1. RAPPACCINI’S DAUGHTER AS A FANTASY OR A SCIENCE FICTION
How far is Rappaccini’s Daughter a science fiction? Discuss. ORNarrate the incidents of horror that take place in the story. OR Discuss Rappaccini’s Daughter as an imaginary story.
Answer: – “Rappaccini’s Daughter” is a fantasy. A fantasy is an imaginary story with some moral lesson. The story is also science fiction because it is based on actual science facts. The main events of the story deal with some scientific facts.
The very first thing that we never see in reality is the growth of poisonous plants grown by Rappaccini and the injection of poison into his daughter’s mechanism. If someone touches his daughter, his death is sure. Other events occur right before Giovanni. He sees Beatrice plucking a flower from a plant. The very moment, a small animal flies near the flower. One drop of its juice falls upon the animal’s head. It loses its life at the spot. Similarly, we see an animal flying around her head but the animal falls down at her feet and dies when she gazes at it. Similarly, there is another event that horrifies Giovanni at Beatrice’s supernatural power. He sees her bringing flowers close to her breast. The very moment she brings the flowers close to her feet, they wither away. All these unreal events prove that the story is out and out a fantasy. (Words: 192)
2. RAPPACCINI’S DAUGHTER AS A LOVE STORY OR TRAGIC LOVE STORY OR BEATRICE’S CHARACTER SKETCH
Discuss the love-hate relationship of Giovanni and Beatrice. OR Write a note on the love affair of Giovanni and Beatrice. Why it ended on a tragedy? OR “I would rather have been loved, not feared,” says Beatrice before dying. Analyze her statement. OR Do you think that Beatrice is true and sincere in her love? OR Rappaccini’s Daughter is a tragic love story. Discuss. OR Do you think that Beatrice defeats the plan of her father and foils it with her sincere love for Giovanni? When and why does Giovanni in his address to Beatrice, call Dr. Rappaccini ‘your awful father?’
Answer: – “Rappaccini’s Daughter” is a tragic love story. Beatrice, the heroine of the story is brought up in the company of fatal plants grown by her father. Giovanni, a young student of medicine falls in love with Beatrice. Both the lovers have pure feelings of love for each other. They do not have any physical or sexual passion.
But their love story takes a turn when Giovanni comes to know that he has also become poisonous in her company. He meets Beatrice and tells her about the reality. He censures her father for such a mean experiment. He declares her father, “Awful father.” Beatrice also feels ashamed and censures her father for it. However, Giovanni does not lose heart and remains constant in his love for Beatrice. On the advice of his professor, Baglioni, he offers her liquid to make the poison harmless but the mechanism of Beatrice’s body does not accept it and she dies. But before dying, she says: “I would rather have been loved nor feared.” These words inculcate in readers the feelings of sympathy for both the lovers especially for Beatrice. In this way, the love affair between Beatrice and Giovanni ends on a tragedy.
In a nut shell, we can say that Beatrice stands for pure love and self-sacrifice. She has a human heart and does not want to harm anybody. She becomes the victim of her father’s evil plans and her lover’s wrong judgment. (Words: 239)
3. ROLE OF RAPPACCINI
Rappaccini is a scientist who cares more for science than for mankind. OR Rappaccini has an obsession about scientific research but his innate selfishness drives him in a wrong direction. Discuss.
Answer: – Dr. Rappaccini is a scientist of herbs and plants but instead of using his scientific knowledge for the betterment and welfare of mankind, he uses his scientific knowledge for negative purposes. He does not give any consideration to human beings rather he wants to increase his powers. He works against the rules of nature. We see that he has a craze for cultivating poisonous herbs. He invents a formula by which he can inject poison into her daughter’s body to make her poisonous and to save her from any danger. He is so cruel that he does not spare his daughter’s lover who also becomes poisonous and becomes fatal for others. When he comes to know that Giovanni and Beatrice have fallen in love with each other, he is overjoyed. He is of the opinion that both of them should love each other. It will be great for him to see them as lovers throughout their life and be a terror for others but it is his mistake because he is unable to see the demand of the virgin soul of his daughter –“ To love and be loved” only because of his evil designs.
In short, Dr. Rappaccini is selfish and apathetic in his attitude toward life and all other human beings. He cares more for science than for mankind. He can use any human being as a tool to make experiments. He uses his scientific knowledge for the destruction of mankind. (Words: 242)