*THE MERCHANT OF VENICE*

The Merchant of Venice is a comedy. Antonio borrows 3000 ducats from Shylock, who makes a condition that if he failed to repay the loan within three weeks, Shylock could cut a pound of flesh from Antonio's body. The money is used by Antonio's friend Bassanio to help him marry Portia, a wealthy heiress from Belmont. Bassanio succeeds by marrying Portia. He receives that Antonio's ships are lost at the sea. He was unable to repay the debt to Shylock who wants to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio's body. Portia saves Antonio's life by her clever arguments in the court, which forms an exciting end.

The trial scene is the longest in the play. The scene presents the Court of Justice in Venice. The Duke tells Antonio that he has to answer a stony adversary and an inhuman wretch, meaning Shylock. Antonio thanks The Duke for the efforts that he has taken to help him out of clutches of shylock. At same time he agrees that the laws must be allowed to take its course.

The Duke summons Shylock. The Duke asks Shylock to be more lenient to Antonio. He hopes that in view of Antonio's recent misfortune, Shylock would reduce the amount of the principal that he owes him. Jew, Shylock does not budge. He does not feel sorry. He will have none of it. He calls it his hour to insist on the amount to be repaid as the terms of the bonds, The Jew also cannot give any reason for hating Antonio.

There was a wordy fight between Bassanio, who flies into a tower of rage at the unreasonable attitude of Shylock the Jew. Antonio is keen on the judgment and the Jew his will. Bassanio offers Shylock six thousand ducats instead of the original three thousand. But Shylock does not feel sorry.

The angry Duke asks how could Shylock expect mercy if he is so adamant. The Jew retorts that his tribe has not had any mercy from Christians. It is equal to saying that the Jews who are held as slaves should be set free. The Duke is silenced by the piercing questions of Shylock. Lorenzo at this juncture announces that a messenger from the learned doctor of law, Bellario from Padua is waiting outside with letters from the doctor. Bassanio is happy to hear this piece of announcement. He tries to cheer Antonio. But the forlorn Antonio gives up all hope. He compares himself to the weakest fruit' that is on the verge of falling to the ground. Bassanio would live to write the epitaph.

Nerissa in the dress as a lawyer's clerk comes to the court with a letter from Bellario. Bassanio looks sheepishly at Shylock. The hard-hearted Jew is wetting his knife. Despite Gratiano's outburst, Shylock remains unmoved.

The Duke who has read the letter of Bellario sent through Nerissa asks the young doctor to come to the court. The letter points out that Bellario is much ill and pleads with the Duke to allow the young doctor of law to appear on his behalf to argue out the case for Antonio.

Portia enters the court dressed as a Doctor of laws. She says that Shylock and Antonio should themselves, While Antonio does shylock asks on what compulsion he should he do it. Portia is one of the memorable passages in English literature says that the quality of mercy is not strained. It is double edged it blesses him that gives and the person who receives it. Portia tells Shylock that certainly that Justice is on his side. But salvation does not consist in mere justice. What in needed is mercy. Only merciful deeds can save a person.

Shylock is not at all moved by this moving appeal of the young doctor of law' Portia in the dress of Bellario. He craves for the law. He also craves for the penalty and the forfeit of the bond. Portia asks Antonio if he has the money to pay as per the terms of the bond. Bassanio points out that in this case law could be disregarded. But Portin says that if that is done they would be setting up a precedent. The example would set in motion many errors.

Shylock is very happy when Portia makes such a remark. He calls Portin a Daniel, A wise young judge. Portia then sees the bond of Shylock and tells him that Antonio has to abide by the oath that he has taken at the time executing the bond.

Portia says that in that case Shylock is at perfect liberty to claim a portion of the flesh from Antonio. Shylock then wants the flesh to be cut off nearest to the heart of Antonio. But she asks Shylock to be merciful. The again fidgety Antonio asks the court to give the judgment.

Portia asks Antonio to lay bare his chest. Shylock is in ecstasy. But Portia asks Shylock to have a surgeon by his side to see to it that Antonio does not bleed to death. Shylock at once argues this particular aspect does not been given in the bond. So he is not duty bound to summon a surgeon.

