Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

And truly 't was 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.
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. Who was the ‘beauteous lively dame’ mentioned in the poem? What did she do? What prompted her to do this
4. Explain the following lines in your own words:
   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?

Answer 1

1. At the beginning of the poem, King Francis is sitting in his court, surrounded by his courtiers and their ladies. Everyone is watching a fierce fight between lions in a pit. The king enjoys this royal sport, and the whole court is excited by the grand spectacle.
2. The poet describes the lions roaring loudly, biting, glaring, and attacking each other with great force. They roll in the pit, raising dust and sand, while bloody foam flies through the air. These sound and visual images make the lion fight seem fierce, exciting, and full of danger.
3. The beauteous, lively dame was Count de Lorge’s beloved. She dropped her glove into the lions’ pit and expected Count de Lorge to bring it back. She did this to test his bravery and love. She was also influenced by the fact that the king and everyone in the court were watching, and she wanted to gain attention and admiration.
4. (a) These lines describe the lady as very beautiful and lively. Her bright eyes and smiling face always looked attractive and cheerful.
   (b) The lady felt that it was the perfect chance to test her lover’s courage because the king and the whole royal court were present.
   (c) King Francis says that he and the other gentlemen are lucky to be sitting safely outside the lions’ pit instead of facing such great danger.
5. King Francis praises Count de Lorge for throwing the glove back at the lady’s face after bringing it safely from the lions’ pit. He approves because the lady had risked the Count’s life only to satisfy her pride and vanity, not because of true love.