(OCR) A2 English Literature F663 | 2016 Official Thread

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Also, to anyone reading, you know what I'm absolutely dreading? Choosing the wrong question in part B that has nothing to do with my text (because they're all sooooo general and vague sounding its easy for one like myself to confuse things lmao) and interpreting what it's asking for in the most incorrect way possible! :zomg:

Reply 41

Eeshie154

Original post by ABCLILY

I am studying all 3 of these! :smile:

Ah great! that's lush, how are you planning on revising?

Reply 42

dental17

List of themes for Lear (and probably most Shakespeare texts):
-Innocence/experience- Love- Power- Corruption- Religion- Society- Morality
-Sin/desire

Reply 43

learner248

ok im nearly crying over this exam, as i need an A for uni.

Any help on A midsummer night's dream or volpone and songs of innocence and experience, would be soooo helpful!

Reply 44

Eeshie154

Original post by katerobertsonxx

I used these to help with my Tis Pity notes and once ive done paradise lost i'll upload them too

Have you got any themes to go with those quotes? Or themes found between both "Paradise Lost" and "Tis Pity"? Because that's what I'm struggling most with right now....

Reply 45

dental17

Original post by thecatwithnohat

@dental17 I made this post yesterday and completely forgot to tag you!

For critics, we got a whole bunch of different ones and I think they're on the site or something? I'll need to look for them and I'll try and post them once I find them :h:

I hope this helped in some way :yep:

TSR didn't notify me, so I just saw this...

Thanks a lot!! I appreciate you posting this :h:

Reply 46

dental17

There's so little online on the Rivals, has anyone found any good revision guides/ websites?

Reply 47

sjurn

Does anyone have access to the 2015 paper?

Reply 48

Naveed Rahman

Hey guys,
So i just read an examiners report of an 'Antony and Cleopatra' question saying, "Only the best candidates brought Plutarch intotheir discussion".
Does anyone know how to use 'Plutarch' in an essay for A04 marks?

Thanks!

Reply 49

Naveed Rahman

Original post by thecatwithnohat

Heyyy! Have you done any Enobarbus questions? My teacher gave me the question 'By exploring the dramatic presentation of Enobarbus, evaluate the view that "truth and cynicism; more than anything else sets this character apart"'
I never viewed Enobarbus as cynical until i read this question, but I'm finding it really hard to talk solely on truth and cynicism? any advice would be great thanks!

Reply 50

thecatwithnohat

Original post by Naveed Rahman

Hey! Aw man I'm actually praying we don't get any questions on characters like Enobarbus and Lepidus and basically all the irrelevant people who I hardly have any notes on!

Although I haven't put that much thought into Enobarbus, I guess you could just emphasise the fact that he abandoned Antony when he was at his most vulnerable, both emotionally and in terms of power, simply because he found it 'embarrassing' to be affiliated with someone who doesn't live up to the power they're meant to be acting upon

You could also talk about how he is really dramatic, asking Antony to forgive him for betraying him (again, he found himself in the wrong) in his death scene - basically he wants to die with the impression that he died with honour and morality when really he betrayed and chickened out. You could probably mention how Shakespeare dedicating a whole scene to Enobarbus shows how Enobarbus probably thought his last words were important in order to redeem himself, self-absorbed, significant character for all the wrong reasons

I'm probably making this up (I haven't read my notes since Janurary....haha) but Antony offers his jewellery or possessions to Enobarbus, I THINK??? If so,you could talk about the artificiality of his perceived self-importance, as Antony is the main character and he is not. The people who watched the play were fascinated with the characters who displayed elegance and wealth (that Antony, Cleopatra etc. etc. has) since most of the audience were lower class/peasants, Enobarbus is ignored because he is simply dismissed as being Antony's sidekick?

I'm probably rambling on about nonsense at the moment, sorry I couldn't be of much help in this, but hopefully you get the gist. :h:

Reply 51

somemightsay888

Original post by thecatwithnohat

*dribbling*

Oh nahhhhhhh, your picture and title smh :toofunny:

Reply 52

thecatwithnohat

Original post by somemightsay888

Oh nahhhhhhh, your picture and title smh :toofunny:

I was gonna message you omg :rofl:

, I'm actually loving the new me

Reply 53

somemightsay888

Original post by thecatwithnohat

I was gonna message you omg :rofl:

, I'm actually loving the new me

"New" acting as though she's only just become Lenny when she's been an autist day one smh :rofl:

No hate pls :plz2:

Reply 54

thecatwithnohat

Original post by Naveed Rahman

Source: https://www.rsc.org.uk/antony-and-cleopatra/article-about-cleopatra

"Shakespeare followed his source, Plutarch's Life of Mark Antony, so closely that had the two of them been British authors of our era, the playwright would probably have been facing charges of plagiarism (major A04). And Plutarch's account is based on two mutually contradictory historical traditions."

"But Cleopatra is not only the figment of others' imaginations. She was herself a skilled manipulator of her own image. In Plutarch's version of her story, and in Shakespeare's re-interpretation of it, it is possible to glimpse some of the ways in which she presented herself to her subjects. Using costume and gesture, spectacle and ritual, she dramatised her power." -- I think in a paragraph Plutarch and Hughes-Hallett would go really well together as her piece talks about power in that era.

I believe the main thing that can be emphasised about Plutarch is the mimicking between himself and Shakespeare - it mostly focuses on the characterisation of Cleopatra. I think the main way to talk about it is comparing how Plutarch presented Cleopatra in comparison to how Shakespeare did so himself.

Just remember to embed or emphasise that you've taken note of any parts of what I've posted into your essay, as you are quoting from an article.

Reply 55

thecatwithnohat

Original post by somemightsay888

"New" acting as though she's only just become Lenny when she's been an autist day one smh :rofl:

No hate pls :plz2:

That's a bit rich coming from you caterpillar boy. :colonhash:

Reply 56

somemightsay888

Original post by thecatwithnohat

That's a bit rich coming from you caterpillar boy. :colonhash:

Why you gotta bring that up for :emo:

I am a beautiful butterfly now OK OK OK

Reply 57

thecatwithnohat

Original post by dental17

There's so little online on the Rivals, has anyone found any good revision guides/ websites?

Sorry for another quote!!

I came up with a more concise list of themes that should really help with the comparisons.

In terms of material online, I'm struggling to find any! I have to rely on my teacher's spontaneous improvisation in lessons to help me fill in all the A0s.

Anyway, here are the themes:

Themes: possible themes / ideas / literary techniques that might form the focus of a question
Humour: satire, irony, purpose of humour, techniques to create humour
Emotions: love, jealously, hatred, desire, language ofemotion
Experience, changing views, self-knowledge, ignorance
Behaviour: manipulation, obedience, deception, rebellion,seduction, power
Women: presentation, language, behaviour, social pressure,victim
Men: presentation, language, behaviour, social pressures
Relationships: men and women, friendship, different relationships between social classes
Society: social class, wealth, social mobility and social order, rebellion
Writing texts: beginnings, endings, irony, settings,character, genres

Hope this helps! :smile:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 58

dental17

Original post by thecatwithnohat

Hey! Don't apologise :smile:

thanks so much, your teacher must be amazing haha!!

Reply 59

learner248

If anyone has any idea what the midsummer night's dream questions were in 2015, could they please let me know? I don't have a clue and it is killing me!
I will be eternally grateful.