Portia asks Antonio to speak his last words. Antonio bids farewell to his bosom friend Bassanio. He considers it lucky to die then than live and die in an old age and in dire poverty. Bassanio is in uncontrollable grief, Portia then says that Shylock is ready to claim his pound of flesh. The anti climax is reached. Shylock is ready to claim his pound of flesh. Portia said if he shed a drop of blood his entire property would go to the state. According to her there is no mention of the blood in the bond. The Shylock perplexed and he said that he would be satisfied with money. But he could not have his way at this juncture. The Duke however was magnanimous enough to pardon him. She said half the property of Shylock would go to his daughter, Jessica and half to Antonio. However Antonio gifted the property to Jessica and Lorenzo.

*THE INFORMER*

The Informer is a scene from the chronicle of life under the Nazis during the middle thirties. The play is the unique comedy issuing from the tragic and oppressive conditions in fascist Germany. It is an incisive portrayal of the psychology of the schoolmaster and his wife in an atmosphere surcharged with fear, distrust and suspicion. Brecht has fully used the comic potential of a tragic situation.

It is a rainy Sunday afternoon. Karl, a school teacher, his wife and his son Klaus Heinrich have just finished their lunch. The maid informs them that Karl's friends Herr and Frau Klim btsch want to meet them. Karl asks the maid to inform them that he is not at home. His wife tells that they won't believe since it is raining and she feels that Karl himself should have attended the phone. Karl is unwilling and his wife says that he has changed a lot these days. Karl is irritated and they continue to argue, since they are not in a position to meet friends as they like. The boy is tuning the radio and his mother asks him to leave the radio. The boy then starts reading the newspaper. Suddenly Karl makes a remark that it is very difficult to live in a country where one would not even enjoy the rains. His wife asks him not to comment in such a way. For which Karl says that he has got every right to say in his own home. The maid comes in with the coffee things and after she leaves the room Karl remarks whether it is right to have a maid whose father is a Nazi.

The boy is reading a newspaper. And he enquires about the news regarding the trials of the Priest. Karl gets irritated again and says that he would stop the paper. His wife asks him not to be nervous and feels that her husband has got some problem at the school. And she gives money to her son to get something. As the husband and wife are discussing, suddenly they notice that the boy is missing. They become tensed and start searching for the boy. They doubt that the boy would be an informer of the Hitler Youth club. There is a heated argument between the husband and wife about the matter they discussed in the presence of the boy about Hitler's rule. They find fault with each other, each posing themselves as innocent and blaming the other.

Both husband and wife strongly come to a conclusion that the boy would definitely inform the Hitler Youth club that his parent's are against Hitler's rule. They think that they will take revenge upon them for being strict towards him. They regret for what they have told and have done to him. And they discuss about the arrangement to be made in case if they are caught by Hitler's army. They are anxious and worried and Karl says that his wife has borne him a Judas. Tension increases. Karl puts on his iron-cross. He grumbles that did everything at school and is submissive and polite. They he change the picture of Hitler from hall to above their desk. Again they keep it in the same place. Suddenly they hear the sound of the door opening. Husband and wife stand close together, extremely frightened, in the corner of the room. The door opens and in comes the boy, with a bag of chocolates in his hand. His mother asks him where he has been and the boy replies that he has gone out to buy chocolate. And Karl is not ready to believe and doubts whether the boy is telling the truth or not.

*THE EYES ARE NOT THERE*

The narrator was a totally blind person, He was sensitive only to light and darkness. But he is clever enough to guess the situation by the sounds of the movements of others. Once he was travelling in a train. He was the only one in the compartment. At the Rohana station, a girl got in and her parents gave her elaborate instructions, as she was going alone. The narrator, though he was not able to see her, he imagined the situation. After sometime he started talking to her. The girl was at first startled but she spoke to the narrator nicely. The narrator did not want to reveal that he was blind. He spoke to him as if he was a man with normal eye-sight. The narrator and the girl started discussing about the beauty of the mountains in Mussoorie. The narrator from his memory described the beauty of mountains. The girl asked the narrator to look outside the window to see the beauty of nature and the narrator pretended to see the beauty. Thus, the narrator made every attempt to appear like a man with normal eye-sight. The girl could not recognize his blindness, but the conversation was going on so smoothly.

As they were continuing their journey, the narrator took some more courage and praised the face of the girl. The girl took it positively and thanked the narrator for commenting that she had an interesting face. And she also appreciated the boldness of the narrator for making such a comment. The narrator felt for her and wished to travel with her hearing her sweet voice. The narrator thoroughly enjoyed her company and wished that it can continue for some more time. He thought that she would forget about him as soon as she left the train And then the station where the girl has to get down was nearing. The girl was getting ready to get down. The narrator imagined about her appearance and could not make it clear. And then the girl bid him good-bye and he could only smell the perfume of the girl. Then the girl got down. And there was some confusion in the doorway. The narrator heard a man making an apology, who was about to get into the compartment The train again started moving. The narrator was eager to know about the girl. So he started talking to the fellow traveler and asked whether the girl kept her hair long or short. For which he replied that he did not see the hair, but he noticed her eyes, which were very beautiful. Further he told that the eyes were no use to her, because she was completely blind.

