Prasanna

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The Bishop’s Candlesticks Summary in English by Norman Mckinnell

The Bishop’s Candlesticks Summary in English

The play, which is very popular, is based on the theme that love and kindness can change a man rather than violence.

The play is about a convict who breaks into a Bishop’s house and is clothed and warmed. The benevolence of the Bishop somewhat softens the convict, but, when he sees his silver candlesticks, he steals them. He is captured and brought back. He expects to go back to jail, but the Bishop informs the police that they are a gift. This one kind act of the Bishop reforms the convict to believe in the spirit of God that dwells in the heart of every human being.

The play is set in the house of a Bishop, on a cold winter night. On the mantelpiece are two handsome candlesticks, quite out of place with the plain furnishings of the room. Marie, the maidservant, is busy stirring a pot of soup on the fire and Persome, the Bishop’s sister, is laying the table and keeping an eye on the soup being cooked by Marie. Persome is worried as it is already past 11 o’clock and her brother has not yet returned. She wonders where her brother, the Bishop, could be at that late hour. She asks Marie if there is any message. Marie tells her that the Bishop has gone to see her ailing mother.

This angers Persome who feels that most people take advantage of her simple brother who is always eager to help the poor and the needy. While the table is being laid for dinner, Persome asks Marie if she has placed the salt-cellars on the table. Marie tells her that the Bishop has sold the salt-cellars to pay the house rent for Mere Gringoire, who was being troubled by the bailiff. Persome curses the old lady for taking advantage of her brother, lamenting that the Bishop, who has already sold many of his belongings to help others, would sell everything.

The Bishop enters the cottage and informs Marie that her mother was better. He gives her his comforter and asks her to run home since it is very cold. Persome, who has been crying, gets very angry with the Bishop. When Marie leaves, she tells him that people lie to him to get help from him. The Bishop regrets that there is so much suffering in the world and so little that he can do.

To show her anger and resentment over his selling her salt-cellars, Persome taunts the Bishop that one day he would sell the candlesticks also. The Bishop assures her that he would never sell the candlesticks, as they are a token from his dying mother and encompass her memory. However, in the next breath, he feels bad to set such store by them.

As it is midnight, Persome goes off to bed and the Bishop sits down to read. Suddenly, a runaway convict, with a long knife in his hand, enters the room. He threatens to kill the Bishop if he tries to call out, and demands food. The Bishop greets him lovingly and assures him that he shall have food. He calls Persome to open the cupboard. Persome is scared to see the convict but the Bishop reassures her and takes the keys of the cupboard from her. He then serves the convict cold pie, wine, and bread.

After having his fill, the convict feels relaxed. He tells the Bishop that he has lived in Hell for ten years. He narrates the circumstances under which he was imprisoned. Once upon a time he, too, had a lovely wife and a home. His wife, Jeanette, was ill and dying and there was no food. He could not get work. So, he stole money to buy food for her. He was caught and sentenced to ten years in prison. The jailor told him that his wife had died the night that he was sentenced.

The convict recounts his sufferings in the prison. The jailer took away his name and only gave him a number. One day, they forgot to chain him and he escaped. After his escape from prison, he has been wandering from pillar to post without food and shelter, pursued by the gendarmes.

The Bishop is moved upon hearing his story. He consoles the convict and tells him that although he has suffered a great deal, there is hope for him. He then asks the convict to sleep in his house and assures that no harm would come to him. Saying this, the Bishop goes inside to bring him a coverlet.

The convict happens to see the candlesticks on the mantelpiece. He takes them down and finds that they’re quite heavy and made of pure silver. On his return, the Bishop finds the candlesticks in the convict’s hands. He tells the convict that they’re a parting gift from his mother. He bids the convict good night and goes to bed.

The convict decides to steal the candlesticks and use them to start a new life. He does think of the Bishop’s kindness but hardens his heart, stuffs the candlesticks in his pocket, and escapes.

Persome wakes up on hearing the noise and rushes downstairs. She finds the candlesticks missing and raises a hue and cry. She wakes the Bishop up and informs him about the theft. The Bishop regrets the loss of the candlesticks but refuses to call in the police as he doesn’t want the convict to be sent back to the prison, to suffer once again.

