Summary and Analysis of Fifth Business by Robertson Davies

Author
Robertson Davies

Setting
Deptford, Ontario
Various Part of Europe
Toronto

Characters
Dunstable Ramsay (Dunstan): The protagonist of the story, great ego and pride, serves as the fifth business of the story until the end of the story
Percy Boyd Staunton (Boy): life-long friend and nemesis of Dunstan, lives purely for material gain and personal success
Paul Dempster (Magnus Eisengrim): Magical magician who grows to resent Dunstan and everything regarding his mother and Deptford. Christ figure
Mrs. Dempster: The woman who Dunstan idolizes as a saint, performed three miracles.
Liesl: Bearded woman who offered a large quantity of insight into the dark folds of Dunstan's life.
Padre Blazon: Devout Jesuit and Mentor to Dustan, also provides insight
Leola: High School sweetheart to both Dunstan and Boy, but later becomes pitied by both until her death

Plot

Part 1: Mrs. Dempster

1. Introduction to Memoir: Dunstan is writing to a headmaster about some article that was written about him. The story follows.
2. As a boy, Dunstan coming come from playing dodges a snowball, which strikes Mrs. Dempster instead. Paul's premature birth ensues.
3. Dunstan begins to watch over Mrs. Dempster and Paul. He teaches Paul magic tricks.
4. Mrs. Dempster has sex with a hobo and becomes shunned by Deptford.
5. Mrs. Dempster brings Dunstan's brother back to life, significant increase of idolization.
6. Dunstan enlists in the WWI draft to escape his mother

Part 2: I Am Born Again

1. Earns the Victoria's Cross medal from brutally murdering a bunch of Germans in a machine gun nest, becomes national hero.
2. Wakes up in the hospital after being in a coma for months- missing a leg
3. Falls in love with nurse, Diana
4. Breaks up with Diana, who re-names him
5. Goes back to Deptford, parents are dead, Paul ran away, and decides to move to Toronto to attend University; becomes friends with Boy there

Part 3: My Fool-Saint

1. Gets degree in History
2. Boy earns money through some scheming, and becomes distinguished through an empire in sugar
3. Dunstan travels to Europe using the money he acquired through Boy, where he finds out that the hobo that Mrs. Dempster had sex with was "saved".
4. Briefly encounters Paul Dempster and Liesl in Europe

Part 4: Gyges and King Candaules

1. Back in Toronto, Boy tempts Dunstan with Leola
2. Dunstan is names Mary Dempster's guardian when her aunt dies, and is then obligated to care for her
3. Meets Padre Blazon back in Europe while working with Jesuit priests

Part 5: Liesl

1. Serves as interim headmaster during WWII, Boy is away at international philanthropic efforts, Leola dies with only Dunstan to manage the funeral
2. Boy asks Dunstan to step down as headmaster and he gets a sabbatical to travel to Mexico with.
3. Meets Paul again (now Magnus Eisengrim) and his bearded lady friend, Liesl. Joins their magic show as a writer
4. Liesl tells Dunstan that he is fifth business and has a sexualized brawl with her> she becomes his mentor

Part 6: The Soirée of Illusions

1. Boy remarries
2. Dunstan upsets Mrs. Dempster by telling her about Paul, and he becomes her enemy. He never visits her again until she dies
3. Dunstan introduces Paul and Boy to eachother in Toronto and reveals the long-kept secret of the rock in the snowball.
4. Paul kills Boy; Dunstan has a heart when he finds out at the Eisengrim show

*This plot summary may be a little too long, but I didn't think I could really condense it any more*

Quotes
“God is subtle, but He is not cruel” -Padre Blazon (pg. 179)
This quote is in reference to when Blazon is explaining to Dunstan that the misfortune of Mrs. Dempster's life was likely a small part of the greater work of God, therefor, Dunstan should not brood over the guilt he feels for her misfortune. Furthermore, Blazon explains that the greater workings of God are far too complex for the understanding of man, so the categorizing of "good" and "bad" is arbitrary in comparison. One must embrace the graduations of light and darkness within one's self, because the categories created by society are not always appropriate for the varying circumstances of life.

