Class 12 Chapter 1.3 Solution
Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?
1. MCQs Question Answer
1. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade”-The word opposite in meaning to ‘eternal’ is
a) universal
b) momentary ✔
c) temporal
d) decayed
2. The phrase ‘eternal summer’ suggests
a) poet’s death
b) youthfulness of poet’s friend ✔
c) talent of poet’s friend
d) death of poet’s friend
3. Every mortal being is claimed ultimately by
a) nature
b) winter
c) death ✔
d) none of these
4. “Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade”-The figure of speech in this line is
a) climax
b) antithesis
c) simile
d) personification ✔
5. “So long lives this”- Here ‘this’ means
a) poet’s love
b) poet’s beauty
c) poet’s verse ✔
d) the friend’s beauty
6. “… this gives life to thee. “-‘Life’ here suggests
a) resurrection
b) immortality ✔
c) youth
d) warmth
7. In Shakespeare’s sonnet Death has no control over
a) the poet’s beloved
b) poetry ✔
c) poetic term
d) beauty
8. “… this gives life to thee.” – Here ‘thee’ suggests
a) poet’s father
b) the poet
c) the poet’s friend ✔
d) the queen of England
9. The poet claims that his friend would grow in eternal
a) life ✔
b) lines
c) manners
d) none of these
10. The word ‘possession’ means
a) ownership ✔
b) conception
c) prediction
d) convention
11. The word ‘eternal’ means
a) fading
b) transitory
c) permanent ✔
d) temporary
12. Eternal summer can be maintained through
a) poetry ✔
b) beauty
c) preservation
d) conservation
13. How will the poet’s patron grow to time?
a) By Summer
b) By Nature
c) By the eternal lines of the poet ✔
d) By God’s grace
14. In Shakespeare’s Sonnet No. 18 the word ‘grow’st’ refers to
a) become longer
b) become stronger
c) mature
d) live forever ✔
15. ‘Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day’ is the Sonnet No.
a)15
b)16
c)17
d)18 ✔
16. The word ‘lease’ is a
a) scientific term
b) legal term ✔
c) economic term
d) none of these
17. The word ‘dimmed’ suggests that the sun
a) has set
b) has just risen
c) has been covered by clouds✔
d) has been eclipsed
18. The phrase ‘by chance’ in the poem suggests
a) natural law
b) deliberate
c) accident ✔
d) bedimmed
19. The poet thinks that the summer season is
a) perfect
b) transitory ✔
c) long
d) very temperate
20. The complexion of the sun getting dimmed is
a) a personification
b) a simile
c) an image ✔
d) an antithesis
21. The sonnet is addressed to the poet’s
a) friend and patron ✔
b) beloved
c) mistress
d) father
22. What is the controlling simile in the poem Sonnet 18?
a) summer’s day ✔
b) clouds
c) eternal summer
d) flowers
23. Every fair from fair sometime declines by
a) chance and change ✔
b) God
c) nothing
d) human greed
24. Shakespeare states that ‘fair’
a) is subject to change ✔
b) can only diminish marginally
c) is never subject to change
d) is the opposite of unfair
25. “And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. “-The line highlights the
a) brevity of summer’s day ✔
b) beauty of summer’s day
c) beauty of the poet’s friend
d) length of the year
26. “And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” Here ‘summer’s lease’ refers to
a) glory of summer
b) span of summer ✔
c) leisure during summer
d) rough weather off summer
27. “Thou art more lovely and more temperate.”-The word ‘thou’ refers to
a) the poet’s ladylove
b) the poet’s friend ✔
c) the poet’s mother
d) the poet himself
28. The fair youth’s beauty surpasses that of
a) nature
b) summer ✔
c) a beautiful lady
d) spring
29. “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May.” Here May is the sign of
