Dear students, here we posted Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare Question Answer. If you are a Class 12 4th Semester student, this will help you a lot. We presented here 2 & 6 marks all Important Question Answers from the verse Sonnet 73 written by William Shakespeare.
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Semester – IV (Verse)
Sonnet 73
William Shakespeare
Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare Question Answer
2 Marks [Short Type Question Answer]
1. What does Shakespeare mean by “That time of year”? What does it stand for?
Ans. By “That time of year,” Shakespeare refers to the late autumn or early winter of the year. It stands for the later stage of a person’s life, symbolizing old age and the approach of death.
2. Who is addressed to in Sonnet 73?
Ans. The sonnet is addressed to the beloved, likely the “Fair Youth” from Shakespeare’s other sonnets, whose identity remains debated among scholars.
3. “That time of year thou mayst in me behold” – Who says this and to whom?
Ans. The poet, William Shakespeare, says this to his young friend, the Fair Youth, inviting him to see old age and impending death reflected in him.
4. “When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang” – What do the yellow leaves symbolize in this line? [Textbook Question]
Ans. The leaves turn yellow in late autumn before falling down finally. In this line, yellow leaves are mentioned as a symbol of aging and the impending death.
5. What shakes against the cold in Sonnet 73?
Ans. The boughs (tree branches) shake against the cold, symbolizing the speaker’s weak and aging body shivering due to the approach of old age.
6. “Upon those boughs which shake against the cold” – What do boughs represent?
Ans. The boughs represent the old and weakened body of the speaker, showing how he trembles with age and the nearness of death.
7. “Upon those boughs which shake against the cold” – What does the word ‘cold’ suggest?
Ans. The word ‘cold’ suggests the nearness of death, lack of passion or life force, ageing and decay, and isolation and loneliness.
8. “Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang” – What does the expression ‘bare ruin’d choirs’ suggest?
Ans. The expression ‘bare ruin’d choirs’ suggests empty, leafless branches that once were full of life and song, symbolizing the loss of youth, vitality, and joy in the speaker’s old age.
9. “Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang” – what does the expression ‘bare ruin’d choirs’ suggest?
Or, What does the image of “bare ruined choirs” signify in the poem?
Ans. The “bare ruined choirs” signify the speaker’s lost voice, youth, beauty, and vitality – now empty and silent.
10. “Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang” – What is the implication of the word ‘sang’?
Ans. The word ‘sang’ implies the joy and vitality of the speaker’s past youth, when life was full of energy, beauty, and happiness, which has now faded away with the coming of old age.
11. “In me thou seest the twilight of such day” – What does ‘twilight’ suggest here?
Ans. The word ‘twilight’ suggests the last stage of life, just as twilight comes before night. It symbolizes the approaching end of the speaker’s life and the fading light of his vitality and youth.
12. “In me thou seest the twilight of such day” – Explain the metaphor here.
Ans. The metaphor compares life to a day — youth is like morning, old age is like twilight (the speaker’s curent stage), and death as night.
13. “As after sunset fadeth in the west” – What does ‘sunset’ indicate here?
Ans. The word ‘sunset’ indicates the end of life. It symbolizes the decline of the speaker’s strength and vitality, showing that death is near, just as sunset marks the end of the day.
14. “As after sunset fadeth in the west” – What does the word ‘fadeth’ suggest?
Ans. The word ‘fadeth’ suggests the gradual decline of life and energy, showing how the speaker’s vitality is slowly disappearing, just as the light fades after sunset.
15. “Which by and by black night doth take away,” – What does ‘black night’ refer to in this poem? [Textbook Question]
Ans. In this poem the poet has presented three imageries of aging. The second one among this is the twilight of a day with a sun setting. Metaphorically the black night here refers to the death.
16. What does the black night take away and how?
Ans. The black night (death) takes away life silently, completely, irreversibly, like darkness consuming remaining light.
17. What is called ‘Death’s second self’ in Sonnet 73?
Ans. Sleep is called ‘Death’s second self’, as it is similar to death, bringing rest and darkness like death does.
18. What season is compared to the speaker’s life stage in Sonnet 73?
Ans. The autumn season is compared to the speaker’s life stage, symbolizing old age and decline, just before the coming of death.
19. Why is autumn chosen as the season for comparison in Sonnet 73?
Ans. Autumn is chosen because it symbolizes decline and the approach of an end, just as old age comes before death. The falling leaves and fading light of autumn reflect the speaker’s fading youth and strength.
20. What ‘seals up all in rest’?
Ans. Death’s “second self”, Sleep, seals up all in rest, but specifically death itself ultimately seals all life in eternal rest. Both Sleep and Death bring permanent stillness.
