Shall-I-Compare-Thee Long Question Answer
Shall I Compare Thee
William Shakespeare
Long Questions Answers
1. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade”. Who is the poet? What is meant by ‘eternal summer’? How does the poet suggest that ‘thy eternal summer’ shall not end? (1+1+4) H.S: 2015
Ans: The poet is William Shakespeare.
The everlasting youthfulness and beauty of the poet’s friend is referred to here as ‘eternal summer’.
According to the poet summer is undoubtedly beautiful. His opinion is that all beautiful objects of nature are subject to decay and change. So the beauty of the summer also loses its beauty with the passages of time. But his beloved friend’s beauty will live forever in the eternal lines of his poem. Nothing can steal away his summer nor defile his sublimity that his friend is possessed of. His friend will remain beautiful for ever. Here the poet wants to immortalize his friend through his verse.
2. How does Shakespeare compare the beauty of his friend to that of a ‘summer’s day’ in Sonnet no. 18? (6) H.S: 2016
Ans: Shakespeare in his sonnet no. 18 compares the beauty of a young man, his friend to the day of the summer. But he is not sure about the appropriateness to this comparison because the beauty of the summer day is subject to change. In summer, the sweet buds are shaken by the rough winds. The sun shines brightly but sometimes the ‘gold complexion’ is dimmed by the clouds. The duration of the summer is very short and summer’s beauty shall fade. But on the other hand, the poet’s young friend is more lovely and temperate. The poet confirms the deathless existence of his friend through his immortal verses, which overcome the mighty clutches of time. His friend’s beauty is immortal.
3. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st”, -Whose eternal summer is being referred to here? What does ‘eternal summer’ mean? What conclusion does the poet draw at the end of the poem? (1+2+3) H.S: 2017
Ans: The ‘Eternal Summer’ of Shakespeare’s friend is being referred to here.
The phrase ‘eternal summer’ refers to the everlasting beauty of a young man which will never be affected by the ravages of time. In reality all beauty fades away but the young man’s beauty will be immortalized through poetry.
The ending of the poem is optimistic. The poet wants to preserve his friend’s beauty by going against nature’s changing course. He would capture the young man’s beauty in his poetry which will be read by generations to come. So long as human race will exist on this earth these immortal lines will remain and people will learn about this man’s beauty by reading his sonnet.
4. “And every fair from fair sometime declines”. -From which poem is the line quoted? Who is the poet? Briefly explain the meaning of the quoted line? How does the poet promise to immortalize his friend’s beauty? (1+1+2+2) H.S: 2018
Ans: The line is quoted from Shakespeare’s sonnet no. 18 “Shall I compare Thee to a Summer’s day?”
The poet is William Shakespeare.
Through the quoted line the poet conveys the message that every mortal objects of nature would lose its beauty either by chance or by nature’s changing course. It is predestined. Every objects or person undergoes a decline in beauty with the passage of time. So nothing is permanent in nature.
The poet promises that the beauty of his friend will be eternalized through the perpetual lines of his poetry. Art is immortal and hence, whenever someone reads the poem, his friend will be remembered and thus live forever.
5. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade.” -Who is being referred to as ‘thy’? What is meant by ‘eternal summer’? Why shall not ‘thy eternal summer’ fade? (1+1+4) H.S: 2019
Ans: The friend of the poet William Shakespeare is referred to as ‘thy’.
The everlasting youthfulness and beauty of his friend is meant by ‘eternal summer’.
Every beautiful object of nature is subjected to degeneration. But the poet is very much confident that the eternal summer of his friend is everlasting. Death will never grab his beloved nor will fade his glory. The eternal lines composed by the poet will preserve his friend’s beauty everlasting. The poet predicted that his sonnet would be acclaimed forever so long men would live on this earth. In this way, his poem would be read and his beloved friend will remain alive.
6. What do the rough winds do? What does the poet mean by ‘Summer’s lease’? How is the friend’s beauty superior to the summer’s day? (1+1+4) H.S: 2020
Ans: The rough winds shake the darling buds of May.
By ‘Summer’s lease’ the poet William Shakespeare means the duration of summer which is short in period.
The poet believes that his dear friend is more lovely and more temperate than the summer’s day. Summer is haunted by occasional rough winds, summer is short in duration and often sun’s gold complexion is dimmed. But his friend’s beauty is everlasting. Thus the poet shows that his friend’s beauty is superior to the summer’s day.
7. “So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” -What does ‘this’ refer to? Who is referred to by ‘thee’? How long is ‘this’ expected to live? In what way does it give life to the person? (1+1+3+2)
Ans: ‘This’ refers to the sonnet 18, “Shall I compare Thee’ written by William Shakespeare.
The young friend of Shakespeare referred to by ‘thee’.
‘This’ is expected to live for long. According to the poet so long as man can see or breathe in this world his verse will be read.
Shakespeare feels that his friend will stay beautiful forever in the immortal lines of his poetry despite the cruel blows of time. He thinks as long as people exist in this world and can see with their open eyes, they will read this sonnet. The more people will read, the more the beauty of his friend will be praised. And this reading gives life to his friend for all time in this mortal world.
8. What type of poem is “Shall I Compare Thee’? What is its structure? Whom does the poet speak of? what does the poet say about the person spoken of? (1+1+1+3)
Ans: “Shall I Compare Thee” is a sonnet.
It is a Shakespeare sonnet consists of three quatrains and a concluding couplet.
The poet speaks of his fair friend Mr. W.H. probably the Earl of Southampton who was the patron of the poet.
Shakespeare dedicated this sonnet to his friend and pays tribute to male beauty. With the help of imageries he draws an analogy between his friend and summer season. He also said unlike summer’s beauty his friend’s beauty is eternal. At the end of the poem, the poet makes a prediction that the eternal lines composed by him would glorify his friend forever.
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Shall-I-Compare-Thee Long Question Answer
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