Just then a sergeant enters the cottage with the convict, led by three constables. He tells the Bishop about the circumstances under which he caught the thief. He had been moving along the roads suspiciously. On searching him, they found the candlesticks on his person. The sergeant remembered that they belonged to the Bishop, so he arrested the thief and brought him there.

The Bishop tells the sergeant that the gentleman he had brought was his good friend and he himself had given the candlesticks to him that night. The sergeant finds it difficult to accept this explanation. However, he releases the prisoner and goes out.

The convict is now a changed man. He is overwhelmed with remorse. He begs forgiveness from the Bishop, who has made him feel that he was a man again and not a beast. He asks his permission to go to Paris. The Bishop gives him the candlesticks so that they might help him and tells him about a safe route to Paris. As parting advice, he tells the convict to remember that the body was the ‘Temple of the Living God’. The convict assures him he would remember that all his life.

The Bishop’s Candlesticks Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Copy and complete the following paragraph about the theme of the play in pairs.
Answer:
The play deals with a convict and a Bishop who is always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone in distress. A convict breaks into the Bishop’s house and is fed and warmed. The benevolence of the Bishop somewhat transforms the convict, but, when he sees the silver candlesticks, he steals them, and runs away. However, he is caught and brought back. He expects to go back to jail, but the Bishop informs the police that they are a gift. The convict is overwhelmed by this kindness of the Bishop and before he leaves he seeks the priest’s blessing.

Question 2.
Answer the following questions briefly.

a. Do you think the Bishop was right in selling the salt-cellars? Why/ Why not?
Answer:
Encourage the students to come up with their own answers.
Yes, I th
ink the Bishop was right in selling the salt-cellars because he sold them for a good cause. His act of selling the salt-cellars helped somebody to get out of trouble.

No, I don’t think the Bishop did the right thing by selling the salt-cellars because they belonged to Persome too and selling them without Persome’s knowledge was not the right thing to do.

b. Why does Persome feel the people pretend to be sick?
Answer:
Persome feels that people pretend to be sick so that they can take advantage of the Bishop’s kindness. Persome claims that the people realize that the Bishop will definitely help those in need even at the cost of himself and his family. Hence, they try to take advantage of this fact.

c. Who was Jeanette? What was the cause of her death?
Answer:
Jeanette was the convict’s deceased wife. She was sick and did not have enough to eat. Hence, she died.

d. The convict says, “/ am too old a bird to be caught with chaff. ” What does he mean by this statement?
Answer:
The convict believes that the Bishop is trying to call the police rather than Persome and implies that he is too experienced in the life of a runaway prisoner to fall for the trick of calling the police under the pretense of calling someone else.

e. Why was the convict sent to prison? What was the punishment given to him?
Answer:
The convict was sent to prison for stealing food. His name was taken away from him, as was his humanity. He was treated like an animal, made to sleep on boards with vermin crawling on him. He was not given food and lashed like a hound.

f. Do you think the punishment given to the convict was justified? Why/ Why not?
Answer:
No, the punishment given to the convict was not justified. Punishment should be proportionate to the crime committed and one should always try to understand the reason behind the crime. The convict stole food to feed his ill wife, after he had been disappointed in the day’s work. His crime was bom out of desperation. He should have been dealt with in a more humane manner. By sentencing him to prison, the judiciary created a criminal, distrustful of the system and vengeful at the world.

g. Why is the convict eager to reach Paris?
Answer:
The convict is eager to reach Paris because he wants to start a new life there, leaving his old life behind.

h. Before leaving, the convict asked the Bishop to bless him. What brought about this change in him?
Answer:
The convict asked the Bishop to bless him before leaving because he realized that the Bishop was a great man and was, perhaps, the only person in the world who wanted the best for him. The Bishop’s kindness and love had transformed the hardened convic into a humble and trusting man.

Question 3.
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct options.

A. Monseigneur, the Bishop is a … a hem!

a. Why does Persome not complete the sentence?
Answer:
she did not wish to criticise the Bishop in front of Marie.

b. Why is she angry with the Bishop?
Answer:
the Bishop has sold her salt-cellars.

B. She sent little Jean to Monseigneur to ask for help.

a. Who sent little Jean to the Bishop?
Answer:
Mere Gringoire

b. Why did she send Jean to the Bishop?
Answer:
as she knew that he was a generous person.

