Animal Imagery as Social Critique: A Comparative Study of Volpone and Look Back in Anger
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Department of English
Abstract
The present research work attempts to prove how the use of animal imageries becomes a strong tool to criticize the contemporary society. It tries to find out the symbolic significance of animal imagery so as to expose spiritual degeneration of human beings. Ben Jonson in Volpone and John Osborne in Look Back in Anger try to reflect the vices and follies of the society where they were living. Both of them use animal images in their texts quite intensively. Though both playwrights’ main aim is to criticize the then society, they use animal images a bit differently. Jonson uses them for criticizing purpose whereas Osborne uses them for celebratory purpose, i.e. Jonson wants to make correction in the society, and on the other hand Osborne wants to escape from the society where people cannot live freely. The researcher has made compare and contrast between these two plays especially focusing on the animal imageries, which are the bases of social criticism.