In this page you can find Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English Literature, Extra Questions for Class 10 English will make your practice complete.
Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English Literature
Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type
Question 1.
How does the poet declare his rhyme to be powerful?
Or
What comparisons does the poet draw between the poetry and monuments?
Answer:
The poet tells how time will not destroy the powerful rhyme (the poem), though it shall destroy the world’s most magnificent structures. He makes comparisons between the poetry and various monuments to show how poetry is stronger than these structures. Neither the precious marble nor the gold-plated monuments meant to be the graves of princes can match the powerful effect of the poem that the poet has written in praise of his young friend. Sluttish time destroys everything. Even the great monuments once carefully preserved are tarnished and left uncared with the passage of time. But the time will have no sway over the poem that glorifies the young friend in its lines.
Question 2.
Describe how poetry survives all wars and destruction.
Or
Describe how the memory of the friend shall survive all kinds of ravages.
Answer:
The poet is quite optimistic about the power of poetry. He expresses his anguish on how great statues are broken and overturned to insignificance by the destructive wars.
Not only that he feels sad to find that even great quarrels, disputes especially during a war, ravage great works of architecture. But he is also glad to declare that these wars organized by Mars and his followers are not able to spoil the verses in which he has glorified his beloved friend.
Question 3.
‘Gainst death and all oblivious enmity, shall you pace forth.’ On the basis of these lines comment how the poet honours his friend.
Answer:
The poet states that he has established a living record of his friend in the form of a sonnet that will outlive all the ravages of time. This recorded memory of his friend shall be honoured and remembered until posterity. The poet emphasizes that like a powerful man, his friend shall stride forward against all destructive forces like death and enemies and will be praised even by the fixture generations to come. His memory will outwear this world and survive until the doomsday (the last day of humanity).
Question 4.
What judgment does the poet talk about in the ending couplet of this poem?
Answer:
In the ending couplet the poet refers to the doomsday, the Apocalypse, i.e., the last day of humanity when he talks about the ‘judgment’. He makes this reference to judgment because he wants to declare the immortality of his friend in his verse. He wants to ensure it to the readers that until there is humanity alive, people will read this verse and henceforth his friend will be immortalized.
Question 5.
Where does the poet tell his friend to stay until the judgment day and why?
Answer:
The poet is very caring about his love for his friend. He tells that his friend shall forever remain in the poem composed by him and will be admired by all the lovers around the world. He shall only rise to heaven when it will be the last day of humanity (day of Last Judgment). Until then he will remain in this poem and remain in the eyes of the lovers who read this.
Question 6.
Why do you think the rich and powerful people get monuments and statues erected in their memory?
Answer:
The rich and the powerful people get the monuments and statues erected in their memory so as to last until posterity, i.e. the future generations shall also remember them.
Question 7.
Describe how the monuments and statues struggle to brave the ravages of time.
Answer:
Time is all powerful. All durable, solid, precious marbles and gilded memorials that mark the graves of the princes are ravaged with the passage of time. These stone monuments are left uncared and neglected to such an extent that the cruel time tarnishes and destroys them completely. Whatever little is spared and left is destroyed completely by the wasteful wars and broils.
Question 8.
Why does the poet refer to time as being sluttish?
(c)
The poet calls time sllutdsh, because there is no escape from it. Time is known for its unclean, inhuman habits and behaviour. It leaves the great monuments and stones dusty, uncared for and tarnishes them to insignificance.
Question 9.
The poet says that neither fo
Answer:
These lines reveal that the poet is very optimistic about his love for his friend and the power of his rhyme.
Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type
Question 1.
Comment on the theme of the poem ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’.
Or
“The poem ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’ is all about love.” Comment.
Answer:
Shakespeare’s sonnet 55 deals with the idea that his friend, his love will be made immortal in these verses, though everything else will be lost through war, “sluttish” time, or other violent forces. Shakespeare considers poetry as superior, and the only assurance of immortality in this world, but lowers this particular sonnet itself as being unworthy of his friend. Thus, his theme is that everything will be destroyed and forgotten except the friend, who will be praised forever, because he is immortalized in these lines.