C. I offered to take her in here for a day or two, but she seemed to think it might distress you.

a. The Bishop wanted to take Mere Gringoire in because:
Answer:
She was unable to pay the rent of her house.

b. Persome would be distressed on Mere Gringoire’s being taken in because:
Answer:
She felt that Mere Gringoire was taking undue advantage of the Bishop.

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Villa for Sale Summary in English by Sacha Guitry

Villa for Sale Summary in English

This one-act play is set in France. The cast consists of five characters. The action takes place during the course of an evening and revolves around the sale of a villa. The owner of the villa, Juliette, is anxious to sell it as she needs the money. She stays alone with her maid. As the play starts, Juliette is expecting a customer, the agency people are sending. As she and her maid discuss the prospective sale of the villa, her maid discloses that she has got a role in a film, like many other local people and suggests Juliette try for a film role, too, as it will help ease her financial problems. Juliette is not very keen to act in films and angrily tells her maid that she is ‘not quite so hard up as that yet! ’

While the two are talking, Jeanne comes in with her husband Gaston. From the moment they enter, Gaston expresses his displeasure about the villa and finds a number of faults with it. In fact he shows no desire in buying a house at all as he feels Jeanne’s parents and nieces and nephews will spend summers with them. On the other hand, Jeanne finds the villa excellent and tries to persuade Gaston to buy the villa for her.

Juliette counts the many advantages the house possesses to please the customers. The house has electricity, gas, water, telephone, and drainage. The bathroom is beautifully fitted and the roof was entirely repaired the previous year. She says she will sell the villa entirely furnished with all the fixtures, just as it is, with the exception of one little picture signed by the famous painter, Corot. While Juliette asks for two hundred and fifty thousand francs, and quotes two hundred thousand francs as her last price, Gaston bargains for the house with Juliette and quotes the ridiculously low price of sixty thousand francs, knowing it will not get accepted. Juliette rejects the offer but Jeanne expresses a desire to see the upper floor before she leaves and Juliette eagerly takes her upstairs.

While Gaston waits for the two women to return, the actual customer Juliette was waiting for, an American lady, Mrs Al Smith, comes in. Her hurry to buy the villa without even looking at it, at whatever the price asked for, is exploited by Gaston. This episode is the most entertaining part of the play. In a moment, the reluctant buyer is transformed into a skillful seller. Gaston shows himself to be ingenious and totally unscrupulous. He counts the plus points of the villa. But all his salesmanship is not needed as Mrs Al Smith has already made up her mind to buy the villa. She is a big star and wants the villa as it is near Paramount Studios, where she is going to shoot some films.

Gaston is able to sell the villa to her for three hundred thousand francs. When Jeanne returns she expresses her opinion about the unsuitability of the house. But now Gaston, who has already sold the house to Mrs A1 Smith, coxes Juliette to talk about the additional facilities the villa offers and buys the villa, including the Corot, for two hundred thousand pounds. Thus, Gaston makes a profit of a hundred thousand francs and a painting by Corot with his resourcefulness.

Villa for Sale Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Copy and complete the following paragraph about the theme of the play using the clues given in the box below. Remember that there are more clues than required.
Answer:
Juliette, the owner of a Villa wants to sell it as she is in need of money. Moreover, she is not in favour of the house. Jeanne and Gaston, a couple, visit her with the aim of buying the Villa. While Jeanne is enthusiastic about buying, Gaston detests the idea as he does not want his in laws in that house. Also, he finds the asking price of 300 thousand francs to be expensive. When Jeanne and Juliette go around the house, another customer walks in and starts talking to Gaston taking him to be Juliette’s husband. Gaston strikes a deal with the customer by which he is able to give 200 thousand francs to the owner and keep one hundred thousand francs for himself.

Question 2.
Answer the following questions briefly.

a. Why does Jeanne want to buy a villa?
Answer:
Jeanne wants to buy a villa for her parents. Buying a villa will ensure that her parents and her sister’s children can live with them.

b. Why is Gaston not interested in buying the villa in the beginning?
Answer:
Gaston is not interested in buying the villa in the beginning because he does not want his parents-in-law and sister- in-law’s children to live with them. He also feels that the asking price of the villa is too high for its size.

c. Mrs. Al.Smith makes many statements about the French. Pick out any two and explain them.
Answer:
Mrs Al Smith has typically American prejudices against the French. She says ‘You French people have a cute way – of doing business! ’ This reflects her distrust for the French way of doing business. She is extremely judgmental about it because the price of the villa has not been written on the signboard and she is astute enough to realize that the buyer may, thus, be exploited.

