Shakespeare's Poems
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
Questions for Discussion
1. What do the images in the sonnet suggest is happening to the speaker as he ages?
A) He is declining in strength.
B) He is losing his conviction.
C) He is sharpening his judgment.
D) He is developing his imagination.
2. What aspect of the season does the poet most emphasize in the first four lines of the sonnet?
A) the brilliant colors of foliage
B) the dreaded approach of winter
C) the abundant harvest of autumn
D) the cautious movements of wildlife
3. Which line from the sonnet describes sleep?
A) “When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang”
B) “In me thou seest the twilight of such day”
C) “Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest”
D) “As the death-bed whereon it must expire”
4. What is the main theme of the sonnet?
A) Age differences are no barrier to love.
B) People need to be loved as they grow older.
C) Happiness changes to worry as loved ones grow older.
D) People love more intensely when they know life is ending.
1. A; 2. B; 3. C; 4. D
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
The Seven Ages of Man
from As You Like It
Jacques: All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
pard – leopard or large cat
bubble – short-lived
capon – a young, fattened chicken
instances – examples to prove a point
pantaloon – foolish old man in Italian comedy
sans – without
Questions for Discussion
1. In line 3, what do the words "exits" and "entrances" represent in this selection?
A) sorrow and love
B) illness and health
C) death and birth
D) misfortune and happiness
2. How does Shakespeare characterize a soldier in lines 11—15?
A) A soldier is short-tempered and eager for fame.
B) A soldier is loving and faithful to his mistress.
C) A soldier is honorable and loyal to the throne.
D) A soldier is jealous and cowardly in battle.
3. In lines 23—25, what does Shakespeare most likely mean by "his big manly voice, / Turning again toward childish treble, pipes / And whistles in his sound"?
A) The aging man plays many musical instruments.
B) The aging man’s voice changes from deep to high.
C) The aging man snores loudly in his sleep.
D) The aging man sings playful songs to his grandchildren.
4. In line 27, the word oblivion most likely means
A) liveliness.
B) courage.
C) nothingness.
D) misery.
Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.
Questions for Discussion
1. Line 1 is an example of
A) rhetorical question.
B) apostrophe
C) metaphor.
D) paradox.
2. Which of the following is NOT suggested by the word "temperate" in line 2?
A) mild.
B) hotheaded.
C) even.
D) moderate.
3. In line 4, "date" means
A) a romantic evening.
B) a specific day of the month.
C) a year on a coin.
D) a period of time.
4. In line 5, "the eye of heaven" is a metaphor for
A) the North Star.
B) the all-seeing God.
C) the sun.
D) the moon.
5. In line 14, "this" refers to
A) death.
B) summer.
C) the poem itself.
D) time.
1. A
2. B
3. D
4. C
5. C
Sonnet 29
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Questions for Discussion
1. In line 3, "bootless" means
A) meaningless.
B) annoying.
C) hopeless.
D) barefoot.
2. Which meaning of the word "art" is NOT relevant to its use in line 7?
A) paintings.
B) cleverness.
C) artistic ability.
D) skill.
3. Line 8 is an example of
A) simile.
B) assonance.
C) paradox.
D) metaphor.
4. Line 11 is an example of
A) assonance.
B) paradox.
C) simile.
D) metaphor.
5. The turn in this sonnet comes at the beginning of
A) line 10.
B) line 13.
C) line 11.
D) line 9.
6. This sonnet is concerned with
A) the misfortunes that plague everyone
B) the beauty of a new morning
C) how the thought of the speaker’s beloved can change one’s mood
D) the speaker’s envy of other peoples’ lives
E) the resentment that heaven has given the speaker a poor lot in life
7. Which of the following choices best describes the mood of lines 1 through 8?
A) Joy
B) Anger
C) Resignation
D) Frustration
E) Self-pity
8. What is the tone of the last six lines?
A) Despair
B) Elation
C) Heartache
D) Confidence
E) Calmness
9. The first two quatrains express distinct but related thoughts. What are they?
A) The first quatrain expresses the speaker’s extreme dissatisfaction with himself; the second, envy of others’ happier lives.
B) The first quatrain expresses the speaker’s dissatisfaction, and the second presents a solution.
C) The first quatrain shows that the speaker is very religious, and the second expresses his contentment with life.
D) The first quatrain shows how envious of others the speaker is, and the second, his love of nature and beauty.
E) The first quatrain speaks of his dissatisfaction and envy, and the second tells of his beloved.
10. What is the meaning of the phrase “trouble deaf heaven” in line 3?
A) The heavens are in turmoil.
B) People are deaf to the will of God.
C) God’s will falls on deaf ears.
D) Troubled times are not heard in heaven.
E) One prays, but God does not hear.
11. Which lines summarize the theme of the sonnet?
A) The final couplet
B) The first quatrain
C) The second quatrain
D) Lines 10 through 12
E) Lines 2 through 8
12. What does the poet mean when he writes “that man’s scope”?
A) The man has made a profit in business.
B) By chance, the man has made a fortune.
C) The man is strong and handsome.
D) The man is very intelligent.
E) The man owns a rare astronomical instrument.
