Much Ado About Nothing - Act One

Within the first few lines of the play, we are given an idea of the story leading up to this point as if it is written 'In Media Res'.  We are told about how the men are returning from war, giving a happy, uplifted mood. At this point we are also given a strong indication of Benedick and Beatrice's ever growing conflicts through the things that Beatrice is saying behind his back.  For example, she implies that he isn't at all brave by saying 'But how many hath he killed? For I promised to eat all of his killing', she has promised to eat anyone he has killed, assuming that he won't kill anyone.

The first part of Act One also contains some other humorous elements, for example half way through scene one, when Benedick and Beatrice argue, some of the insults they they use are quite comical.  'You are a rare parrot teacher' (Benedick is accusing Beatrice of copying everything he is saying) is a good example of this.

However in Scene 3, the mood begins to turn sour due to the entrance of Don John. He and his companion (Conrad) begin to talk about the fact that Don John is a bastard child, and phrases like 'Therefore I have decreed not to sing in my cage' give the impression that Don John is resigning to this fact.  Once Borachio has entered with news of Hero and Claudio's marriage, we see that Don John is planning to cause trouble before their wedding, and that he has enlisted Conrad and Borachio to help him.  This is a large difference to the cheerful, comical mood of earlier in the act.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

'The Pied Piper of Hamelin' by Robert Browning tells the classic story of The Pied Piper, but through verse.  With a clear rhyme scheme, the poem has a definite feel of a cautionary tale meant for the eyes of young children.  Another feature that gives this feel is the introduction, straight away the scene is set, almost in a 'Once upon a time...' kind of style:

'Hamelin Town's in Brunswick, 
By famous Hanover city;
The river Weser, deep and wide,
Washes its wall on the southern side' 

Straight away a location and theme is given to the poem, with a clear feel of a children's story being given from rhymes such as 'trap!' and 'hap', 'sat' and 'fat'. 

Browning also uses lots of imagery throughout, mainly linked with music such as 'in fifty different sharps and flats.'. This not only links to the pied piper's pipe, but also plants the idea of a children's nursery rhyme, in keeping with the style of the poem.

Although this may not be recognized by younger readers of the poem, Browning uses a lot of metaphors, the main one being that the rats signify the government.  Throughout the poem, the government are shown to be greedy and lazy, so when this is said about the rats:

'And ate the cheeses out of the vats,
And licked the soup from the cooks' own ladles,'

you begin to question whether the it was the rats at all, and not the government stealing things from the people.  This is reaffirmed later in the poem when the government refuse to give the Pied Piper his money, it just goes to show how greedy the government characters in this poem are.

One of the main things that struck me about this poem in particular though, is how different it is to the rest of Browning's poems.  A large majority of his poems are dramatic monologues (for example Porphyria's Lover, My Last Duchess) however this one is written as if talking to someone named 'Willy'.  Moreover, it is very child friendly and is written as a cautionary tale, which none of his other poems are due to the slightly morbid story-lines of them.  It definitely sticks out from his other works as a very original poem.

The Curtain Call.

Hazy walls box me in, I'm stuck,
trapped in this endless cycle.
Hurt, regret, loneliness swirl around my head
I'm sinking, drowning in them.
Sorrow is my only friend now,
I can trust her, she'll never change
how she is, how she feels.
She remains constant, unfaltering. 

The corridors are full of people
but I don't acknowledge them
I want to remain invisible, 
wandering in my own mind.
My destination is unknown to them
They don't care where I'm going
I'm glad. The feeling is mutual.
I don't need them anyway.

I climb the stairs, edging closer
to the conclusion I have yet to reach.
I walk through uncertainty, 
eventually I'll reach clarity.
I've arrived now, at my final curtain call.
This, right here is my stage, 
my feet hang over the edge,
and I fall to greet my audience...