Not marble nor the gilded monuments Questions and Answers
Very Short Answer Questions
Q: What is the poem Sonnet 55 primarily about?
A: It is about the immortality of memory through poetry.
Q: What will outlive marble and monuments, according to the speaker?
A: The “powerful rhyme” or poem will outlive them.
Q: What does the speaker compare to “unswept stone”?
A: The subject’s memory, which will remain brighter than decaying stone.
Q: What destroys statues and monuments in the poem?
A: War and the passage of time.
Q: Who is Mars in the poem?
A: Mars is the Roman god of war.
Q: What does “all-oblivious enmity” refer to?
A: The inevitable forgetfulness caused by time and death.
Q: What does the speaker promise will preserve the subject’s memory?
A: The speaker promises that the poem will preserve the subject’s memory.
Q: What will not be able to burn the “living record” of the subject?
A: Neither Mars’ sword nor war’s quick fire can burn the living record.
Q: Until when does the speaker say the subject will “pace forth”?
A: Until the Judgment Day.
Q: What does the speaker mean by “living record”?
A: The poem that keeps the subject’s memory alive.
Q: How does the speaker refer to the end of the world?
A: As the “ending doom.”
Q: What is “Judgement” referring to in the poem?
A: The final Day of Judgment.
Q: In whose eyes will the subject live on, according to the speaker?
A: In the eyes of future lovers.
Q: What poetic device is used in “sluttish time”?
A: Personification.
Q: What destroys the work of masonry in the poem?
A: Broils (violent conflicts) root out masonry.
Q: How does the speaker describe war in the poem?
A: As wasteful and destructive.
Q: What is compared to the “powerful rhyme” in the poem?
A: Gilded monuments and marble statues.
Q: What does “sluttish time” mean?
A: Time that is careless and destructive.
Q: What is the rhyme scheme of Sonnet 55?
A: The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
Q: What does the speaker claim will ensure the subject’s immortality?
A: The poem itself ensures the subject’s immortality.
Short Answer Questions
Q: How does Shakespeare contrast poetry with physical monuments in Sonnet 55?
A: In Sonnet 55, Shakespeare contrasts poetry’s lasting power with the impermanence of physical monuments. He argues that marble statues and gilded monuments are vulnerable to the ravages of time, war, and neglect. In contrast, the subject of his poem will live on forever through the “powerful rhyme,” as poetry, unlike stone, is not susceptible to physical decay or destruction.
Q: What role does war play in the poem, and how does it affect monuments?
A: War is depicted as a destructive force that overturns statues and destroys monuments. Shakespeare describes war as “wasteful,” emphasizing its ability to dismantle even the grandest structures. However, despite war’s power to obliterate physical creations, the speaker asserts that it cannot erase the subject’s memory, which will be preserved in the poem.
Q: What is meant by “living record” in the poem, and why is it significant?
A: The “living record” refers to the poem itself, which serves as a lasting tribute to the subject. This term is significant because it emphasizes that the poem will keep the subject’s memory alive, even after death and the destruction of physical monuments. Unlike stone, which can erode and be forgotten, the poem ensures the subject’s legacy continues indefinitely.
Q: How does the speaker view the concept of time in relation to the poem?
A: The speaker views time as a destructive force that tarnishes physical monuments and brings about forgetfulness. However, the speaker also believes that time cannot affect the poem. While time may erode stone, it cannot touch the words that immortalize the subject, allowing their memory to transcend the limitations of time and decay.
Q: What does the speaker mean by “sluttish time,” and how does it contribute to the theme of the poem?
A: “Sluttish time” personifies time as careless and destructive, tarnishing and defiling once-glorious monuments. This phrase contributes to the poem’s theme by emphasizing the vulnerability of physical creations to the inevitable passage of time. It reinforces the idea that poetry is superior in preserving memory, as it remains unaffected by time’s decay.
Q: What is the significance of Judgment Day in the context of Sonnet 55?
A: Judgment Day, or the “ending doom,” represents the ultimate end of the world, when all human life and history will be judged. The speaker uses this concept to highlight the permanence of poetry, asserting that the subject’s memory will endure until Judgment Day. Even at the world’s end, the poem will continue to preserve the subject’s legacy, granting them a form of immortality.
Q: How does Shakespeare use personification in Sonnet 55?
A: Shakespeare uses personification to animate abstract concepts like time and war. Time is personified as “sluttish,” implying that it defiles and corrupts monuments. War is personified through Mars, the god of war, and his sword, symbolizing destruction. These personifications highlight the forces that threaten human legacy, but the poem itself remains invulnerable to them.
Q: What role do future generations play in preserving the subject’s memory?
A: In the poem, future generations, or “posterity,” play a key role in preserving the subject’s memory. The speaker believes that even as time passes, future readers and lovers will continue to admire the subject through the poem. This idea underscores the theme of immortality, as the poem allows the subject to live on in the hearts and eyes of those who encounter the verse.
Q: How does the rhyme scheme of Sonnet 55 contribute to its structure and meaning?
A: The rhyme scheme of Sonnet 55 follows the traditional Shakespearean sonnet form: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The three quatrains (ABAB CDCD EFEF) develop the central argument that poetry outlasts physical monuments, while the final rhyming couplet (GG) provides a resolution, affirming that the subject will live on in the poem until Judgment Day. The structure reinforces the poem’s logical progression toward its conclusion.
Q: How does the speaker’s attitude toward the subject evolve throughout the poem?
A: The speaker’s admiration for the subject is constant throughout the poem, but his attitude evolves from comparing the subject to physical monuments to emphasizing the subject’s lasting legacy through poetry. In the beginning, the speaker acknowledges that time and war can destroy material things, but by the end, he confidently asserts that the subject will live forever through the poem, highlighting the power of art to defy time and death.
