The Glove and the Lions
By Leigh Hunt
The Glove and the Lions Introduction
The poem ‘The glove and the lions’ is a ballad i.e. a story being narrated in the form of a poem. King Francis organizes his favourite sport event of lion fight. One of the audience, a beautiful young woman tries to show off her lover’s affection for her but it results in her insult because her pride shows that she lacks love for the man.
Theme of the Poem
The poem conveys a powerful message that vanity has no place in love. If a person tries to seek attention of others by displaying the power of love, it means that the person is ridden with pride. Thus, there is no true love.
The Glove and the Lions Summary
Once there was a King named Francis. He was a kind-hearted king. His favourite sport was lion fight. He organized the event in the royal stadium. There was a royal audience in the stands, one being the Count de Lorge and his lover. The king also liked the lady.
As the royal lions entered the arena, they growled, roared and stared at each other. They showed off their horrible fangs. Soon they entered into a bloody fight, the blows were so mighty that they blew off the mud into the air. The king commented that all the brave men were better off in the stand than to be a part of such a ferocious fight.
The Count’s lover overheard the king’s comment and she wanted to show off her lover’s bravery. She called out to the audience to witness the rare scenario. She would throw her glove into the arena and the brave count would get it back for her to prove his love. Once she threw it and smiled at the count, he bowed at her.
The count was quick to jump into the arena and get the glove without allowing the lions enough time to react. He got the glove and threw it at his beloved’s face. The king commented that the Count’s action was justified. No true lover will ever put the beloved’s life in danger. The lady’s act showed her pride in her beauty and thus, she did not love the Count.
The Glove and the Lions Poem Explanation
Poem:
King Francis was a hearty king, and loved a royal sport,
And 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.
Word Meanings:
Hearty: good-hearted
Royal sport: here, lion fighting
Sighed: the king was enamoured of the lady’s charms and was jealous of the count
Gallant: brave
Crowning: complete / perfect
Valour: bravery
A king above: the reference may also be to God here
Explanation:
Once there was a king named Francis who was good-hearted. He loved the royal sport of lion fight. One day as he sat in the arena to watch the fight, he was accompanied by other royal men. One of them was the Count of Lorge with his beloved who was liked by the king too. It was a perfect show of bravery and love, with the God seeing from the heaven above and the royal lions fighting on the ground.
Poem:
Ramped and roared the lions, with horrid laughing jaws;
They bit, they glared, gave blows like beams, a wind went with their paws;
With wallowing might and stifled roar they rolled on one another;
Till all the pit with sand and mane was in a thunderous smother;
The bloody foam above the bars came whisking through the air;
Said Francis then, “Faith, gentlemen, we’re better here than there.”
Word Meanings:
Ramped: walked on the slope
Horrid: horrible
Glared: stared angrily
Beams: pieces of wood / electric beams (shocking)
Wallowing: rolling about (in mud or water)
Stifled: suppressed
Mane: long hair on the neck
Smother: cover
Whisking: taking something somewhere quickly
Explanation:
The lions walked on the slope of the arena and they roared, which showed their horrible jaws. They bit each other, stared and hit the other with powerful blows. The movement of the paws was so powerful that a wind blew along with it. They rolled about in mud, made suppressed roars as one rolled onto the other. Their hair got full of the mud and the bood oozed out of their body into the air. When the king saw such a terrible fight, he commented that they were better outside the arena than being inside it. He meant that overpowering such ferocious lions would not have been possible for them.
Poem:
De Lorge’s love o’erheard the King, a beauteous lively dame
With smiling lips and sharp bright eyes, which always seemed the same;
She thought, the Count my lover is brave as brave can be;
He surely would do wondrous things to show his love of me;
King, ladies, lovers, all look on; the occasion is divine;
I’ll drop my glove, to prove his love; great glory will be mine.
Word Meanings:
Love: beloved
Beauteous: beautiful
Lively: full of life, vivacious
Dame: a young lady
Wondrous: wonderful
Divine: heavenly, here rare
Drop: throw
Glory: cause of pride or pleasure or both
Explanation:
Count De Lorge’s beloved overheard the king. She was a beautiful, lively young woman. Her smile and her sharp bright eyes always remained the same. According to her, her beloved, the Count was the most brave man. She called out to the entire audience and said to watch out for the occasion was a rare one. She would throw her glove in the arena and her brave lover would get it back for her, despite the presence of the ferocious lions.
Poem:
She dropped her glove, to prove his love, then looked at him and smiled;
He bowed, and in a moment leaped among the lions wild;
The leap was quick, return was quick, he has regained his place,
Then threw the glove, but not with love, right in the lady’s face.