She also says ‘Frenchmen usually have to consult about ten people before they get a move on.’ This, again is a generalized and prejudiced judgement against all French people wherein Mrs A1 Smith feels that French people cannot conduct business quickly and efficiently because they talk to a lot of people before making a decision.

d. Juliette says “…………. now I have only one thought that is to get the wretched place off my hands. I would sacrifice it at any price”. Does she stick to her words? Why/Why not?
Answer:
No, Juliette does not stick to her words. She says that she will sacrifice the villa at any price, but refuses to go below 200 thousand francs as the selling price.

e. Who is better in business – Juliette or Gaston? Why?
Answer:
Gaston is a much better businessman because not only does he sell a house that is not even his yet, but he makes a profit of 100 thousand francs and a painting by Corot, from the deal.

f. Do you like/dislike Gaston? Give your reasons.
Answer:
Encourage the students to come up with their own answers.

Yes, I like Gaston because of his intelligence and ingenuity. He is smart and quick, and can remain cool under pressure. This is an admirable characteristic in any human being and I like him for it.

No, I don’t like Gaston because while he is sharp, he is unscrupulous and lack of scruples is not something that can be pardoned in any human being.

Question 3.
Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct options.

A. But the sign has been hanging on the gate for over a month now and I am beginning to be afraid that the day I bought it was when I was the real fool.

a. Why is Juliette disappointed?
Answer:
She is unable to find a suitable buyer for her villa.

b. Why does she call herself a fool?
Answer:
She had bought the villa for more than it was worth.

B. ‘But your parents would take possession of it, every year from the beginning of spring until the end of September. What’s more they would bring the whole tribe of your sister’s children with them.’

a. What does Gaston mean by ‘take possession’?
Answer:
Her parents would stay with them for a long time.

C. ‘While you were upstairs, I have been thinking a lot about your Papa and Mamma.

a. What is the discrepancy between what Gaston said earlier and what he says now?
Answer:
Earlier he did not want Juliette’s parents to stay with them but now he is showing concern for them.

b. What does the above statement reveal about Gaston’s character?
Answer:
He is an opportunist.

Question 4.
Select words from the box to describe the characters in the play as revealed by the following lines. You may take the words from the box given on the next page.
Answer:

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Song of the Rain Summary in English by Kahlil Gibran

Song of the Rain Summary in English

In this poem, Kahlil Gibran celebrates rain as the life-giving force of this earth. The poem is written in the voice of the rain. The rain says that as it falls from the sky, it looks like silver threads dropped from heaven by the gods. Rain causes flowers to bloom and decorate nature’s fields and valleys. Raindrops are beautiful pearls that have been plucked from the crown of the goddess Ishtar by the daughter of Dawn. Ishtar is the goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. In the Babylonian pantheon, she ‘was the divine personification of the planet Venus’.

In Babylonian mythology, Aya is the goddess of dawn. Her daughter takes the raindrops and uses them to decorate the gardens. The hills and flowers exhibit their joy when it rains by coming into bloom. When rain humbles itself by falling from the sky on to the earth, all living things are happy.

The field and the cloud are lovers and the rain is a messenger of mercy between them as it drenches the fields and makes the clouds lighter and brighter. It quenches the thirst of the parched earth and reduces the heaviness or swelling of the clouds. Rain is preceded by thunder and followed by the rainbow. Just as a life is created by the coming together of the five elements—air, earth, fire, water, and wind, rain too is created when the earth and water are heated and water rises as vapour to the sky. When it rains, the sky and the wind are stormy. At the time of death, the elements merge into elements and the soul ascends to heaven. Similarly, when rain falls, it merges with the water only to rise again as water vapour.

Whenever it sees a parched field, it falls to earth and embraces the flowers and the trees. Rain taps softly against the windows. People welcome the arrival of rain. Although everyone can hear the sound of rain as it falls, only people who are sensitive can feel the affection of the sea, the joy of the fields on receiving rain, and the sorrow of heaven as rain parts from it.

