THE GLOVE AND THE LIONS

EXTRACT 1

(i) Where was King Francis? Why was he there? Which characteristic traits of Francis are
described in this stanza?

Ans. King Francis was at his court.

He was there to watch the royal sport of a fight between two lions in an arena.
King Francis was an enthusiastic, good hearted, kind and just ruler.

(ii) Who all were present in the audience, besides King Francis? Who sighed and for whom?
What is suggested by the phrase the ladies in their pride?

Ans. Besides King Francis, his courtiers, aristocrats, lords and ladies were present there.
Count de Lorge, being a true lover, sighed his love for his lady. Besides him, King
Francis, who was quite infatuated and attracted by the beauty of Count de Lorge’s
beloved, sighed for her.
The ladies in their pride' suggests that the ladies present there in a group were perhaps
as vicious as the pride of lions fighting below in the pit.

(iii) What is 'it' referred to as 'a gallant thing? Why is it so?

Ans. It refers to the fight between the two lions in the arena. It is described as a gallant
thing because the lions were ferocious and were biting, roaring and tearing into one
another.

(iv) Explain in your own words the last line of the given extract.

Ans. The last line of the extract means that King Francis, who was sitting on the top of
the stadium like setup in his court, was looking down at the beasts below. His court was
filled with brave nobles and their lady loves, one of them being Count de Lorge. There
was love in the air as King Francis sighed for Count de Lorge's beloved.

(v) Explain briefly how is this poem a ballad?

Ans. A ballad is a poem that narrates a story in short stanzas and has a bouncy rhythm.
The poem The Glove and the Lions is a ballad because it narrates the story at King
Francis' court, where he along with his courtiers, nobles, lords and ladies was watching
the royal sport of a fight between two ferocious lions in the arena below. The lady-love
of Count de Lorge threw her glove in the arena in the hope that the latter would pick up
the glove and prove his valour and love for her. Count de Lorge did the same and
retrieved her glove from the arena and threw it on her face. King Francis approved
Count de Lorge's act by saying that his beloved did so out of vanity and not true love.
The poem consists of four stanzas, where each stanza consists of six lines.
It has a rhyming scheme aa bb cc and internal rhyme, which gives this poem a sing song
like melody, befitting a ballad.
EXTRACT 2

(i) Where were the lions? Who all were watching them? Explain briefly the lions' fight as
described in the first line of the extract.

Ans. The lions were fighting ferociously at the sandpit in the arena below. The king,
courtiers, nobles, lords and their ladies were sitting above in a stadium- like setup and
were watching the royal sport – the fight between the two lions.

The lions were engaged in a ferocious fight in which they were treading on the ramp,
biting, glaring and giving quick, powerful ‘blows like beam', rolling on one another and
roaring with their horrible looking jaws. They raised a thunderous bloody foam
(smother) in the air with their fierce battle.

(ii) How can you say that the fight between the two lions was quite ferocious and brutal?

Ans. The fight between the lions was quite ferocious as they were engaged in a vicious
battle. They were fighting, treading on the ramp, biting, glaring, tearing into one
another and giving quick, powerful ‘blows like beam' that it appeared as the wind was
moving in step with them.

(iii) Give two poetic devices used in this extract with one example of each.

Ans. The Figures of Speech used in this extract are given below:

(a) Alliteration:
Ramped and roared the lions.
gave blows like beams
a wind went with their paws

(b) Simile: gave blow like beams.

(c) Paradox: with horrid laughing jaws

horrid and laughing are two contradictory terms.

(iv) What did King Francis tell the audience? What is revealed about the king by his remark?

Ans. The king told the audience that they were better seated above in the court rather
than in the sandpit where a bloody battle was being fought between the two lions.
This suggests that the king, being a human, considered himself superior to the lions, the
king of the jungle.

(v) Explain briefly the imagery used in this extract.

Ans. The poet has used both visual and auditory imagery in this extract.
Visual imagery – The poem provides powerful visual images of King Francis’ Court, his
courtiers, ladies nobles and their ladies in pride.

Example:

King Francis was a hearty king and loved a royal sport,

As one day as his lions fought, sat looking on the court;
The nobles filled the benches, and the ladies in their pride,
And ’mongst them sat the Count de Lorge, with one for whom he sighed;
And truly ‘twas a gallant thing, to see that crowning show,
Valour and love, and a king above and the royal beasts below.

The royal sport, i.e. the fight between the two lions is so vividly described that the
readers certainly imagine that the fight is going on in front of their eyes.

