Welcome to “Sonnet 116 Workbook Answer: ISC Rhapsody (Evergreen),” where we delve into the timeless verses of William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 116” through the ISC English Literature Rhapsody by Evergreen Publications. In this post, we unravel the profound themes of love and constancy embedded in this iconic poem with meticulous workbook solutions. We provide comprehensive answers to multiple-choice and contextual questions, enhancing your understanding of Shakespeare’s poetic craft. Discover the enduring truths about love that Shakespeare so eloquently captures, and delve into the intricacies of language and meter. Each question serves as a gateway to dissecting the text, encouraging readers to analyze the subtle nuances and uncover deeper meanings. Contextual inquiries expand our canvas for exploration, prompting critical engagement with the poem’s exploration of love’s unchanging nature. Through this detailed examination, readers sharpen their analytical skills and develop a profound appreciation for the literary brilliance of Shakespeare. Whether you are a student navigating ISC English Literature or a lover of classic poetry, “ISC Rhapsody: Sonnet 116 Workbook Solutions” offers valuable insights. Join us on this literary journey as we illuminate the path to understanding, one workbook solution at a time.
Table of Contents
Poem In Details :
Sonnet 116 is one of the finest poems of Shakespeare. The poet has presented the importance of true love, thereby distinguishing it from the false love. The poet begins the poem by signifying the value of true love. True love does not get altered in face of any obstacle. Love that bends with time is not true love at all. Then the poet compares love to a pole star. The pole star is considered to be valuable as well as the guiding star for the lost ships because it always points out to the north. According to the poet, the pole star is believed to be a conventional mark to measure location. The sailors used Po trust it. Similarly true lovers trust each other. Love guides the direction of their life. In the third quatrain, the speaker asserts that love is not dependent on the physical beauty which gets fade away with the passage of time. It stays in the heart forever. He has used the image of the sickle, associated with death, to assert that life of a human being may be taken away or harvested by Death but true love will never end even after death. It does not get modified by brief hours and weeks. It is eternal. It is not subject to Time’s vagaries.
While concluding the sonnet with a rhyming couplet as per the literary tradition, the poet concludes that if what he has said about the nature of love is not true, it means no man on the land has ever loved truly or he is not all a writer.
Line Wise Explanation :
Lines 1 to 4
The poet here tells us what true love is not. True love is the union (marriage) of two minds fully devoted to each other. It does not change. It does not let any obstacle come in its way. It does not change under any circumstance. It cannot be put an end.
Thus, the poet here speaks of the nature of true love that remains unchanged despite problems and obstacles which are bound to come in the way of true lovers.
Lines 5 to 8
The poet confirms that love is like an ever-fixed lighthouse that shows the way to people through its beam. Love in this stanza has been compared to a pole star that directs the lost ships and help the sailors to reach the required destination. People need not feel worried about the violent storms. The star will help the people who are on the wrong path. It is difficult to know much about these stars because they are far away. The distance of the pole star can be measured by a navigational tool but its worth is immeasurable. In the same way, it is hard to realize the intensity of true love and how amazing it is.
Lines 9 to 14
Here, the poet focuses on time and love. He asserts that true love is not dependent on time. It never changes with time. Time has been compared with a grim reaper that harvests the life of people who will ultimately die. Physical beauty fades away, but true love is not subject to the vagaries of time. Time passes quickly but love stays the same even after death. The poem ends on a note of certainty. The poet says that whatever he has said is absolutely true. If in any way, he is perceived to be wrong. it should be presumed that he has never written anything, or no man has ever loved truly.
Workbook MCQs :
(i) Each quatrain in the poem has ……. lines.
(a) 4
(b) 3
(c) 5
(d) 6
Answer :- (a) 4
(iI) The poem concludes on a note of …….
(a) doubt
(b) certainty
(c) ambiguity
(d) warning
Answer :- (b) certainty
(iII) What kind of love is the subject of this poem?
(a) physical love
(b) erotic love
(c) spiritual love
(d) brotherly love
Answer :- (c) spiritual love
(iV) Which of these statements is NOT true?
(a) True love is stable.
(b) True love is unchangeable.
(c) Time is viewed as a fool in the poem.
(d) Death is viewed as powerful.
Answer :- (d) Death is viewed as powerful.
(v) ‘Love’s not Time’s fool’. Which literary device is used here?
(a) simile
(b) irony
(c) metaphor
(d) pun
Answer :- (c) metaphor
(vI) Which of these is personified in the poem?
(a) marriage
(b) time
(c) doom
(d) tempests
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vII) Which quality of the pole star is akin to that found in true love?