“I was afraid and did not know what I feared, which is the worst kind of fear." -Dunstan (pg. 41)
In this part, Dunstan is helping the men of the town search for Mrs. Dempster. He is literally afraid because he is having trouble navigating the dangerous gravel pit, but also, he feels underlying angst to the array of dark possibilities of what may lie before him in the night. This quote also exemplifies the problems that Dunstan had with confronting and accepting the darkness of his life.

Theme
In today's society, people are so self-centered that they cannot recognize or appreciate truth.

~OR~

An individual must be willing to live by the dichotomy of their personal moral compass in order to reach individuation and create a meaningful mythology out of their life.

Summary and Analysis of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Author
Mary W. Shelley

Setting
18th century Europe
V.F. childhood: Genve
V.F. college: Inglolstatd
Walton's letters: on a ship in the arctic circle

Characters
Victor Frankenstein: The inventor of the creature and the protagonist of the novel. A man driven by ambition and scientific curiosity. His hubris is his tragic flaw and what drives him to ruin.
Elizabeth Lavenza: Sister and bride of Victor; is adopted into the family as a small child (depending on which version). Often spoken about with angelic features and represents ideal womanhood.
Caroline Frankenstein: Victor's mother. Her death is what causes Victor's desire to transcend death.
Alphonse Frankenstein: Victor's father.
*Victor's parents want the very best for him and spoiled him throughout his childhood, resulting in him growing up to have a god-like self image and selfishness.*
William Frankenstein: The youngest son of the Frankenstein family. Is killed by the creature and symbolizes the loss of innocence.
Henry Clerval: Victor's life-long friend and literary foil.
The Creature: The monster that is created by Victor, he is the mirror image of his creator.
Robert Walton: An explorer who Victor meets on a ship in the Arctic circle. Represent the common masses of the world in their exploration of knowledge and human capability. The only person to whom Victor can relate.

Plot
R.W.'s Letters:

1. Robert Walton, who is on a fearless expedition to the North Pole, and his crew take in an interesting weary traveler who is on the brink of death (Victor Frankenstein). 
2. After befriending the traveler, Walton is given the privileged to hear his long-concealed story.

Frankenstein's POV:

1. Victor tells of his privileged childhood, it is emphasized here how he was treated like a God by his parents and developed into a strong narcissism.
2. The family adopts an orphan named Elizabeth out of the kindness of their hearts, but also intends her to be Victor's bride. (Example of how they were willing to do anything to make Victor happy and social as possible--- evidence of his abnormal youth)
3. Henry Clerval is introduced as Victor's BFF.
4. Victor leaves to study in Inglolstadt, where his fervor for science and metaphysics grows immensely. His chemistry professor excites this passion, thus beginning Victor's unnatural obsession with the principles of life and the boundaries of death.
5. Victor creates the monster which escapes from the laboratory.
6. Victor learns through a letter from Elizabeth that his younger brother, William, has been murdered; On his way back to Geneva, he see a figure and assumes in terror that it is his creation
7. Justine drama
8. Victor flees from the stressful environment at home and meets the Monster while on a solitary hike in the mountains.

The Creature's POV:

1. The monster traveled very far after his birth and found refuge in a hovel adjacent to the cottage of an exiled French family. Here he observes the behavior of human life and longs desperately and hopelessly to be a part of it.
2. Determined to seek revenge on Victor, sets out for Geneva. There he wanders upon William and kills him and frames Justine.
3. The monster then demands that Victor make him a woman.

Frankenstein's POV:

1. Victor goes to England with Henry to build the new monster. 
2. He retreats to a desolate corner of Scotland (after ditching Henry) and begins to build her.
3. in fear of reproduction, he destroys the new monster before he can finish it, and the monster declares to "be with him on his wedding night". Here Victor exemplifies his narcissism by assuming that the monster would try to kill him, not Elizabeth.
4. Victor throws the mangled body parts into the lake, washes ashore, is accused of murder of Henry, falls into a fever, then is escorted him by his father.
5. Elizabeth is strangles to death on her wedding night by the monster, Victor's father dies of grief
6. Victor decides to spend the rest of his life pursuing the creature and to kill it.

R.W.'s Letters:

1. Victor dies after telling his story
2. The monster appears, talks to Walton about his regret for his actions but justifies them with his suffering, then declares that he will commit suicide. Then the monster leaves.

