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Question
Describe the appearance and qualities of Macavity.
Solution
Macavity is tall and thin. His eyes are sunken in. His brow is deeply lined with thought. His head is highly domed. His coat is dusty and his whiskers unkempt. He makes movements like a snake. He is a friend in feline shape. He is a monster of depravity. He is a cat of deceitfulness and suavity. When one thinks he is half-asleep, he is wide awake. He is an elusive, agile and phantom-like cat.
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thanksgiving exchange glad confesses physiques zealous satisfied aims admires |
Underline the alliterated word in the following line.
For this most modest physiques…
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Enjoys the air it breathes…
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Explain the following line with reference to the context in about four to five sentence each.
Have I not reason to lament
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Read the poem once again. Identify the rhyme scheme and pick out the rhyming pairs of words.
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| DOG | CAT | WOLF | ELEPHANT |
People admire some of these animal qualities. What are they? Have you noticed some of them in yourself or in others? Share your views with the class.
Where can you encounter Macavity?
Why does the poet say Macavity is ‘outwardly’ respectable?
Which two characters does the poet refer to as examples of wicked cats?
Read the given lines and answer the question that follow.
He sways his head from side to
side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep,
he’s always wide awake…
- Explain the comparison made here.
- What does he pretend to do?
Read the given lines and answer the question that follow.
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity
- How is the cat described in this line?
- Explain the phrase ‘monster of depravity’.
Read the given lines and answer the question that follow.
‘It must have been Macavity!’ but he’s a mile away.
- What is Macavity blamed for?
- Where is he?
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair
But it’s useless to investigate…
Which quality does the speaker wish to nourish? What is his mission?
Read the given line and answer the question that follow.
Defeat we repel, courage our fort;
- How do we react to defeat?
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Honour is a property, common to all: In dignity and pride no one need to be poor.
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The historical background:
The poem is an extract from William Shakespeare’s play King Richard the Second. The play is based on true events that occurred towards the end of the 14th century.
Richard II was crowned the King of England in the year 1367. He continued to be the British Monarch until 1399, when he was deposed by his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke, who crowned himself King Henry the Fourth in the same year. Shakespeare’s play is a dramatic rendition of the last two years of King Richard II’s life. In this brief span of time, he was ousted from his royal position and sent to prison, where he died in captivity.
The following extract is set in the Coast of Wales. King Richard and some of his followers awaited the arrival of the Welsh army [after facing defeat at the hands of his cousin, Bolingbroke], of about 10000 warriors. But to their shock and surprise, they received the message that the army was not coming to their rescue. His followers tried to boost their King’s courage against the news, only in vain. When Richard came face to face with the reality of his terrible fate, he spoke the following verse, famously known as the “Hollow Crown” speech in theatrical circles. In it, King Richard is reminded of the power of Death that overshadows everything else, including the power of rulers, and renders them as powerless as any commoner at a moment’s notice.
Fill in the blank with appropriate word from the box and complete the statement suitably:
Shravan never keeps his promises. His friends know that his words are ______.
Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:
“And yet not so – for what can we bequeath
Save our deposed bodies to the ground?”
Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:
“Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits,…”