This, he proves by comparing his verse with marbled, gilded monuments of the princes. He is glad to declare that these great monuments too have been ravaged by time and are in a state of utter neglect. But neither time nor any other mode of destruction can reduce the effect of his ‘powerful rhyme’ in which his friend has been shining through ages.
The poet goes on to say that wars and broils too have done great damage to the great statues and great buildings of architecture. As a result, these once popular buildings and statues will be destroyed. But neither Mars, his sword nor any devastating fire resulting from the wars can burn the verses in which the poet has immortalized his friend.
His love for his friend is imminent when he ensures that death or any sort of enmity would not rue his friend as he ‘shall pace forth’ to be remembered till posterity until the ‘ day of Last Judgment. Thus the poet immortalizes his friend forever in his verses.
Question 2.
Shakespeare, in this poem talks about two destructive forces. What are those and how does he manage to save his love from their clutches?
Answer:
Time and war are the two destructive forces that the poet talks about in this poem. The very first quatrain of his sonnet revolves around the theme of the ravages made by the passage of time. The poet says that the once acclaimed and well known durable marbled and gilded monuments of princes too have been tarnished and left uncared by the ‘sluttish time’. In the second quatrain, he goes on to talk about yet another destroyer called war. These wars, over the ages have overturned great statues and rooted out great ‘works of masonry’.
However, the poet is comfortable when he ensures that his verse as well his beloved friend have no threat from either sluttish time or from the sword of Mars. His poetry shall outlive all the ravages of time and his friend shall shine brighter than the gilded monuments of the princes. Even the Mars or his ‘quick fire’ shall not be able to burn the living record (the poem) in which the poet has immortalized his friend.
Question 3.
How does the poet immortalize his verse along with glorifying his friend?
Answer:
The process of immortalizing the friend and the verse progress side by side. In the first quatrain, when the poet says that ‘But you shall shine more bright in these contents’ the poet is glorifying his friend and his verse equally. Again, at yet another place in the second quatrain, he ascertains the memory of his friend in the living record (his verse).
However, towards the end of the sonnet the friend gains more recognition as he is made to ‘pace forth’ gaining regard from the generations to follow. The poet ensures that his friend shall be immortalized until the last day of the humanity.
In nutshell, we can say that Shakespeare considers poetry as superior, and the only assurance of immortality in this world, but lowers this particular sonnet itself as being unworthy of his friend. This way he immortalizes both his friend and his verse together, though the former has an upper hand in immortality.
Question 4.
Imagine you are the poet’s friend. Write a letter of thanks to the poet for his love towards you.
Answer:
#16, Torrents Square Stratford
Upon Avon 21 June,
16XX Dear Shakespeare
Sometimes certain sentiments are better expressed in written form than communicating. Yesterday when we met you I wanted to thank you from the depths of my heart but I was so overwhelmed that I could not speak… . Therefore I preferred to write to you.
First of all, I thank you for gifting me such a beautiful poem. As you said that it was dedicated to me, I was emotionally perplexed after reading it. You have done the impossible through your verse. I appreciate your poetic skills with which you have immortalized a mortal being. I am ennobled as you have overshone me eclipsing the marbled statues and gilded monuments. The way you have portrayed me as stronger than death and enmity has led me to introspect about my life. Your faith and love for me is indicated when you praise and declare that I shall be remembered even by the coming generation to follow and remain immortal until the doomsday.
I don’t know whether I deserve the honour bestowed on me by you but one thing is clear that your expectations from your friend are high. I shall try my best to come up to your desires. This poem shall be preserved by me as a souvenir. It will strengthen our bond of friendship.
I pray to the Almighty that your verses shall become immortal and the future generations may read your works with the same fervor as I read today.
Your friend
XYZ
Question 5.
How would wars prove ineffective in tarnishing the living record of ‘your’ memory? In what way are the wars wasteful?
Answer:
Wars take toll of life and cause widespread devastation; however they cannot obliterate the name and fame of those great men whose images are etched in people’s hearts and who are immortalised by the poets.Wars take toll of life and they cause widespread devastation. They raise to the ground the ornate and aesthetically built monuments and statues. Thus they wipe out the name and fame of those who are confident of being remembered by posterity. Sure a verse cannot destroyed by forces of nature, wars and the unmatchable power of gods, it immortalise the great man. One cannot be immortal in statues and monuments. One can be immortal by winning the hearts of people. Thus, we can live forever in their hearts.