In this story the author has beautifully narrated very interestingly and emotionally the meeting and conversation of a blind man and blind girl without revealing their blindness.

*TATTERED BLANKET*

In a village there lived an eighty five years old woman. She had a son, working in Delhi and a widowed daughter. Her son Gopi visited her rarely. But the widowed daughter Kamalam stayed with her and took care of her. These two women lived without much support and help from Gopi. The old woman was sick and due to old age she was not in her normal mental position. She required some medical treatment in a good hospital, but such facilities were not available and affordable.

One evening, unexpectedly and surprisingly, Gopi, her son visited her. The old woman was not able to recognize him and spoke to him as if he was a stranger. am helped her mother to realize his visit, but the weak old woman was not able to recognize. The old woman was all the time speaking about her son and pronouncing the name of him. She was expressing her innate love and affection on her son, who was living at Delhi. The old woman was narrating her experiences with her son and the prattling everything to her son without recognizing that she was talking everything to her son only.

Kamalam narrated the fading memory of their mother. And she pleaded to her brother to show more kindness to the old woman by making frequent visits. But he replied that he was busy with his work. The old woman went on talking about her son, his work and his family. And she asked her daughter whether he wrote to her regularly, otherwise, she said that she felt wretched, if his letters got delayed. She spoke about him highly that he had Kesari Yogam, which helped him to get quick promotions in the government job. Her son listened to everything and was not at all moved.

Without realizing that she was speaking to her son, the old lady  requested him to inform her son to get her a blanket. The one given by him earlier was tattered. As the mornings were cold, she felt that she would catch cold. This is the most important part of the story. The old lady still kept the blanket given by her son though it was tattered. And she wanted another blanket only through her son. Then, the old lady left the place. Then his sister Kamalam asked him to tell the purpose of his visit. She knew very well that her brother wouldn't have come just to see them. He replied that he had come there to ask for his share of property, as the life in Delhi was expensive. So he wanted his share of property For this the sister felt that he would no remember them once for all, if only the property is divided. She pleaded him, to visit once in a while at least for their mother's sake. He replied that his mother would not remember him. She immediately said that he did not remember her also.

This moving story tells the affection of parents on children and also educates the youngsters not to go after money always and show some affection on elders.

*A DAY'S WAIT*

'A Day's Wait' by Ernest Hemingway,an American writer,deals with a boy whose misunderstanding leads him to a miserable condition.

Ernest Hemingway is very famous American novelist  He was born a in Illinois, America in 1899. He began to earn his own living at the age of sixteen working in various capacities. He served in the army during the First World War. He was awarded Nobel Prize for literature for his novel "The old man and the sea He died in 1961. Hemingway has a characteristic style marked by short and effective sentences. "A Day's wait" is a story where a boy is ill, thinks he will die and prepares himself to die. It is all because he has a wrong idea about thermometers

Schatz was a boy of nine years old. One day, when he entered the room of his father, his father observed that he looked ill. But the Schatz said he was all right. However his father brought the doctor. When the doctor came, he took the Schatz's temperature with a thermometer. Thermometer was a new concept in that area and many had many ideas about it. The young boy was also having strange ideas about the thermometer After assessing the temperature the doctor said that it was one hundred and two. He left three different medicines. He said it was a light epidemic of flu and there was no danger. Schatz's father looked after him very carefully. He gave him the medicine regularly and read aloud some interesting books. After sometime the father left Schatz alone hoping that he would sleep well with the help of the medicine.

It was a bright cold day. The ground was covered with snow. All the bare trees and bushes appeared as if they are painted ice. The father with started out with a gun and his dog. Both the dog the master went on the and road. When they tried to walk on the frozen river it slipped both down and fell However he managed to get up. He shook the bushes and frightened the birds. The birds flew up. He tired to shoot some. But it was difficult because of snow Anyhow he killed two and came home with the hunted birds.

