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Jacobean Drama: critical analysis of the passage from the THE REVENGER

Essay Instructions:
write a critical analysis of the passage from the THE REVENGER\'s TRAGEDY that runs from Act 2, scene 1, line 84 (Gratiana :O fie, fie; the riches of the world cannot hire a \') to Act 2, Scene 1, line 135 *Gratiana: \"If se be still chaste , I\'ll ne\'er call her mine\"). You should cover the following areas in your essay: a) the place and significance of the passage in the play; b) the presentation and development of character and theme within the passage; c) the importance of any characteristics elements of style and dramatic tecnhique that are present in the passage. You should: 1) read the play 2) read the introduction in the edition of the play 3) read the study unit chapter on the play (which will be attached ) As this is a close reading exercise, you must thoroughly examine the given extract. Here are the aspects to consider 1) The place and significance of the passage this part of the answer should not be too long; one or two properly detailed and relevant paragraphs will suffice. Contextualise the passage; explain how it evelops/reinforce/modifies/challenges the key themes and issues in the play. This is the introduction, so it should lay out the key elements of the passage and contain essay statement. This is not a general essay about the play ; it is an essay about this specific passage , so do not waste time retelling the the entire play. 2) the presentation and development of character and theme within the passage; This is the main body of the essay and it should therefore concentrate on close analysis of the language and role of each of the two participants: Vindice and Gratiana. Thought it should be explain clearly how the whole of the extract develops, it is not necessary to go through it line-by-line, explaining every word. Just choose those highlights from the extract to focus on which enable you to show their connection to the development of character and theme. The ideas you select will dictate your paragraphing in this section of your answer. 3)the importance of any characteristics elements of style and dramatic tecnhique that are present in the passage. we should be looking here at any features that are characteristics of the way Middleton writes and crafts his play. Stlistic elements are distinctive methods of utterance or expression that are shared by a significant number of characters; dramatic tenique is the way in which the play is put together to tell its story. Through important, this section can be relatively concise (i.e. one paragraph) when compare to (2) DO NOT plagiarise. DO not cut and copy from the internet or any other sources. Cite all the sources both in the body of the essay and in the WORKS cite at the end of the essay. The sources include the Study Guide, the introduction of the play, book. Use MLA conventions for citations. Avoid mere discription or summary. It is not enough to simply state what is taking place prior to , during, and after this scene. Have a clear structurem with an introduction and thesis statement, body paragrpahs with body sentences, and a relevant conclusion. sources: The play: Revengers tragedy by Thomas Middleton (uploaded files)
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Analysis of Jacobean drama
In this part of the play, Vindice is performing the task of finding the Duke a chaste woman who is to be corrupted. He is not doing so in his own capacity but rather assumes a false identity as Piato, a servant of Lussoriosso. He is talking to Gratiana about the same since she is Castiza`s mother. To accomplish this he carries with him gold which will be used as a bribe or some form of payment. They engage in lengthy dialogue on the same matter.
Significance of this passage
The importance of this passage in the play is that it exposes the inner thoughts of Vindice. He is the main character in this play and this scene where he disguises himself and interacts with his mother provides us with pointers to his motivation for the vigilante mission he is on. In the conversation, he elaborates on the social evils that are present in the world. To some extent he justifies his mission by stating the powerlessness of men to stop the world from coming to utter ruin "The world descends into such base-born evils… [sic]" found at 2.1.752.
The conversation of these two characters is significant to the rest of the play since the vices that form the background of the play are confronted by two of the more significant characters. As Vindice is conversing with Gratiana, his mother , they touch on the subject of immorality and even attempt to come up with a reason for its prevalence in the their society .One instance is when they blame sexual immorality on women`s ‘nature` to give in to seduction from men easily. This moral decay in further evidenced by Gratiana`s willingness to corrupt her chaste daughter Castiza. The two characters have both lost their initial moral standing and now go against their initial values. Gratiana for instance would rather have her daughter perform the role of a harlot than let her maintain her Chastity. Vindice`s speech also suggests that he has a grasp of the lack of morals in their society. Despite this, he maintains his murderous path without in a relentless fashion.
Presentation and development of Character and theme within the passage
The discussion taking place between Vindice and Gratiana brings out their most defining character traits. This is made possible by analyzing the content of their conversation as this gives pointers as to how they think and hence how they act.
Gratiana
She is portrayed as a weak willed woman. This we see through the ease in which she gets enticed by the prospect of acquiring gold. The fact that her daughter, Castiza comes off as the epitome of chastity in the court only worsens her image because of the obvious contrast in terms of will power. It would be expected that the mother of a chaste lady would be the inspiration of her daughter. Gratiana however goes against this norm.
To add onto her weak will, she is also a self-seeking woman. The prospect of material gains drives her to go against her motherly instinct. She is so selfish to the extent that she is willing to sacrifice her daughter`s greatest asset for gold. "The riches of the world cannot hire a mother to such a most unnatural task! [sic]" found at 2.1.749.
Gratiana is a resigned woman. She is resigned to the fact that women are at the beck and call of all men who desire them. She comments on how women are easily seduced verbally and by means of material motivation such as jewelry. "We...
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