a) spring
b) summer ✔
c) autumn
d) dewy season
30. The word ‘temperate’ means
a) serve
b) excited
c) moderate ✔
d) perishable
31. The word ‘dimmed’ means
a) brightened
b) ordinary
c) losing the brightness ✔
d) steady
32. The word ‘untrimmed’ means
a) humanized
b) ostentatious
c) permanent
d) unchanged ✔
33. The word ‘lease’ means
a) agreement ✔
b) eternal
c) span
d) conception
34. The word ‘complexion’ means
a) disposition
b) intricate
c) colour ✔
d) compensation
35. The word ‘darling’ means
a) courageous
b) pleasing
c) a loved one ✔
d) joy
36. “…fair sometime declines” -The word opposite in meaning to ‘declines’ is
a) decreases
b) increases ✔
c) loses
d) advance
37. The winds that blow in summer in Shakespere’s Sonnet 18 are
a) balmy
b) weak
c) hot
d) rough ✔
38. The darling buds are shaken by rough winds in
a) March
b) April
c) May ✔
d) June
39. The darling buds of May are shaken by
a) the hot sun
b) the thunder and rain
c) the snowW
the rough winds ✔
40. ‘Summer’s lease is
a) long-lived
b) eternal
c) short lived ✔
d) everlasting
2. Very Short Question Answer
1. Who has no control over the beauty of the poet’s friend?
Ans. Death has no control over the beauty of the poet’s friend.
2. How long the beauty of the youth shall remain?
Ans. The beauty of the youth shall remain as long as men can breathe or eyes can see.
3. How long, according to Shakespeare, will his friend live?
Or, How long will the friend of the poet live?
Ans. According to Shakespeare, his friend will live so long as men can breathe or eyes can see.
4. What will give life to the poet’s friend forever?
Ans. Shakespeare’s immortal sonnet will give life to his friend forever.
5. What are the fair possessions that the poet’s friend owns?
Ans. The fair possessions owned by the poet’s friend are beauty and youth.
6. What will make the beauty of the poet’s friend eternal?
Ans. The verses writen by the poet will make the beauty of his friend eternal. [
7. Whose shade is referred to here in the phrase ‘his shade’?
Ans. ‘His shade’ here refers to the shadow of death or the darkness of death.
3. Short Question Answer
1. What does the expression ‘thy eternal summer’ mean? [Thy eternal summer
Ans. The expression ‘thy eternal summer’ means the immortal youth and beauty of Shakespeare’s beloved friend. [Thy eternal summer’
2. What does William Shakespeare mean to say by ‘eternal summer shall not fade’?
Ans. By the expression ‘eternal summer shall not fade’ Shakespeare means to say that the youth and beauty of his dear friend will never diminish. [‘Eternal summer shall not fade’
3. According to Shakespeare how can eternal summer be maintained?
Ans. According to Shakespeare, eternal summer can be maintained through the eternal lines of his sonnet.
5. Give an example of personification from Sonnet No. 18. [
Ans. An example of personification from Shakespeare’s Sonnet No. 18 is in the line-“Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade.”
8. What does the expression ‘so long as men can breathe’ in Sonnet 18 mean?
Ans. The expression ‘so long as men can breathe’ in Sonnet 18 means as long as people exist on earth.
10. What does the poet establish in the final couplet?
Ans. In the final couplet, the poet establishes the point that his sonnet will be read as long as men can breathe or eyes can see and it will keep his friend’s beauty alive.
What is suggested by the phrase ‘eternal lines’? [‘Eternal lines’friend immortal. [‘Eternal lines’
15. Why would the friend grow in the poet’s verses?
Ans. The poet’s friend would continue to grow or become more famous through the verses of the poet because more people would read these verses and come to know about the virtues of the friend.
16. How does Shakespeare personify ‘death’?
Ans. Shakespeare personifies ‘death’ by saying that he is like a boastful man taking pride in his gruesome power.
What does the poet mean by the phrase ‘life to thee’ in the poem?
Ans. The phrase ‘life to thee’ means beauty and youthfulness for the poet’s friend, which would be provided by the poet’s verses only. [‘Life to thee’
19. How does the poet suggest that the beauty of his friend shall never fade?
Ans. The poet says that the beauty of his friend shall not fade by declaring that his verses will immortalise the friend’s eternal summer.
20. What attempt has been made by the poet through Sonnet No. 18?
Ans. Through Sonnet No. 18, the poet has attempted to glorifyand preserve the beauty of a young man, who is his friend and patron.
21. Why will the ‘eternal summer’ of the friend never fade?
Ans. The ‘eternal summer’ of the poet’s friend will never fade precisely because the poem will immortalise the beauty of his friend.
22. What metaphor is suggested in the line ‘in eternal lines grow’st’?
Ans. The poet uses a metaphor of grafting which is a technique used to join parts from two plants so that they grow as one.
23. What is the poet’s idea about Nature in Sonnet No. 18?
Ans. In Sonnet No. 18, the poet feels that natural objects are not perfect because they are not permanent.