Quotes
"What may not be expected in a country of eternal light?" (10) -Robert Walton
On the surface, Walton is simply referring to how the sun never sets in the arctic circle during the winter, however, it can also be applied to the 18th century scientific idealism. The exploration and discovery of new scientific knowledge was not only necessary but inherently positive and pious. This aligns with Victor's point of view before and during the creation of the monster. This quote, which is placed very early in the novel, alludes to the parallelism between Frankenstein and Walton in terms of their expectations of their studies.

"I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on." (185) -The Monster
The Monster says this when expressing his suffering to Robert Walton over the body of Victor Frankenstein at the end of the book. This quote exemplifies the monster's self-pity and demand for empathy. It also shows how the monster justifies the motivation for his actions with his self-declared suffering. He also uses the word, "abortion", which is motif from the novel and supports that the monster was abandoned and shunned by his creator as well as the world.

Theme
When mankind's hubris causes society to reject the natural order, it leads to dire consequences.
Frankenstein's hubris the clearly the cause of every unnatural and tragic event in the story, but a point that Mary Shelley was trying to make throughout the entire novel was how society reacts to and subsequently rejects the unnatural "thing". Completely alienated from society, the monster has no one to relate to other than his creator, who also immediately rejected and shunned him. This rejection leads to the monster's acts of violence and revenge specifically on Victor's loved ones. Chaos stemming from the ego-maniacal and self-involved of the protagonist makes the point that Shelley is voicing the public fear or scientific exploration and discovery from her time period. Frankenstein serves as a warning against taking the privilege of free-will and human capability too far, and into the realm of unnatural actions which rebel against religious law and Providence.

Summary and Analysis of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard

Author
Tom Stoppard

Setting
1. Traveling along an undistinguished road to Elsinore
2. Elsinore
3. The boat to England
*In reality, the entire play takes place within the theater car*

Characters
Rosencrantz: Gentleman and childhood friend of Hamlet. Simple-minded, content, adventurous and analyzing but remains reserved in expression.
Guildenstern: Gentleman and childhood friend of Hamlet. Tries way too hard to seem educated and powerful. Constantly in battle with, and disconnected to the intellectual concepts of the world.
The Player: Leader of the Tragedians. Constantly in power and in the position of manipulation with the other characters.
Tragedians: Group of traveling actors.

Plot

Act One

1. R & G play a game of coins and banter
2. They realize that they were sent for, but fail to remember what for.
3. The Player and the Tragedians are introduced and offer to perform child pornography. The Player manipulates R & G into allowing them to perform in Elsinore through a bet.
4. Suddenly, they arrive in Elsinore and are thrown into the middle of the first confrontation between Hamlet and Ophelia, the proceed to become involved in the drama of Hamlet. 
5. "off-stage" they try to play the question game but fail, then are reinserted into Hamlet.

Act Two

1. Fade in at the end of their conversation with Hamlet, the one where Hamlet makes complete fools of them. "were you sent for?"
2. Try to figure out where they are again using a train of thought referring to the wind and sun, ultimately getting nowhere.
3. Player has long dialogue about what it means to be an actor
4. Hamlet's play disturbs Elsinore and R & G are asked to look for Polonius' body
5. They "capture" him and are ordered to escort him to England.

Act Three

1. On the boat to England R & G read the letter they were given and discover that they are escorting Hamlet to his death.
2. Hamlet switches out the letters and escape from the ship with a bunch of pirates; The Tragedians appear on the ship
3. Guildenstern kills the Player, but, to G's surprise, it was a fake death with a stage prop (example of how the Player is in control)
4. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead
5. Horatio gives final speech in Hamlet and the lights fall.

Quotes
"Words, words. They're all we have to go on." (41) -Guildenstern
This is something that G says during one of his rambling banters with R. From the reader's perspective, this statement is very true. Everything in the textual version of the play is written out in words, We aren't watching the play, so we have no visual aid other than the literal lettering. This is important because there is so much in this play that can be overlooked and misunderstood because we are not physically watching it, much like how R & G are often left in the dark. Here is a connection between the text-audience and the characters.

