Question

Read the following extract from Leigh Hunt’s poem, ‘The Glove and the Lions’ and answer the questions that follow:

And truly ‘twas a gallant thing to see that crowning show, Valour and love, and a king above, and the royal beasts below.

1. Describe the scene at the beginning of the poem.     [3]
2. “Leigh Hunt uses vivid sound and visual images to describe the contest between the royal beasts in the pit.” Justify with close reference to the text.     [3]
3. Who was the ‘beauteous lively dame’ mentioned in the poem?
   What did she do?
   What prompted her to do this?     [3]
4. Explain the following lines in your own words:     [3]
   1. ‘smiling lips and sharp bright eyes which always seemed the same’
   2. ‘the occasion is divine’
   3. ‘Faith, gentlemen, we’re better here than there’
5. When King Francis exclaims, “rightly done!”, what action of Count de Lorge does he applaud?
   Why do you think the Count behaved the way he did?     [4]

Answer 1

1. At the beginning of the poem, a grand account of a medieval blood sport with two lions in an arena watched by kings, queens, and other important people is given. Ladies dressed in elaborate, beautiful clothes and brave nobles sat in the seats above. King Francis himself had a great time watching the fight below. The stage was set for bravery and love to be shown.
2. The lions charged and roared, their jaws open in horrifying laughter. As the wind blew hard from their paws, they bit and glared and hit with blows that looked like beams. They rolled over with a muffled roar until the sand and mane caught together to make a molten pit that was gross and scary. The difference between the grand court above and the wild, dangerous animals below makes the scene more dramatic.
3. The beauty mentioned is the lady for whom Count De Lorge sighed. She had bright, shining eyes and a permanent smile fixed on her lips. She dropped one of her gloves into the pit where the lions fiercely fought.
   The lady did it to test her lover’s bravery and chivalry. She was sure the count would take up the challenge for her. Surely, she was prompted by vanity as she wanted to bask in the glory of being loved by a valiant lover.
4. 
   
   1. The woman is sure of herself, intense, and beautiful, as shown by her constant smile and bright eyes. Nevertheless, it also makes me think that she might not really be in love and is just proud that the beautiful and brave Count wants her.
   2. The event was the best time for the woman to become more popular with the people. Everyone would be impressed by how brave her lover was, and they would wish they were as brave as her boyfriend.
   3. The king is shocked and amazed as he watches the fierce and exciting fight between the lions. He agrees that they are lucky to be high above the pit, where the lions are ready to kill anyone who gets too close.
5. The king likes what the count did when he threw the glove at the lady’s face. He thinks the shallow and rude woman deserved to be insulted in this way. The count did it because he was mad at the woman for being so cruel. He realized that she wasn’t challenging him to do the dangerous job of grabbing the glove from an arena full of angry lions because she loved him, but because she wanted everyone to think that she was loved by such a brave soldier.