4 (i) : Raina is speaking these lines to Catherine, her mother, one night in November 1885 in the bedroom of their home located in a small town near the Draogman pass in Bulgaria, after her mother had informed her of the news of the "great battle" and victory at Slivnitza.
'we" refers to Catherine and Raina, who hold to the romantic ideals - "heroic ideas" as Raina calls them.
(ii) : Byron (George Gordon, Lord Byron) was the English Romantic poet and Pushkin (Alexandr) is the Russian romantic poet.
Since both were romantic poets, through reading them, Raina believes that they had been imbued with the romantic notions - the "heroic ideas" expounded by the romantic creed. These ideas glorify ideal behaviour in love and war. Thus, Sergius daring cavalry charge on a regiment of cannon was seen by them as heroic while others (realists and pragmatists) saw it as an act of sheer madness.
(iii) : We do not know the name of the particular 'opera' (musical theatrical performance) which Catherine and Raina had gone to see in Bucharest. However, later, Raina refers to the opera of Ernani which also extols such heroic ideas as such having the responsibility of giving safety even to one's enemies who seeks refuge with him.
In the opera Ernani fleeing from his enemies, takes refuge in the castle of "his bitterest enemy" and old Castilian noble. The nobleman protects him from those he is fleeing from. to that Castilian nobleman "His guest is sacred to him." Thus, later in the play, Raina and Catherine give refuge to a fleeing soldier of the Serbian army to sought refuge in Raina's room, did not disclose that soldier's presence to their own Bulgarian soldiers (and the Russian officer who accompanied them) when they came in search of him and disguised him and sent him away.
(iv) : (a) : "real life is so seldom like that" - means that what is in poetry and opera are works of dream and imagination - created to help us renew our faith in human nature and life - and the reality of life is far removed (very different) from those ideals.
(b) : "cut a poor figure there" - means present oneself in a very disrespectful manner. What Raina is referring to is that she doubted that Sergius would really be so noble and heroic in battle and that he would be despised by the others in the army for his inabilities.
(v) : Raina's fears that Sergius heroism and soldiership - referring to the time when she "buckled on Sergius' sword" - meaning she swooned when she dressed in all his soldierly uniform and looked so smart and handsome. She wondered whether he would really be so glorious when he fought in battle.
She has these fears particularly about Sergius, but she believes that reality is far removed from such heroism and soldiership.
'we" refers to Catherine and Raina, who hold to the romantic ideals - "heroic ideas" as Raina calls them.
(ii) : Byron (George Gordon, Lord Byron) was the English Romantic poet and Pushkin (Alexandr) is the Russian romantic poet.
Since both were romantic poets, through reading them, Raina believes that they had been imbued with the romantic notions - the "heroic ideas" expounded by the romantic creed. These ideas glorify ideal behaviour in love and war. Thus, Sergius daring cavalry charge on a regiment of cannon was seen by them as heroic while others (realists and pragmatists) saw it as an act of sheer madness.
(iii) : We do not know the name of the particular 'opera' (musical theatrical performance) which Catherine and Raina had gone to see in Bucharest. However, later, Raina refers to the opera of Ernani which also extols such heroic ideas as such having the responsibility of giving safety even to one's enemies who seeks refuge with him.
In the opera Ernani fleeing from his enemies, takes refuge in the castle of "his bitterest enemy" and old Castilian noble. The nobleman protects him from those he is fleeing from. to that Castilian nobleman "His guest is sacred to him." Thus, later in the play, Raina and Catherine give refuge to a fleeing soldier of the Serbian army to sought refuge in Raina's room, did not disclose that soldier's presence to their own Bulgarian soldiers (and the Russian officer who accompanied them) when they came in search of him and disguised him and sent him away.
(iv) : (a) : "real life is so seldom like that" - means that what is in poetry and opera are works of dream and imagination - created to help us renew our faith in human nature and life - and the reality of life is far removed (very different) from those ideals.
(b) : "cut a poor figure there" - means present oneself in a very disrespectful manner. What Raina is referring to is that she doubted that Sergius would really be so noble and heroic in battle and that he would be despised by the others in the army for his inabilities.
(v) : Raina's fears that Sergius heroism and soldiership - referring to the time when she "buckled on Sergius' sword" - meaning she swooned when she dressed in all his soldierly uniform and looked so smart and handsome. She wondered whether he would really be so glorious when he fought in battle.
She has these fears particularly about Sergius, but she believes that reality is far removed from such heroism and soldiership.
No comments:
Post a Comment