21. What symbolic element represents the speaker’s lost passion?
Ans. The glowing fire turning to ashes symbolizes the speaker’s lost passion and fading energy, showing how his once strong desires have weakened with age.
22. What is consuming the speaker’s life force?
Ans. Time, which nourished his life initially, is now consuming it, showing how the same force that gave him strength is slowly bringing him closer to death.
23. “In me thou seest the glowing of such fire” – What comparison do you find here?
Ans. The line compares the speaker’s fading life to a dying fire, showing that just as a fire burns low before going out, the speaker’s strength and passion are fading as he is very near to death.
24. What does the poet say about youth in Sonnet 73?
Ans. The poet implies youth is full of vitality and beauty, compared to spring or a strong fire. But it is lost forever with the passage of time. Now it is remembered nostalgically in old age.
25. “This thou perceiv’st” – Who will perceive what?
Ans. The young friend will perceive the poet’s signs of aging and approaching death, realizing how time is taking away the poet’s youth and strength.
26. What symbolises the speaker’s lost youth and beauty in the poem?
Ans. The bare ruined choirs and the dying fire symbolize the speaker’s lost youth and beauty, showing the emptiness and fading passion that come with old age.
27. What is the speaker’s attitude towards death by the end of the sonnet?
Ans. By the end of the sonnet, the speaker accepts death calmly and wisely, realizing that awareness of death deepens love and makes one value life and relationships more.
28. How does the speaker describe the passing of time in the sonnet?
Ans. The speaker says that time passes slowly, consuming life’s flame, leaving only ashes, and moving inevitably towards death and decay.
29. What contrast is made between the speaker’s past and present life?
Ans. The speaker’s past was full of youth, strength, and passion, while his present life shows weakness, fading energy, and the nearness of death.
30. How does the speaker describe his remaining life force?
Ans. The speaker describes his remaining life force as the glowing ashes of a dying fire, showing that only a faint trace of his former passion and energy is left.
31. Does Sonnet 73 offer hope for an afterlife?
Ans. No, Sonnet 73 does not offer hope for an afterlife. It focuses on aging and death in this life, showing how awareness of mortality deepens love, rather than promising life after death.
32. How does the speaker describe his physical appearance?
Ans. The speaker describes his physical appearance as weak and aged, like bare branches in autumn or the fading glow of a dying fire, showing the signs of old age and decline.
33. To what is the speaker’s voice compared in the sonnet?
Ans. The speaker’s voice is compared to the sweet birds that once sang in the bare ruined choirs, which are now empty and silent, symbolizing his lost youth and fading vitality.
34. How does the speaker feel about his impending death?
Ans. The speaker feels calm and accepting about his impending death. He realizes that death is natural and inevitable, and this understanding makes him value love and life more deeply.
35. What is the primary message the speaker conveys to the beloved in the concluding couplet?
Ans. The speaker conveys that the awareness of his approaching death deepens the beloved’s love, making them value and cherish their love more intensely before it ends.
36. Discuss the theme of Sonnet 73.
Ans. The main theme of Sonnet 73 is the passage of time and the approach of death. The poem shows how aging leads to the loss of youth and strength, but also how this awareness deepens love and emotional connection.
37. What time of the year is suggested in Sonnet 73 by the poet and why ?
Ans. In Sonnet 73 the time of the year suggested by the poet is late-autumn, when the leaves of the tree turn yellow before falling down. It suggests that the poet has been old and has reached the fag end of his life.
6 Marks [Descriptive Type Question Answer]
1. Discuss the various images drawn by Shakespeare in Sonnet 73. [Textbook Question]
Ans. In Sonnet 73, Shakespeare uses a series of vivid images to illustrate the process of aging and the nearness of death. He first compares himself to the autumn season, where the trees have lost most of their leaves, symbolizing the fading of youth and vitality. Next, he likens his life to the twilight of a day, the brief time before darkness falls, suggesting that his life is nearing its end. Finally, he uses the image of a dying fire, which is slowly consumed by the ashes of what once nourished it, representing the decline of his life force. Through these images of autumn, twilight, and dying fire, Shakespeare beautifully captures the passage of time, the inevitability of death, and the way awareness of mortality intensifies love and appreciation for life.
2. Explain how does the Sonnet form help the sonneteer to expand the theme in Sonnet 73. [Textbook Question]
Ans. The sonnet form helps Shakespeare to develop the theme of aging and mortality in a clear and structured way. In the three quatrains, he presents three powerful images – autumn, twilight, and a dying fire, each deepening the sense of decline and the approach of death. The final couplet then provides a resolution, expressing that the awareness of death makes love stronger and more meaningful. Thus, the sonnet form allows the poet to move from observation to reflection, expanding the theme effectively and emotionally.
More 6 Marks Question Answers will be added very soon …
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