13. The comparison of the speaker to a lark (lines 11–12) is appropriate because a lark
A) flies upward the way the speaker’s mood improves
B) rises up to heaven
C) is fragile like a person’s ego
D) is a symbol of goodwill
E) sings its song as it sees the new day break
14. In lines 4 through 7, the speaker explains that he envies all of the following aspects of others EXCEPT
A) hopefulness
B) having many friends
C) skill as an equestrian
D) a handsome appearance
E) intellectual ability
15. What rhyming words represent the d’s in the rhyme scheme?
A) Eyes, cries
B) Brings, kings
C) Hope, scope
D) State, gate
E) Possessed, least
16. This sonnet is organized like a Petrarchan sonnet because
A) it consists of three quatrains and a couplet
B) an unhappy situation is presented in the octave and a response and solution occurs in the sestet
C) it has the rhyme scheme of abab, cdcd, efef, gg
D) it is written in iambic pentameter
E) the solution is presented in the final couplet
17. Which of the following best summarizes the meaning of the first line of the sonnet?
A) It is a time of good luck in dealing with other people.
B) It is a time of despair.
C) It is a time of change.
D) It is a time when everyone is watching what the speaker is doing.
E) It is a time of sorrow because the speaker’s wealth is gone.
1. C
2. A
3. C
4. C
5. D
6. C
7. E
8. B
9. A
10. E
11. A
12. D
13. A
14. C
15. E
16. B
17. B
Sonnet 40
Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all;
What hast thou then more than thou hadst before?
No love, my love, that thou mayst true love call;
All mine was thine before thou hadst this more.
Then if for my love thou my love receivest,
I cannot blame thee for my love thou usest;
But yet be blamed, if thou thyself deceivest
By wilful taste of what thyself refusest.
I do forgive thy robbery, gentle thief,
Although thou steal thee all my poverty;
And yet, love knows, it is a greater grief
To bear love's wrong than hate's known injury.
Lascivious grace, in whom all ill well shows,
Kill me with spites; yet we must not be foes.
Sonnet 55
Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone besmear'd with sluttish time.
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.
'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lover's eyes.
Questions for Discussion
Which of the following best identifies the subject of “Sonnet 55”?
A) Time and war
B) The memory of the speaker’s beloved
C) The immortality of lovers
D) Death and love
E) The “all-oblivious enmity”
All but one of the following are mentioned as powers of destruction in the poem. Which one is not mentioned?
A) Unfeeling nature
B) Time
C) Death
D) War
E) Malevolent forgetfulness
The poet alludes to which of the following in the poem?
A) The god of war and the goddess of love
B) The apocalypse and Elizabeth
C) Judgment Day and the god of war
D) The goddess of love and Judgment Day
E) The apocalypse and the goddess of love
What is “the living record of your memory" (line 8)?
A) Poetry, specifically “Sonnet 55”
B) The will of Shakespeare’s beloved
C) Ending doom
D) A Renaissance journal
E) The beloved’s diary
To what does the phrase “the ending doom” (line 12) refer?
A) A deep, hidden meaning
B) This powerful poem
C) The apocalypse described in the Bible
D) The poet’s fear of death
E) War and destruction
What does the poet mean by “sluttish time” (line 4)?
A) Time is wasteful.
B) With the end of time come all kinds of horrors.
C) Time ruins everything eventually.
D) Time is an immoral woman.
E) Time is indiscriminate and wanton when it comes to destruction.
In the couplet, the speaker argues which of the following?
A) The god of war brings doom.
B) The beloved will live on in the sonnet and in lovers’ eyes.
C) Time is the ultimate destroyer.
D) Poetry is important.
E) He will rise again on Judgment Day.
Sonnet 73
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
Sonnet 100
Where art thou, Muse, that thou forget'st so long
To speak of that which gives thee all thy might?
Spend'st thou thy fury on some worthless song,
Darkening thy power to lend base subjects light?
Return, forgetful Muse, and straight redeem
In gentle numbers time so idly spent;
Sing to the ear that doth thy lays esteem
And gives thy pen both skill and argument.
Rise, resty Muse, my love's sweet face survey,
If Time have any wrinkle graven there;
If any, be a satire to decay,
And make Time's spoils despised every where.
Give my love fame faster than Time wastes life;
So thou prevent'st his scythe and crooked knife.
Sonnet 106
When in the chronicle of wasted time
I see descriptions of the fairest wights,
And beauty making beautiful old rhyme
In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights,
Then, in the blazon of sweet beauty's best,
Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow,
I see their antique pen would have express'd
Even such a beauty as you master now.
So all their praises are but prophecies
Of this our time, all you prefiguring;
And, for they look'd but with divining eyes,
They had not skill enough your worth to sing:
For we, which now behold these present days,
Had eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise.
Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Questions for Discussion
1. In line 2 of the poem, what does the word impediments mean?
A) inconsistencies
B) obstacles
C) independence
D) virtues
2. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?
A) ABBA CDDC EFFE GG
B) ABC ABC DEF DEF GG
C) AA BB CC DD EE FF GG
D) ABAB CDCD EFEF GG*
3. What is the theme of "Sonnet 116"?
A) True love remains steady.