“By God!” said Francis, “rightly done!” and he rose from where he sat:
“No love,” quoth he, “but vanity, sets love a task like that.”
Word Meanings:
Bowed: bent down the head to show respect
Leaped: jumped
Quoth: said
Vanity: too much pride in one’s beauty, achievements, etc.
Task: job, assignment
Explanation:
She dropped her glove into the arena and wanted her lover to prove that he loved her by getting it back. So, she smiled at him. He bowed to her as respect and as a mark of obedience. He jumped into the arena. His movement of jumping into the arena, getting the glove and coming out was too quick for the lions to react. When he reached his seat, he threw the glove back on his beloved’s face. King Francis commented that his act was justified because no true lover will ever put the beloved’s life in danger. It was the woman’s pride in her beauty which made her set such a dangerous task for her lover.
Figures of Speech
Rhyme scheme – aabbcc
Simile – Comparison between two things using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
They bit, they glared, gave blows like beams, a wind went with their paws
(the blows given by the lions were so powerful like wooden logs)
Anaphora – when two or more consecutive lines start with the same word.
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,
Alliteration – The repetition of a consonant sound at the start of two or more consecutive words
Ramped and roared
With wallowing
Ladies. Lovers
Great glory
Then threw the
Class 10 English Treasure Chest Poem The Glove and the Lions Text Based Multiple Choice Questions
Read the following questions and select and correct option :
1. What kind of king was Francis?
(a) cruel
(b) good-natured
(c) lusty
(d) wicked
2. Who were in the galleries to watch the fight?
(a) the king and his lords and ladies
(b) hunters
(c) the general people
(d) king and queens of distant lands
3. What has distracted the king’s attention from the lion fighting?
(a) the charms of a girl
(b) the charms of a count’s beloved
(c) noise of the audience
(d) the sense of insecurity
4. How did the king react when he looked at De Lorge’s beloved?
(a) He smiled
(b) He sighed
(c) He laughed
(d) He frowned
5. Which figure of speech is used in the line : “They bit, they glared, gave blows like beams …………. .’
(a) metaphor
(b) symbol
(c) simile
(d) oxymoron
6. Which of these remained always the same in De Lorge’s beloved?
(a) her smiles
(b) her lips and eyes
(c) her mannerisms
(d) her dress
7. Which of these statements is NOT true?
(a) de Lorge’s beloved was vain and proud.
(b) de Lorge’s beloved did not actually love him.
(c) de Lorge’s beloved wanted to grab attention.
(d) king Francis got angry at the lady’s action.
8. De Lorge’s beloved seemed to have been struck by the king’s ………… .
(a) grandeur and valour
(b) wisdom
(c) knowledge
(d) handsome body
9. How did De Lorge throw her lady’s glove back to her?
(a) with love
(b) with a smile
(c) frowningly
(d) in anger
10. By putting him to a dangerous test De Lorge’s beloved ………….. .
(a) proved her wisdom
(b) proved that she was vain
(c) proved that she was timid
(d) proved that she was unfaithful
11. Which figure of speech is used in the line –
‘A wind went with their paws’?
(a) alliteration
(b) enjambment
(c) simile
(d) oxymoron
12. Why did Francis say that they were better outside the arena?
(a) he was a coward
(b) he was being wise
(c) he did not know the art of fighting
(d) he was foolish
13. The Count’s lover thought him to be _____
(a) coward
(b) wise
(c) brave
(d) foolish
14. What did the lover want the Count to do in order to show his love for her?
(a) to get her the stars
(b) to get her glove from the arena
(c) to fight the lions
(d) to fight the king
15. Why did the Count throw the glove without love?
(a) he was tired
(b) he realised that she did not love him
(c) he was in a hurry
(d) the glove was dirty
16. What royal sport does the poem talk about?
(a) fencing
(b) shooting
(c) horse riding
(d) lion fight
17. Identify a suitable adjective for the lions.
(a) timid
(b) meek
(c) ferocious
(d) weak
18.Find a synonym of ‘wooden logs’ as used in the poem.
(a) paws
(b) beams
(c) mane
(d) glove
19. De Lorge’s love was NOT ______
(a) beautiful
(b) proud
(c) loyal
(d) lively
20. The lions did NOT ______
(a) Roar
(b) hit
(c) glare
(d) smile
Answers
1. (b) good-natured
2. (a) the king and his lords and ladies
3. (b) the charms of a count’s beloved
4. (b) He sighed
5. (c) simile
6. (b) her lips and eyes
7. (d) king Francis got angry at the lady’s action.
