Write a note about the main charactaristics of the Romantic poetry.

The age of Romanticism is considered to be the most remarkable age in the history of English literature within fifty years after the death of Dr. Johnson. English poetry was once again magnificently driven by the brilliant outbust of the imaginative genius. The rise of Romanticism needs to be seen in the context of the changes that marked the historical and philosophical aspects of the English social life. It must be noted that the period between 1776 and 1832 was one of the remarkable progress and national achivements for England. Industrial development were growing day by day. In this age of industrial progress the Romantics rise with a view to making a balance between dehumanised men and women.

Romanticism has been described and defined in defferent ways. The word Romantic has been used traditionally in oppsition to the word classicism. Classicism is considerd and connected with the social, the formal, the intellectual and the static whereas Romanticism is connected and concerned with the individual, informal, the emotional and the dynamic. The Romantics believed in the absolute freedom both in terms of formal presentation and the content. Let us descus about the important feature of Romanticism.

Mystique of the past is another important feature for the Romantics. Keats’s  “Ode on a Grecian Urn”  is a fine example of how the ancient past inspired the poets.The past provided  all the romance and charm that the Romantic imagination needed.

Imagination is the soul of romantic poetry. The Romantics believed that imagination can give shelter to a troubled mind. This very idea has been reflecled throught the romantic poetry of different poets in this age. Through imagination the inanimate cold world is transformed into something real and living.While Cpleridge seeks to transform the given world through imagination. To Wordsworth visionary world is more real  than the world of sense. For Keats imagination which leads to beauty is not a simple way but a power by which he has made imagination more powerful and acceptable than reality. Keats in a letter to Benjamin Baily says:                                                                  “I am certain of nothing but of the

                    holiness of the Hearts affection and

                    truth to the imagination…”

Comman place and ordinary are the most significant characteristics of Romantic poetry. The Romantics had intention in the ordinary forms of life. The Romantics turned the full force of their humanitarianism upon the simple life of the peasant (farmar), secluded workers and innocent children who derived the sustenance of life from the luxerious profasion of nature ready to shelter and preserve them.  Particularly Wordsworth celebrated and sang the simplicity and common place of life. Wordsworth says,                         

…the earth , And commn face of Nature spoke to me

Rememberable things our simple childhood sits upon a thorn

That health more powerful than all elements.

Subjectivity is another important feature of the Romantic poets. Subjective poetry is a kind of poetry in which the poet goes into himself and finds his inspiration from his own experiences, thoughts and feelings. Most of the Romantic poets are subject in this sense. For example, Keats’s “Ode to the Nightingale” is basically based on personal matter. His life is full of tragedy. When his brother died he wrote this poem being annoyed with the practical world. So it is a subjective poem. Other  subjictive poems are  Keats’s “Ode to Fanny” and Wordsworth’s Tintern Abbey etc.

 Love of liberty is another important feature of the Romantic poets. They  expected both poetic and national liberty. In poetic liberty the poets wanted to write free hand poems. They didn’t want to be confined within the particular framework of poetry. Means rules and regulation were not inportant feature for them.They emphasized on the subject matter.In their writings the poets also showed a type of raction and revolt.

Use of nature is a prominent feature of the Romantic poets. They have frequently used nature in their poetry. But nature has taken different shape in different poets. To Shelley nature was a poewr. To Keats nature was a beauty and Wordsworh considered nature mystically. Coleridge treated nature supernaturally.

Frence Revolution and Romantic poetry are related to each other. The historical significance of the Frence Revolution of 1789 is destruction of the old order and initiated a new philosophy of liberty. One can measure its impact from the wide spread changes that took place in the whole of Europe including Englad. In the first of the revolution the English Romantic poets  saw the freedom for the mankind .Especially Shelley’s poem are full of a revolutionary zeal.

It is to be noted  that all the poets of the Romantic age were not influenced by the Frence Revolution because,the poems of Keats, Wordsworth, Coleridge are not related with Frence Revolution. The Romantic poets created an especial type of poetry that marked the age an humanity where subject matter was high and lofty because they were not confined with particular rules and regulation in writing poetry.

Discuss Antigone as a Tragic Character

Character is one of the significant aspects or themes of a drama. The greatness of a writer mainly depends on the successful presentation of characters. In this respect, Sophocles is completely successful in describing the character of Antigone. 

Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, the former king of Thebes. She is the princess of Thebes. Among the four children of Oedipus, she is the last victimized member of the family. Her elder sister is Ismene. Her two brothers are Polynices and Eteocles. Polynices came to attack his own homeland. On the other hand, Eteocles wanted to save the land. The two brothers killed each other in the battle field. The king Creon, their uncle, forbids to bury the dead body of Polynices. Because, according to the king he is a traitor of the country. On the other hand, Eteocles is buried with the state honour. But Antigone wanted to bury Polynices. The play Antigone starts in this point.

The play is named after Antigone. She is the central figure in the drama and the main theme of the play. She is neither a political character nor a philosophical character. She has been described as a common human figure. She is the embodiment of common loss, pain, sorrow, suffering, feelings and love. 

Her presence in the play has made the drama convincing (believable) to the reader. She is a real tragic figure. The identity of Antigone tells that she belongs to the royal family. She is bearing blue blood. We have come to know that she was given death penalty. But it does not mean that she committed any crime.

Antigone is a character who is quite conscious of her own responsibilities. In the play we see that she is guided by her own consideration. According to her a dead body must be buried. She thinks that this is the law of God and every human being should obey it. 

Antigone is determined to bury the dead body of her brother whereas the king forbids it. She is ready to disobey the order of the king to obey the laws of Gods. She is not afraid of death to show her love and responsibility for her brother. So we see that she is lady of complete love and affection to her brother.

 Antigone says;    

                                           “….I will bury my brother,

And if I die for it,what happiness !”

Antigone appears as a dutiful sister. It’s painful for any sister to see her dead brother to be eaten up by animals. It’s inhuman indeed and she can’t do it. So, Antigone revolts against the order of the king. And she promises to bury her brother’s dead body. For this, she wants the help of her sister, Ismene. Though Antigone has been taken to imprison in a rocky (stone) cave, she is strict to her religion and principle. 

In fact, Antigone defies the order of the king for two reasons. The first is her sisterly feelings and the second is her obedience to the divine law. The religious value is more important to her than the laws of the state. Creon says that the patriot and the traitor should not be given equal judgment. Antigone replies that she is not afraid of Creon’s penalty. Death is her choice rather than living in daily torments (tortures). According to Antigone, the laws of Gods are everlasting.  She says;

“They are not yesterday or today but everlasting.”

Like other common ladies, she also dreams for future, dreams for having a husband and children. She falls in love with Haemon, son of the king. Haemon also loves her. He has said that if he dies, does not die alone. Naturally when a woman falls in love, she does not think of any other things. But Antigone is an exceptional girl in this respect. 

According to Aristotle, the tragic character is good but not perfect. It also can be told in case of Antigone. Her sense of divinity is praise-worthy indeed. But there is some lacks in her character.

Antigone fulfils all the characteristics of a tragic character. Inspite of having some weakness, she has many human qualities. With this combination of good and weakness he has been turned into true human character. The dramatist has been totally successful in depicting (describing) the character of Antigone. Moreover, Sophocles’ Antigone inspired the poets and dramatists in posterity (future)