B) Even the strongest love is temporary.
C) Love changes as life changes.
D) Age and time alter love.
Sonnet 130
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Questions for Discussion
1. In the phrase "her breasts are dun" (line 3), "dun" means
A) finished.
B) large.
C) asymmetrical.
D) a dull gray-brown.
2. Line 11 is an example of
A) apostrophe.
B) metaphor.
C) hyperbole.
D) alliteration.
3. The speaker says that his mistress walks
A) all over his heart.
B) in heaven.
C) on the ground.
D) on air.
4. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "rare" as used in line 13?
A) hard to find
B) hard to understand
C) valuable
D) peculiar
5. In line 14, "she" refers to
A) "my love."
B) "a goddess."
C) "my mistress."
D) women in general.
6. Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 130" is a (an)
A) satire on the deficiencies of the speaker’ s mistress
B) belittling of a loved one for the amusement of friends
C) playful expression of faults to irritate the lady
D) confession of love for a harlot
E) comment on the uniqueness and beauty of the speaker’ s mistress
7. The last two lines of the sonnet
A) express the true feeling of the speaker
B) seem out of place in the poem
C) express a love for someone whose beauty is of the spirit
D) reveal the speaker as a liar and boor
E) are an illustration of hyperbole
8. The first 12 lines of the sonnet are a (an)
A) ironic comment of female adornment
B) angry description
C) paradoxical evocation
D) parody of love sonnets
E) a play on metaphors
9. Seemingly, all of the following are criticisms of the mistress EXCEPT
A) Coral is more red t han her lips.
B) I love to hear her speak.
C) There are no roses on her cheeks.
D) She treads the ground.
E) Music has a more pleasing sound than her voice.
10. By “ false compare” the speaker states that
A) the conventional praise of mistresses by poets are romantic lies
B) to win love, one must compare the charms of mistresses with the beauties in nature
C) love poetry must abound in hyperbole
D) the women whom men love must be worshipped as goddesses
E) loves must be privileged to distort truth
11. The speaker in Shakespeare’s sonnet
A) is a complainer
B) is an arrogant and egotistic lover
C) raises the reader’ s suspicions about his feelings and then tells honestly how he feels
D) envies the verbal dexterity of his fellow poets
E) engages in a poetic exercise for fun
12 .The true intent of the speaker in the sonnet is revealed most by
A) the outrageousness of his metaphors
B) the rare words of praise that creep into his statement
C) his imaginative conceits
D) his sense of fun
E) the contrast between the first twelve lines and the last two
13. The reader of the sonnet must know th a t the criticism of the mistress is indeed a form of praise because
A) the progress of fault- finding leads to the wrong conclusion
B) the fault - finding is imaginative and humorous
C) there are hidden romantic nuances in the judgments
D) the sequence of fault - finding eases in lines 9- 12
E) there are paradoxical hints in the metaphors
14. All of the following are metaphors EXCEPT
A) Her eyes are not the sun.
B) The hairs on her head are black ones.
C) No roses are her cheeks.
D) Music has a more pleasing sound than her voice.
E) The lady I love is rare.
15. An essential element of this sonnet is
A) praise of a mistress
B) finding the blemishes in a loved one
C) a lover’ s compromise with reality
D) mockery of a convention in love poetry
E) ambiguity of intention
16. Love poetry of the age frequently contains the “Petrarchan ideal,” that is, the beautiful, blond, blue-eyed goddess all men desire. Shakespeare implies that this “ideal” is
A) more to be desired than his mistress
B) less to be desired than his mistress
C) foolish to contemplate
D) merely pleasant foolery
E) the impossible dream of every man
17. The tone of the sonnet is
A) happy
B) sad
C) satirical
D) pessimistic
E) mischievous
18. The word “ false” in line 14 refers to
A) a lying woman
B) the lying speaker of the poem
C) the Petrarchan ideal
D) his mistress
E) a philandering mate
19. A device in which one uses unusual, exaggerated comparisons is a(an)
A) allegory
B) conceit
C) metaphor
D) apostrophe
E) elegy
20. The speaker’s mistress, based on his own description, can best be described as
A) beautiful
B) ugly
C) ordinary
D) intellectual
E) unfaithful (false)
21. The assumption in line 12 is that other women
A) do not walk
B) walk, but very slowly
C) float above the ground
D) walk on the ground
E) are carried when they need to go somewhere
22. Sonnets invariably ask a question, present a proposal, present a puzzle, make a statement in the first eight or twelve lines; the proposal here is
A) women can never be understood
B) even though different, my woman is as beautiful as any other
C) even though she is ugly, I still love her
D) I really wish she had straight blond hair and blue eyes.
E) Her eyes, lips, skin are not the best of her.
23.The poetic device in line 1 is a(an)
A) simile
B) metaphor
C) synecdoche
D) apostrophe
E) metonymy
1d, 2d, 3c, 4c, 5d, 6e, 7a, 8d, 9b, 10a, 11c, 12e, 13a, 14e, 15d, 16b, 17c, 18c, 19b, 20a, 21c, 22b, 23a