ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -’The Tempest’ is Shakespeare’s enchanting swan-song.

Detailed explanation-2: -In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Portia exclaims “Let music sound while he doth make his choice; / Then, if he lose, he makes a swan-like end, / Fading in music.” Similarly, in Othello, the dying Emilia exclaims, “I will play the swan, / And die in music."

Detailed explanation-3: -According to folklore, swans sing most beautifully before they die, and hence this phrase came to be used to describe someone who was leaving in style. The phrase is of ancient origin and is found in the works of Plato, Aristotle, Euripides, and Cicero. Later Shakespeare used it in several plays.

Detailed explanation-4: -It is generally agreed that The Tempest was Shakespeare’s last complete play. It is believed to have been Shakespeare’s swan song. Just as for many years Prospero governed his island with unlimited power, so Shakespeare held full sway over the English theatre for many years.

Detailed explanation-5: -Someone’s swan song is the last time that they do something for which they are famous, for example the last time that an actor gives a performance in the theatre. I competed in the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, which was my swan song.