Theme
Okay, so here is the thing. We didn't really finish this in our class, so I don't really have anything specific to write about. HOWEVER, the concept of this play's theme is not totally lost because I managed to write my open prompt essay blog post using Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. So, when it comes to AP essay studying time, the sure-fire option for me will be to designate 3-4 hours of staring at a wall and contemplating the meaning of life in accordance to this play. That's basically what I did in class, and I think it did me wonders. Here, ambiguity and disorganization is key.

Summary and Analysis of Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Author

William Shakespeare

Setting

The setting of Hamlet is in Elsinore, Denmark, and is centered around the royal court. Late middle ages.

Characters

Hamlet: Prince of Denmark

Claudius: King of Denmark, and Hamlet's Uncle

Gertrude: the Queen; Hamlet's mother, and recently remarried

The ghost: the late King, Hamlet's father

Polonius: an elderly Councilor of State

Laertes: son of Polonius

Ophelia: daughter of Polonius

Horatio: Hamlet's friend

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: courtiers, and formerly fellow students of Hamlet

Fortinbras: Prince of Norway

Summary and Analysis of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

SETTING
The play is set in Brooklyn (most likely the 1940s and 50s). Most of the play takes place in Willy Loman's home as well as the back yard. Within the flashbacks, the house is surrounded by a cemetery and the skyline of New York City is visible in the distance. In the present tense, the house is surrounded by suffocating apartment buildings. The play also takes place in various buildings of New York City such as a restaurant and Willy's office building. The era that the play is set in is a developing urban society; rapid urbanization is evident throughout the play.

Summary and Analysis of The American Dream by Edward Albee

SETTING
The American Dream, by Edward Albee, set in an urban-American apartment,  "A living room. Two armchairs, one toward either side of the stage, facing each other diagonally out toward the audience. Against the rear wall, a sofa.  A door, leading out from the apartment, in the rear wall, far stage-right. An archway, leading to other rooms, in the side wall, stage-left" (Albee 1).

CHARACTERS

• Mommy: dominating and hypocritical in nature, exemplifies the materialistic customs of her society. Degrades everyone else for her benefit, self-centered and greedy.
• Daddy: emasculated and submissive.  conforms to Mommy’s oppressive control consistently; he even undergoes a sex change on her command and depends on her for reassurance and direction.
• Grandma: witty, manipulative, old, and not oblivious. Has an intuition of the changes in society being portrayed in the play, she constantly voices her grievances. The only character that interacts with the audience.
• Mrs. Barker: proud and hypocritical, she belongs to many different organizations but does not to take any substantial action in them (emphasized by her general confusion). The representative through which Mommy and Daddy adopted their first and second "bumbles". 
• Young Man: Handsome, superficial, hollow, damaged, vindictive. The twin brother of Mommy and Daddy's first adopted child; Represents the New American Dream and is the result of Mommy's symbolic actions of mutilation and torture to his brother. 

PLOT

• The play begins with Mommy and Daddy discussing their grievances, and their difficulties in getting satisfaction. 
• Grandma enters with many mysterious boxes and the three of them begin to discuss various topics concerning societal obligation. 
• The doorbell rings and a woman named Mrs. Barker arrives, who is the head the adoption agency that Mommy and Daddy had worked with in the past. Mrs. Barker makes herself comfortable by removing her dress and exchanging subtle sexual commentary with Daddy, to which Mommy reacts defensively. 
• Apparently, the party has no idea why Mrs. Barker was called to the house, except for Grandma. 
• When Mommy and Daddy leave the room, Grandma explains to Mrs. Barker that her purpose is to legitimize a second adoption for the married couple, and also explains how the first adoptive child was mutilated to death for its normal, child-like, behavior. 
• The doorbell rings again, and the Young Man enters. Grandma labels him, The American Dream, after commenting on his “clean-cut, midwest farm boy type”. 
• Grandma then hires him and convinces Mrs. Barker to give the Young Man to Mommy and Daddy as their second adoptive child.
•  After Grandma exits on the pretense of being taken away by “the van man”, the Young Man is presented to Mommy and Daddy. A detail that is not directly explained during the play is that the Young Man is there to murder Mommy and Daddy, and it is assumed that Grandma is an instigator.