Explain the meaning of the following:

(a) …all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances….

(b) And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace….

(c) … A soldier,

…Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon’s mouth.

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Solution

(a) All men and women are just actors in this play. Just like actors enter and leave, men and women are born, and then die after playing their role.

(b) The lover’s passion is compared to a hot furnace; his sighs of unrequited love are like hot air.

(c) A soldier fights for honour and renown. He is aware of the fact that they, like a bubble, do not last long. Yet he still shows his bravery, even when faced with a cannon.

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Similar questions

__________ all the men and women merely players

They have their exits and their entrances __________.

a soldier,__________Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon’s mouth.

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

And then the lover

Sighing like furnace__________.

Read the poem again and note down the metaphors and similes. Copy and complete the following chart.

Which comparison(s) do you find most interesting? Why?

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