(a) its brilliance
(b) its worth
(c) its constancy
(d) its height
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(vIII) In the last line the poet seems to issue
(a) a challenge
(b) a warning
(c) a caution
(d) a hope
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(iX) In Line 6 tempests signify
(a) obstacles
(b) great obstacles
(c) storms
(d) changes
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(x) Choose the correct statement in the context of these two statements.
Statement 1: The pole star still guide the ships in the sea.
Statement 2: True love is compared to the pole star because of its constancy.
(a) Both the statements are true
(b) Both the statements are false
(c) Statement 1 is true but statement 2 is false
(d) Statement 1 is false but statement 2 is true.
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Logic Based Questions :
(i) The poet has compared true love with a pole star because like the pole star, it is stable and is able to guide all those who are lost and unsure of their destination.
(iI) According to the poet, love is not dependent on time because it is beyond time, as it is not affected by it at all.
(iII) ‘Sonnet 116’ can be considered a romantic lyric because it celebrates ideal romantic love.
(iV) False love is undependable because it changes under difficult circumstances.
(v) Time has been personified as a grim reaper because it decays and destroys one and all mercilessly, as the reaper cuts down all the crops.
(vI) The poet emphasises that if whatever he had said is proved to be wrong it means that he is not a good writer because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vII) True love is not restricted to this life because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vIII) True love is compared to a light-house since [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(iX) The poet has concluded the poem with a rhyming couplet because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(x) Time with ‘a bending sickle’ represent a reaper because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
Short Answer Questions :
(i) Discuss the nature of love as enunciated by the poet.
Answer :- In ‘Sonnet 116″ Shakespeare explains what true love is and what it is not. According to him true love is stable. It is unchangeable. It defies all obstacles on its way. It does not change under any circumstance. It is so because it is based on firm, mutual trust. Then, it does not fade away with the passage of time. It is beyond the ken of time. True love remains even after death. As human soul does not die, true love which is related to the soul is immortal.
(iI) Discuss the form and structure of the poem.
Answer :- A sonnet is a poem which has some fixed rules about it. It has to have 14 lines, iambic pentameter and a fixed rhyme scheme. ‘Sonnet 116 is an example of a Shakespearean sonnet. It has 14 lines – three quatrains and a couplet. The poet has consistently used the iambic pentametre. The thyme scheme is regular. In each quatrain, the first and the third lines, and the second and the fourth lines rhyme. The rhymed couplet that concludes the poem is used quite appropriately to issue an assertive statement. In the first three quatrains the poet argues his case, and concludes it with the couplet.
(III) Which form of love does the poet have in mind in this poem? Elaborate.
Answer :- While elaborating his concept of love, it becomes clear that the poet has in mind what we call spiritual or ideal love. The poet distinguishes his kind of love which is stable and immortal from the physical love which can change and is subject to the vagaries of time. In his view, it is only true love which is not “Time’s fool’.
(iV) Comment on the concluding lines:
‘If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Explain in the context of the poem.
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(v) Write a note on the imagery used in the poem.
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(vI) Why does the poet compare true love to a pole star? What importance does the comparison hold in our times ?
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Long Answer Questions :
(i) True love, as visualized in ‘Sonnet 116’ by Shaekespeare, is an ideal form of love. Discuss with close reference to the text.
Answer :- In ‘Sonnet 116’, Shakespeare expresses an old but universal idea of love. His notion of love is time-tested, even though it seems to be a bit jaded in our times. According to him, true love is stable and unchanging. True love is like the pole star that is fixed in the sky. The pole star used to guide the lost ships on the tempestuous sea. So does true love when the lovers face obstacles and challenges. The poet believes that true love is immortal. It is beyond the vagaries of time. Lovers decay and die, as they have to, but their love, if it is true, neither fades out nor dies. As true love is connected with the soul that is deathless, true love is immortal. The poet is so certain of his belief that he declares that if his views are proved to be wrong, it would mean that either he is not a writer or no one has ever loved on this earth.
(iI) Comment on the significance of the line in modern context ‘Love’s not Time’s fool’.
Answer :- In ’Sonnet 116’, Shakespeare has presented an ideal form of love. He believes that true love is stable and unchanging, as it is based on trust. True lovers trust each other. Their love does not change.
‘When the poet says that “Love’s not Time’s fool’, he simply wants to convey that love, if it is true, is not susceptible to time. Beauty fades with the passage of time. Rosy lips and cheeks lose their brilliance and youthfulness. Lovers become old, decay and die. Time takes a heavy toll on human body. Like a ruthless reaper, it cuts down lives. But it has no effect on true love. True love remains out of its reach. It is immortal. It continues even after death.
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(iII) The glorification of love in the sonnet seems to be exaggerated. Do you think so? Give reasons to justify your viewpoint.
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