Question 6.
“You live in this, and dwell in lovers eyes.”
(a) How can he dwell in lovers’ eyes?
(b) What values are highlighted in the above line?
Answer:
(a) He can dwell in lovers’ eyes by living in the memory of his admirers. He will be immortalised in the verses of the poet.
(b) Despite death and enemies one can be remembered by his good deeds. One can be immortalised by beautiful poems not by statues and monuments. Thus, pen is more powerful than time and sword. Nobody immortalises himself by power and money but he can be remembered by winning the hearts of people.
Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments Extra Questions and Answers Reference-to-Context
Read the extracts and answer the following questions in your answer sheet in one or two sentences only.
Question 1.
Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;
(i) Who is the poet of this verse?
(ii) What will not outlive the powerful rhyme?
(iii) What does he mean by “Powerful rhyme?
(iv) What is the poet conveying through these lines?
Answer:
(i) Shakespeare is the poet of this verse.
(ii) The monuments built to immortalise will not outlive his rhyme.
(iii) By ‘powerful rhyme’ the poet is referring to the power of poetry.
(iv) The poet is trying to say that ‘words’ have the rare power of being preserved and immortalised and therefore outlive the physical structures that are built in memory of great leaders.
Question 2.
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmear’d with sluttish time
(i) Who is “You” in the first line?
(ii) Why will “you” shine more bright?
(iii) Explain “Unswept stone”
(iv) Why is the poet calling time sluttish?
Answer:
(i) ‘You’ is poet’s friend.
(ii) It will shine more because it will continue to live unlike monuments.
(iii) “Unswept stone” implies monuments that are built for immortalising great leaders, are often left unattended and uncared for.
(iv) “sluttish” means to be unclean and to be following low standards of behaviour. The poet is therefore referring to time as sluttish, because time that is guided by nature displays “unethical” behaviour while ruthlessly destroying and tarnishing precious monuments.
Question 3.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory
(i) What do wasteful wars and broils do?
(ii) Identify the poetic device in the first line.
(iii) Explain the third line.
(iv) Why would it be a living record?
Answer:
(i) Wasteful wars and broils destroy the statues that are pieces of wonderful work of masonary.
(ii) The poetic device used is ‘Alliteration’.
(iii) The poet is saying that neither the sword of “Mars” the God of war, nor the fires that spread during wars can burn anything that is “written” to record a memory.
(iv) The memory is considered to be a living record as it continues to be alive as it read and passed on from one generation to another.
Question 4.
Gainst death and all oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room,
Even in eyes of posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
(i) Who shall pace forth against death and all oblivious enmity?
(ii) Explain “find room in the eyes of posterity”?
(iii) What is “ending doom”?
(iv) What is to happen till the ending doom?
Answer:
(i) The poet says that the written memory of his beloved will walk forward to remain alive defeating death and enmity which is forgetful of everything and so seeks to destroy everything.
(ii) The poet says that the words of praise that he has written in praise of his beloved will be read and enjoyed by all the succeeding generations.
(iii) The ending doom that the poet is referring to is the Apocalypse; i.e., the last day of humanity.
(iv) The poet says that the verses written to praise his beloved will continue to remain alive as it will be read even by the last generation that lives to face the doomsday.
Question 5.
So, till the judgment that yourself arise.
You live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes
(i) What does “the Judgement” mean?
(ii) What will remain till judgement day?
(iii) What does the expression ‘So, till the judgement, that yourself arise’ mean?
(iv) Where will the poet’s friend dwell?
Answer:
(i) According to Christian belief, ‘Judgement” is —Immediately upon death each soul undergoes the particular judgement, and depending upon the state of the person’s soul, goes to Heaven, Purgatory, or Hell. … The Last Judgement will occur after the resurrection of all the dead souls and the reuniting of a person’s soul with own physical body, resulting in the glorification of some and the punishment of others.
(ii) The memory of the poet’s beloved will live on till the day of the judgement.
(iii) ‘It means that his beloved will also have to rise from her grave to present herself therefore the Lord for the final judgement.
(iv) The poet’s beloved will be alive in the eyes of all the lovers ‘who’d be inspired to read the words of praise he had written to keep her memory alive