The short words used to show how quickly the beasts were moving:
‘They but, they glared, gave blows like beams.’

EXTRACT 3

(i) What did de Lorge's lover overhear the King say? What did she think about the King?

Ans. Count de Lorge's lover overheard the king as saying that they were better off in
their seats as they were at a safe distance from the lions fighting in the sandpit below.
The king indirectly referred to his courtiers who struggled with each other only to seek
the king’s attention.

Although she seemed to be attracted by the King's demeanour and power, perhaps she
thought that her lover was not less brave than the king and therefore wanted to test his
valour.

(ii) How has the speaker described de Lorge's beloved? Why has she been describes as
'always seemed the same?

Ans. The narrator has described de Lorge's beloved as a beautiful and lively girl, who
had smiling lips and sharp bright eyes. Her beauty attracted the king who was then
watching the royal sport.

She always seemed the same' means that she always looked so beautiful. Her body
language and behaviour showed that she was a selfish and vain' lady, who was too
proud of her beauty.

(iii) What did she think about de Lorge? What was she sure about?

Ans. She thought that her lover Count de Lorge was as 'brave as brave can be’ and he
was no less in bravery than King Francis. She was sure that he would do anything to
prove his valour and love for her.
(iv) Which idea struck her? What was her real intention in implementing her idea?

Ans. She thought of testing her beloved de Lorge's love for her by dropping her glove in
the sandpit below and tacitly asking him to retrieve it for her from the jaws of two lions.

Her real intention was to seek the attention of King Francis and the audience sitting
there and thereby, prove that her lover was no less in valour than King Francis. This
test would prove her beloved's valour and love for her.

(v) Explain briefly the characteristic traits of de Lorge's lover as revealed in this extract?

Ans. Characteristic traits of de Lorge's lover as revealed in this extract:

(a) Beautiful girl with smiling lip and sharp eyes.

(b) Always looked the same in terms of beauty, was selfish and vain.

(c) She was sure of her beloved's bravery and love for her.

(d) She lacked true love.

EXTRACT 4

(i) Who is 'She' referred to in this extract? Where did she drop her glove? Why did she do so?

Ans. 'She' is Count de Lorge beloved. She dropped her glove in the sandpit where two
ferocious lions were fighting each other. She did so to prove to the world her lover
Count de' Lorge was no less in valour than King Francis and he could do anything to
prove his love for her.

(ii) Why did she look at him and smiled? What does it reveal about her?

Ans. She looked at her beloved Count de Lorge and smiled to give him her non-verbal
signal of what she wanted him to do.

It showed that she knew her beloved well that he would understand her signal and jump
off into the sandpit to prove his bravery and love for her.

(iii) How did de Lorge react to her smile? What forced him to do so?

Ans. Count de Lorge understood the challenge given to him by his beloved, bowed and
smiled back at her before jumping into the sandpit.

The presence of King Francis and so many other people forced him to do so. Besides,
the assurance in his beloved's eyes that he would not only accept the challenge but
would also prove it forced him to take the test.
(iv) How did de Lorge come back from the pit unharmed? How did he react after coming
back? How did King Francis react to it?

Ans. Count de Lorge came out of the sandpit unharmed by the ferocious lions because
he leaped into the sandpit, rapidly picked up the glove and came up with such a speed
that the lions could not do any harm to him.

After coming back, the count threw the glove at the lady’s face. He did so because he
could see through her cunning motive and the spell she had cast over him had now
broken.

King Francis approves Count de Lorge’s act by saying that such a dangerous task was
set out of vanity and not out of true love.

(v) Explain briefly the theme of the poem.

Ans. The central theme of the poem is that there is no place for vanity in true love. The
poem makes the readers reflect that vanity, supposed pride and glory are valued by
many people above the feelings of true love.

Count de Lorge’s beloved seems to have least value for the love which Count de Lorge
has for her. Being attracted by Kind Francis’s valour and glory and in order to seek his
attention, she gave her lover risky task of jumping into the lions’ pit and retrieving her
glove which she had thrown deliberately to prove that her lover Count de Lorge was no
less than King Francis in valour.
By doing so, she wants him to ‘prove his love’ and bring her ‘great glory’. The Count
leaps quickly and returns quickly with the glove. But seeing her cunning motive, he
throws the glove at her face in an insulting manner. Thus, she ends up receiving what
she deserves. Even King Francis approves Count de Lorge’s act by saying that such a
dangerous task was set out of vanity and not out of true love.