After his return, the father asked Schatz to swallow some capsules. The boy asked if it would do any good to improve his health. The father was surprised at this question. The boy's next question surprised him more. For, the boy asked at what time he would die. The father could not answer him immediately and was shocked to hear such strange words from his son's mouth. But he guessed that something should have happened that the boy is frightened. On further talking, the father found out that the boy thought that he would die because his temperature was one hundred and two. The boy said that he had heard in the school, from his classmates, telling that nobody would live with forty four degrees. And the boy told him that as he was having 102 he would definitely die.

The father understood the whole thing and laughed at the boy loudly to dispel his fear. He then explained to him how the Fahrenheit thermometer and the centigrade thermometer differed like kilometers and miles. The boy realized his mistake and all his fear was due to his misunderstanding of the facts on thermometer. This story tells us that we should clarify anything before come to a conclusion.

*AN INCIDENT OF THE FRENCH CAMP*

This poem is written by an English poet Robert Browning (1812- 1889). His poems breathe a cheerful optimism and they are a stirring call to great endeavor. His style, because of the weight of his thoughts, often becomes very interesting to read. The range of his characters and subjects are wide.

In this poem he tells the story of the self-sacrifice of a brave young French soldier. Napoleon, the Emperor was eagerly waiting for the news of the French attack on Ratisbon, a city in Austria. The Soldier rode fast to meet his Emperor with the news of victory. But he had been shot through his chest. He was alive only to report the news and the proud part he played in putting up their national flag in the market place of the town.

The French attacked the city of Ratisbon. Napoleon, the Emperor was about a mile away. He was standing on a little mound. He was in his usual posture of neck thrust forward, legs wide and arms tied back. He was in deep thinking and only the sky was the limit to his ambitious plans. Yet they would all fail if they did not succeed in the war on that particular day. He was therefore wafting anxiously to get the message to know whether his general Lannes would take Ratisbon that day.

Napoleon was anxiously waiting for the news of their attack on Ratisbon. Then a rider was seen coming out of the smoke of the battle. He stopped just in front of the Emperor and got down. He held himself erect only by holding on tightly to the mane of his horse. With an effort of will power he seemed to prevent the blood flowing from his wound. He had been shot through his chest. But the Emperor did not notice it at first. The Soldier had brought the happiest news. He was keen on delivering it with his last breath.

The soldier told the Emperor that by the grace of God they had taken Ratis on city. The Marshal was in the market place. The Soldier himself had put up the flag there. The golden eagle seemed to flap his wings and fly. Napoleon's anxiety was relieved. His eyes shone with hope again. But he was surprised to see the wound of the soldier as Napoleon thought that the soldier was a mere messenger and asked him whether he was wounded. The young man was hurt to hear that he had been mistaken to be only a messenger of the news. saying that he had been killed, he fell dead with a smile on his lips. He was so happy to have made that great sacrifice for the sake of his Nation and the Emperor.

*LAUGH AND BE MERRY*

'Laugh and be merry' by John Masefield asks us to be happy, since life is short.
Life is miserable to most of us. The opportunities of being happy are very less in our life. But the poet, through this wonderful poem wants us to laugh at the worries of life. Is it possible to do so? The poet effectively answers that it is better to fight the wrongs openly than to worry about them. This is because human beings are going to live on this earth for a short period, which is like the length and breath of a thread. Therefore, the poet advocates to human being live it happily, by neglecting all the worries and troubles and find the source of joy in everything. The poet further advocates that everyone should be proud like men of the past, living happily and leading a contended and happy life.

God has created heaven and earth for us to feel happy. God has created human beings to live happily on this earth and make this earth as heaven. One has to remember this fact. In an inspired mood, He created the earth and filled it with the wine of joy. So our life is full of heavenly and earthly happiness. One has to enjoy it. So one should laugh and drink from the cup of happiness. Stars produce heavenly music during revolution. Let us join them and enjoy that divine music. It is our duty to keep laughing while battling or working without worrying about the result. According to the Poet our life is only a game and one should play it in our green earth.

The poet motivates the readers to live cheerfully. He calls our world as an inn. We are travelers only staying in it for a short period. No one can stay in an inn for a longer period as it is not one's own house. Hence, our stay should end at a particular point to return to the home from where we have come from. As such, no body is the owner of this land, except God. So, the poet advises that let us all live like brothers. Our life is only a dance or music and it has to stop one day. It is only a lively game. So, everyone should play it and live by laughing and keeping himself and herself joyful.

The poet tells the truth of this earth and the very purpose of the creation and advises the human beings to live harmoniously without any differences