8. (b) wisdom
9. (d) in anger
10. (b) proved that she was vain
11. (a) alliteration
12. (b) he was being wise
13. (c) brave
14. (b) to get her glove from the arena
15. (b) he realised that she did not love him
16. (d) lion fight
17. (c) ferocious
18. (b) beams
19.(c) loyal
20. (d) smile
Class 10 English The Glove and the Lions Question Answers – Comprehension Passages
PASSAGE-1
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
King Francis was a hearty King, and loved a royal sport,
And 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.
(i) Where was the king sitting? What was going on?
Ans. The king was sitting outside the arena, watching his lions fight inside.
(ii) For whom did the king ‘sigh’, and why?
Ans. He sighed for the beloved of Count de Lorge because he also liked her.
(iii) Who are referred to as “valour and love”?
Ans. The brave men represent valour and their beloved ladies are love.
(iv) What picture of De Lorge’s beloved has the poet given later in the context?
Ans. He was proud of her beauty and did not love the Count.
(v) Why did De Lorge’s beloved think of testing his valour?
Ans. She wanted to prove that the Count was the bravest man. She did so to prove that the king’s statement that they were better outside the arena was wrong.
PASSAGE-2
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Ramped and roared the lions, with horrid laughing jaws;
They bit, they glared, gave blows like beams, a wind went with their paws;
With wallowing might and stifled roar they rolled on one another;
Till all the pit with sand and mane was in a thunderous smother;
The bloody foam above the bars came whisking through the air;|
Said Francis then, “Faith, gentlemen, we’re better here than there.”
(i) What kind of royal sport was in progress? Who were watching it?
Ans. Lion fighting was in progress. The king and his noble men, with their ladies were watching it.
(ii) Who stole the heart of King Francis? In what state of mind was he?
Ans. He sighed for the lover of Count de Lorge. He was being wise when he said that they were better outside the arena.
(iii) Briefly describe the lion’s fight.
Ans. They roared, and glared at each other. They bit each other and hit with force.
(iv) What did the air carry afar? What did it reveal?
Ans. The air carried the blood of the lions. It revealed that they were powerful and ferocious.
(v) Comment on the king’s remark. Who was attracted by his comment?
Ans. The king said that the men were better outside the arena because the lions were very ferocious. The Count’s lover was attracted by his comment.
PASSAGE-3
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
De Lorge’s love o’erheard the King, a beauteous lively dame
With smiling lips and sharp bright eyes, which always seemed the same;
She thought, the Count my lover is brave as brave can be;
He surely would do wondrous things to show his love of me;
King, ladies, lovers, all look on; the occasion is divine;
I’ll drop my glove, to prove his love; great glory will be mine.
(i) What kind of show was witnessed by the king and his courtiers? What had distracted the king’s attention
Ans. They had witnessed the fight between extremely violent lions. The king was distracted by the lover of Count de Lorge. She called upon everyone to witness a rare scene.
(ii) What did De Lorge’s beloved think about him? What was she sure of?
Ans. She thought that the Count was the bravest of all. She was sure that he would jump into the arena and get her glove back.
(iii) What thought struck her? What was her real intention?
Ans. She thought that her beloved, the Count de Lorge was the bravest man and that he would do anything to prove his love. Her intention was to show off her beauty.
(iv) What happened when the lady threw her glove into the pit and smiled at her lover?
Ans. The lover bowed to her. The next moment he jumped inside the arena, got the glove and returned much too fast for the lions to react.
(v) Find a synonym of ‘rare’ from the extract.
Ans. Divine
PASSAGE-4
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
She dropped her glove, to prove his love, then looked at him and smiled;
He bowed, and in a moment leaped among the lions wild:
The leap was quick, return was quick, he has regained his place,
Then threw the glove, but not with love, right in the lady’s face.
“By God!” said Francis, “rightly done!” and he rose from where he sat:|
“No love,” quoth he, “but vanity, sets love a task like that.”
(i) Who were watching the lion fight? How was the fight progressing?
Ans. The king, the noble men and their ladies were watching the fight. The fight was a ferocious one.
(ii) What idea struck De Lorge’s beloved? How did she put it into practice?
Ans. She thought of proving the Count’s bravery by setting him a task to prove his love for her. She dropped her glove in the arena where the lions were fighting and asked the Count to get it back for her.
(iii) What could have happened to De Lorge?
Ans. He could have been attacked by the lions.
(iv) What was De lorge’s reaction when he came back safe from the pit?
Ans. He was angry and threw the glove at the beloved’s face.
(v) What did no one else but De Lorge understand at the end?
Ans. He understood that the lady did not love him but she was proud of her beauty. That is why she put the Count’s life in danger. She wanted to prove that the man loved her so much that he could do anything for her. She was full of vanity and lacked true love.
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