we stop our all personal works.” elucidates Sumon Baidya.

Another eye-catching decoration is the wall paintings that feature the traditional beauty and hoary heritage of our culture. Like every year, the students will paint the walls of FFA marking Pahela Baishakh. The wall paintings this year will feature paintings based on rural folklores of Bangladesh. The wall-painting programme will be all set by the students of FFA under the guidance of Gupu Trivedi and Md. Abdus Sattar, teachers of FFA.  Besides, at the Faculty of Fine Arts, the 'Zainul Shishu Niketon' also well-known as 'School Ghar' will also be painted with colourful paintings and decorated with multi-coloured potteries like the Shokher Hari (a clay pot decorated with paintings of animals, mostly used to contain gifts, in rural).

Alongside the preparations for the grand rally in the Pahela Baishakh, Sumon informs that every evening there is a rehearsal for an opera (A jatrapala) which will be staged within a week after the Baishakh festivity. It is also a part of the Baishakh episode. Students, teachers and staffs of FFA will enact different roles in the opera. The entire show will be staged at the premise of FFA and open for all. One of the reasons behind the opera is to bring something entertainment for the members of FFA family who are toiling a lot to succeed the grand rally and also the programme will act as a reunion for the former students and present students to be with their teachers.

Pahela Baishakh comes to the metropolis with a gift that soaks the hectic, mechanical life with its rejuvenating essence and colours. Endeavour to quiver the old murk and to revive the life-force and passion is a testament to the message of Pahela Baishakh that composes the mettle and inspiration of the students of FFA who, through their youthful strive, are toiling best to rekindle the light of true patriotic spirit within us, fight against the anti-liberal forces and thus, must deserve our high acclaim.