The Plays of Shakespeare

             Shakespeare is called the greatest dramatist in the world. He was born in England and wrote his plays in English. But his plays have been translated into most of the languages of the world. Shakespeare today belongs to all peoples of the world, and not merely to the English.
             Shakespeare wrote about three dozen plays — some tragedies, some comedies and some historical plays. Some of his best known tragedies are Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello and King Lear. The comedies include Merchant of Venice. Twelfth Night. As You Like It, Comedy of Errors, and the historical plays include Henry IV, Julius Caesar etc. He also wrote some romances like Tempest and The Winter’s Tale.
             The men and women characters created by Shakespeare are vivid and universal. Portia is a young lady who can outwit the seasoned lawyers. Shylock is a typical money-lender. Desdemona is killed by her own lover, Othello. Hamlet stands for the man who can never make up his mind. Romeo and Juliet are the idols of all young lovers; they die as martyrs of love. Lady Macbeth is a masculine type of lady who instigates her husband to commit a heinous act of murder. Some scenes of Shakespeare have become immortal, such as the sleep-walking scene in Macbeth, the storm scene in King Lear, he abdication scented in Richard II, the wooing scene in Richard III etc. Some Shakespeare quotations, too, are well known such as:
(1) Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (Macbeth),
(2) To be, or not to be: that is the question (Hamlet)
(3) As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods (King Lear)
(4) Put out the light, and then put out the light (Othello)
(5) Friends, Romans, Countrymen lend me your ears. (Julius Caesar)
(6) We are such stuff as dreams are made on (The Tempest)
(7) The quality of mercy is not strained (Merchant of Venice)
(8) Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks (As you like it)
(9) Some arc born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them etc. (Twelfth Night)
             Shakespeare’s plays re very popular in India. They have been translated into all Indian languages. Shakespeare is now part of world culture.

Kolkata and its Beauty

             Kolkata is one of the biggest cities of the world. But it is not an ancient city like Rome or Varanasi. It is hardly four hundred years old now. Its importance grew when it became the capital of British India. Even after the capital was shifted to Delhi, its importance did not decline.
             There have been rapid changes in Kolkata after Independence. The partition of Bengal brought crores of people from East Bengal down here. As a result, thousands of new houses were built in and around the city. Many skyscrapers have shot up and the skyline of Kolkata has changed completely. The new fly-overs — near Sealdah and Howrah Bridge — have given a new look to the city. The Metro Rail and its stations are adding a new dimension. When fully completed, Kolkata’s Metro Rail will be a great attraction to tourists. The Circular Rail is already operating along the river Ganga. When fully completed, it will ease the burden of traffic, specially of the commuters.
             But it will be wrong to suppose that the new look of a city depends only on new buildings and constructions. The most important thing is maintenance. It Kolkata remains unclean and its parks dirty, the new buildings will only make the city look dirtier and uglier by contrast. It is good news that campaigns for a clean Kolkata are gaining momentum day by day. Recently, the students took part in such a campaign and got pres for their commendable work. In some parts of Kolkata roads have of late been weekend. This has really given a new look to the city. Trees are being planted every year along the roads the Southern Avenue and the Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue are good examples. The toy train at Rabindra Sarobar and the ‘Jhilmil’ park at Salt Lake have become new attractions to children. Such things really give a new look to Kolkata.