24. What double meaning (ambiguity) is suggested in the phrase ‘eternal lines’? [‘Eternal lines’
Ans. The phrase ‘eternal lines’ may mean the eternal appeal of the poet’s verses or the lineage by which the beauty of an individual is passed through generations.
4. Long Question Answer
1. How does the poet present the contrast between the summer and his friend in Sonnet 18? [১৮ নং
outh and a summer day would be inappropriate?
Or, How does Shakespeare compare the beauty of his friend to a summer’s day in sonnet 18?
Ans. William Shakespeare starts his Sonnet 18 with a flattering question and attempts to compare his friend to a summer’s day. In the next line, he gives us a twist. He states directly that his friend is ‘more lovely’ and ‘more temperate! He finds the similarity inadequate because there is a great difference between his friend and the summer’s day. He rejects the comparison and reasons out the negative features of summer. Summer is too changeable and short. Summer is very hot and harsh. On the other hand, his friend is young and attractive, mild and charming. His friend is perfect in every way. Nature’s summer is poor and transient. It will fade into autumn. His friend’s summer is elegant, impressive and eternal. His
friend’s beauty will never fade, never die. His friend’s beauty will continue forever, live for generations.
2. Substantiate at least three qualities that make the friend of the poet superior to the overrunning simile in the sonnet ‘Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day.’
Or, What does the poet compare the young person to? Identify at least three qualities that make the person superior to the simile.
Ans. The poet compares the young man to a summer’s day.
• In the opening line of Sonnet 18, Shakespeare makes a comparison between his friend and a beautiful summer’s day. This technique of presenting one thing as being similar to another is known as simile. By comparing his friend to a summer’s day, he shows how a summer’s day is inferior to his friend. Summer is beautiful, but the fair youth is more lovely and temperate. Summer’s time is too short and fleeting, but the fair youth’s beauty is eternal. Nature’s summer will decline. But the fair youth will not come under Death’s threat. In contrast to the brevity of summer, his friend’s beauty will be celebrated eternally in the lines of the poem.
3. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? “-Who is compared to a summer’s day? Why is the person compared to a summer’s day? What are the positive points and what are the faults of summer?
Ans. The poet’s friend whose identity remains mystified is compared to a summer’s day.
• His friend is compared to a summer’s day because summer is fair and beautiful, warm and charming like him. Summer’s day is commonly considered the most beautiful time of year.
• Summer represents the season of growth, fertility, flowers, colourfulness and youth. Summer is sweet and perfect. Summer is lovely, but it is upsetting also. Summer is extreme. Summer is fleeting. Harsh summer winds spoil the delicate blossoms of May. Summer does not last long. Its term is very short and fixed. Scorching hot summer day becomes violent. The bright and golden sun is often hidden by the passing clouds in summer.
4. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”-Who makes the comparison? Who is compared to a summer’s day? What are the blemishes of summer?
Ans. William Shakespeare, the poet of ‘Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day’ makes the comparison.
• For the second question, see answer of first part of Q. No. 3 (DAY-1) Analytical/Descriptive Type.
• For the third question, see answer of third part of Q. No. 3 (DAY-1) Analytical/Descriptive Type.
5. “Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed;” -What does the expression ‘the eye of heaven’ refer to? What aspect of summer’s day is presented here? How does this aspect of summer help to establish the superiority of the poet’s friend? [The eye of heaven’
Ans. In Sonnet 18, the expression ‘the eye of heaven’ refers to the all-important sun.
• Summer is extreme. Sometimes the sun shines with excessive heat. Often it is dimmed by clouds. These are the signs of decline and imperfections of summer.
• The poet’s friend is superior to a summer’s day. He is moderate. He is more ‘temperate: He is perfect. Summer has faults and imperfections. Summer is less ‘lovely’ and less ‘temperate. Shakespeare uses the negative qualities of summer to show how his friend outshines these qualities. These faults and imperfections of summer help to establish the superiority of the poet’s friend.
6. What does the poet mean by ‘the eye of heaven’? What is the implication of the sentence ‘And every fair from fair sometime declines’? How does the poet justify that the eternal summer of his friend will never fade? [The eye of heaven’ ‘And every fair from fair sometime declines’
Ans. William Shakespeare refers to the sun as ‘the eye of heaven! It is as important in the sky as eyes are important to a human body. So the poet uses this metaphorical expression.