Song of the Rain Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice.

a. The rain calls itself the ‘dotted silver threads ’ as:
(i) the shimmering drops fall one after the other
(ii) it ties heaven and earth
(iii) it dots the earth with shimmering water ”
(iv) it decorates the fields
Answer:
The shimmering drops fall one after the other.

b. The tone and mood of the rain in the poem reflect its:
(i) love for the earth
(ii) desire to take revenge
(iii) merriment as it destroys
(iv) desire to look beautiful
Answer:
Love for the earth.

Question 2.
Answer the following questions.

a. Why is the rain divine?
Answer:
The rain is divine as it comes from heaven. It is plucked from the crown of Ishtar. It gives new life to seeds.

b. In this universe, rain performs many functions. What are those?
Answer:
The rain adorns the fields and valleys of nature. It beautifies the garden of the daughter of dawn. It acts as the messenger between the lovers, clouds and the field and quenches the thirst of the earth. The rain is the sigh of the sea, a cause of happiness for the field and tears of the heavens.

c. ‘When I cry the hills laugh;
When I humble myself the flowers rejoice; When I bow, all things are elated. ’
Cry, humble and bow indicate different intensity with which the rain falls. Explain the three in context.
Answer:
Crying of the rain indicates a torrential downpour over the hills. When the rain humbles itself to fall gently over the earth, the flowers bloom in happiness. The rain bows in respect when it falls rhythmically on the earth, much to the elation of its inhabitants.

d. How do you think the rain quenches the thirst of the fields and cures clouds ’ ailment?
Answer:
The rain falls gently on the parched earth to give it the moisture it requires to become fertile again and, as it falls on the earth, it lightens the load of the clouds that have carried it thus far. Thus, the rain quenches the thirst of the fields and cures clouds’ ailments.

e. Think about million little ways in which the rain embraces the trees. Mention a few of them.
Answer:
The rain may embrace the trees as shining droplets of dew, it may embrace them as morning mist. The rain embraces the trees during torrential downpours as well as during gentle, rhythmic rainfall.

f. ‘….All can hear, but only
The sensitive can understand’
What does the poet want to convey?
Answer:
The poet wants to convey to us that many people hear the sound of the thunder but only a few sensitive people understand the power and great abilities that the rain possesses.

g. Notice the imagery built around ‘sigh of the sea ’, ‘laughter of the field’ and ‘tears of heaven ’. Explain the three expressions in context of rain.
Answer:
The rain rises as water vapour from the sea. This is the ‘sigh of the sea’. Rainfall gives the parched fields a new lease of life. This is why it is the ‘laughter of the fields’. The rain falls from the heaven as a torrent of tears. Hence, it is the ‘tears of heaven’.

h. How would you express rain as
an agent of floods?
Answer:
Too much rainfall causes the rivers to overflow, creating floods.
a source of water for dams?
Dams store water received during the rainfall to use later when there is scarcity of water.

i. ‘I am like earthly life … ‘
Why does the poet call rain as earthly life?
Answer:
The poet calls the rain as earthly life because when it starts it brings joy in the same manner a new-born child gives joy to its parents and when it stops it causes sadness in the same manner that death causes grief.

j. Explain the ending of the song.
Answer:
The song ends with rain being filled with emotion and crying with endless memories that it had experienced.

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Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth Summary in English by Pam Ayres

Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth Summary in English

The poem is about the experiences of the narrator with her teeth. It is written on a humorous note. She looks back and regrets the fact that she has not taken care of her teeth the way she should have.

She recalls the various kinds of sweet, and sticky toffees she had consumed in the past, which has caused her teeth to decay now. She now wishes she had resisted the temptation to buy sweets with her money and paid more attention to the damage they could have caused to her teeth. She feels extremely guilty when she recalls all the sweet things she had relished, including lollipops, candy, and peanut brittle. She also recalls that though she had brushed her teeth, it had not been done thoroughly as she had felt it was all a waste of time.

However, now, as she sits in the dentist’s chair staring up at him, she feels remorseful about all the sweets that she had ever eaten. She complains that if she had known that she was going to suffer from cavities and tooth decay and would have to undergo fillings, injections, and drillings at the dentist’s office, she would have been more careful and thrown away all the sweets and sherbets that had tempted her.

In the end, she is reminded of the time when she had made fun of her mother’s false teeth and is sure that a similar fate awaits her now.

The poem is written in a humorous tone, making light of a painful visit to the dentist.

Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice.

a. The title ‘Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth ’ expresses:
(i) regret
(ii) humour
(iii) longing
(iv) pleasure
Answer:
Regret.

b. The conscience of the speaker pricks her as she has:
(i) been careless
(ii) been ignorant
(iii) been fun loving
(iv) been rude
Answer:
Been careless.

c. The speaker says that she has paved the way for cavities and decay by:
(i) eating the wrong food and not brushing.
(ii) not listening to his mother
(iii) laughing at his mother’s false teeth
(iv) not listening to the dentist
Answer:
Eating the wrong food and not brushing.

d. The tone of the narrator is one of:
(i) joy
(ii) nostalgia
(iii) regret
(iv) sorrow
Answer:
Regret.

Question 2.
Answer the following questions.
‘…But up-and-down brushin’ And pokin’ and fussin’
Didn’t seem worth the time-I could bite!’

a. What do these lines convey?
Answer:
These lines convey the poet’s sense of regret for not brushing properly when she had the chance.

b. Why did the poet go to the dentist? How could she have avoided it?
Answer:
The poet went to the dentist because her teeth had decayed as a result of consuming too many sweets and chocolates and not brushing properly. She could have avoided going to the dentist by taking care of her teeth while she still had a chance.

c. ‘Ifyou got a tooth, you got a friend’, what do you understand from the line?
Answer:
Teeth are very important for human beings. Teeth grow only twice in man’s lifetime and stay with them throughout. Teeth are, therefore, like true friends that are rare to come by but are for life.

d. With reference to the poem, how can you look after your teeth?
(Encourage the students to come up with their own answers.)
Answer:
We can look after our teeth by brushing twice daily, ensuring that we brush every crevice of our teeth in the correct manner. We can also look after our teeth by controlling our urge to eat chocolates, toffees and other sweets.

e. Give an appropriate proverb that conveys the message that this poem carries.
Answer:
‘A stitch in time, saves nine.’

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The Seven Ages Summary in English by William Shakespeare

The Seven Ages Summary in English

In this poem, Shakespeare has divided human life into seven stages, with each stage having its own qualities and characteristics.

Shakespeare considers the world a stage and men and women actors on the stage of life. They play seven roles on the stage depending upon their age. At first, is the infant carried by his nurse. He cries and vomits most of the time. The infant grows into a bright-faced, complaining schoolboy, unwilling to go to school. The next stage is that of the lover, who is lost in thoughts of his beloved and writes poetry to her beauty. As he grows older, he joins the army. He is aggressive, short- tempered, and ambitious at this stage.

With age comes maturity and wisdom, and the family man has the vocation of a judge. He advises people and his look is serious and authoritative. The man grows older and becomes weak. His authority grows less and his voice trembles as he talks. Lastly, the senile old man loses his teeth, his vision, and his hearing. This is the last stage. After this, man makes his exit from the stage of life.

The Seven Ages Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice.

a. All the world’s a stage is an extended metaphor for:
(i) the life shown in well known plays.
(ii) seeing the well known plays. .
(iii) life of well known actors.
(iv) life of man that comes to an end.
Answer:
life of man that comes to an end

b. All ‘have their exits and their entrances Exits and entrances refer to:
(i) birth and death
(ii) beginning and end of play
(iii) coming and going of actors
(iv) the end of the Shakespearean era
Answer:
birth and death

c. The seven roles that a man plays correspond to:
(i) chronological age in life
(ii) desires
(iii) mental age in life
(iv) idea of a perfect life
Answer:
mental age in life

Question 2.
Having read this extract, identify the stages of a person’s life as Shakespeare has done. Write down these stages in your note book, and sum up the characteristics of each stage in two or three words.
Answer:
Stage – Characteristic feature
infancy – crying
schoolboy – reluctant to go to school
lover – sighing for the mistress
soldier – active and quick tempered
judge – wise
Oldman – shrunken and child like
death – beyond all expressions

Question 3.
Explain the meaning of the following.

a. ‘… all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances… ’
Answer:
All human beings are acting out what destiny has in store for them. Thus, all human beings are actors on the stage of life.

b. ‘And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace… ’
Answer:
A lover’s heart is more sentimental than anybody else’s. Thus, his sigh is an expression of his sentiment.

c. ‘a soldier,
… Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. ’
Answer:
A soldier is quick and impulsive. His honour is more important to him than his life. Thus, he would rather give up his life, in the line of fire, than his honour.