• It is a law of nature that every mortal and earthly thing, however beautiful it may be, will be destroyed by time. The summer season is no doubt beautiful but it is ephemeral. Similarly, beauty will fade and youth will be rendered evanescentby the passage of time.
• The poet thinks of immortalising his friend’s beauty through his eternal lines. The verses of the poet which are called as ‘eternal lines’ will transcend the flux of time.
7. What do the rough winds do? What does the phrase ‘summer’s lease’ suggest? What are the deficiencies of the summer season?
Ans. In the poem, Shakespeare says that the rough winds sometimes shake off the ‘darling buds’ and therefore destroy the natural beauty.
• The phrase ‘summer’s lease’ suggests the span of life granted to summer. This is a legal term. Here the summer’s duration is very short. The season will not continue forever. It will have its natural end according to the course of time.
• There many shortcomings that are accompany the beauty of summer. The buds of the summer season are no doubt lovely but they are often destroyed by the rough winds before they can bloom completely. Again sometimes the excessive heat of the sun or the cloudy weather reveals its inconsistency.
8. What type of poem is ‘Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day’? Who is the poet? Whom does the poet speak of? What does the poet say about the person spoken of? [‘Shall | Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day’
Ans. ‘Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day’ is a sonnet.
• The poet is William Shakespeare.
• The poet speaks of his friend. Mr W.H. or William Herbert who was also the poet’s patron.
• The poet praises the beauty of his friend. His friend is more beautiful than a summer’s day. The beauty of a summer’s day is often found inconsistent as it sometimes is either too hot or cloudy. But the beauty of his friend is both impressive and restrained. The poet therefore feels
an urgency to immortalise his friend. He perceives time to be omnipotent and the ravager of every mortal object, but his friend’s beauty will be eternalised through his verses.
9. Discuss why Shakespeare has called his friend more temperate than the summer season.
Or, How does Shakespeare compare the beauty of his friend to that of a summer’s day in Sonnet 18?
Ans. Shakespeare compares his friend metaphorically
to a glorious day of the summer season with a question. But soon he negates the comparison and states that his friend is more temperate and lovelier than a summer’s day. He says that the summer’s day has its extremes of too much heat or being overcast. But the loveliness of the friend will remain constant and consistent. The beauty of nature in a summer’s day is often spoiled by the rough winds. But his friend’s beauty has no such flaw Nature grants a short and limited span of life to a summer’s day or the summer season but the friend’s beauty is eternal by dint of Shakespeare’s verse.
10. How does Shakespeare immortalise his friend’s beauty?
Ans. The poet wants to save his friend from the onslaughts of time. The beauty of his friend is better than that of a summer’s day. The beauty of a summer’s day is often inconsistent. The sun is too hot sometimes and sometimes the sun is dimmed by clouds. At times rough winds spoil the beauty of the season. The lovely elements of summer also do not last long. So the poet realizes the futility of immortalising his friend by comparing him to a summer’s day. He perceives that only the verses written by him can eternalize the beauty of his friend. His verses are imperishable and therefore the beauty and virtues of his friend will be retained forever through these verses.
11. “…and this gives life to thee.”-What does ‘this’ refer to? Who is referred to by ‘thee’? How does ‘this’ give life?
Ans. ‘This’ refers to the verse written by the poet, William Shakespeare.
• ‘Thee’ refers to the poet’s friend Mr W. H., who is also the poet’s patron
The poet William Shakespeare infers in Sonnet No. 18, that his friend will live forever despite the cruel blows of time. This will be made possible by the immortal verses or sonnets written by the poet. The entire human race will read these sonnets as long as they thrive. In this way the friend’s beauty will be celebrated forever in this mortal world. Even the relentless march of time will be unable to destroy the fame of the friend as depicted in the sonnet.
12. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade” Who is the poet? What is meant by ‘thy eternal summer’? How does the poet suggest that ‘thy eternal summer’ shall never end?
Ans. The poet is William Shakespeare.
The group of words ‘thy eternal summer’ means the eternal youth and beauty of the poet’s friend.
The poet wants to save his friend from the onslaughts of time. The beauty of his friend is better than that of a summer’s day. The beauty of a summer’s day is often inconsistent. So, the poet realizes the futility of immortalising his friend by comparing him to a summer’s day. He perceives that only the verses written by him can eternalize the beauty of his friend. His verses are imperishable and therefore the beauty and virtues of his friend will be retained forever through these verses.