Samacheer Kalvi solutions for English Class 11 TN Board chapter 6.2 - The Hollow Crown [Latest edition]

Work with a partner and take this short quiz to find out how well-informed you are about history.

• Name a few wars and battles you have read about.
• What is the difference between a war and a battle? 
• Why do rulers wage wars and battles?
• Is the outcome of a war always fair? 
• Do you think rulers understand the true meaning of life – in defeat or in victory? 
• Can you name a few kings and leaders who have fallen from glory to disgrace? 

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 blanks using the words given in the box to complete the summary of the poem:

King Richard the Second, had surrendered to his (a)______cousin, Bollingbroke. He experienced deep distress at the horror of his circumstances. In that desperate situation, he speaks of (b)______, (c)______, (d)______and other things connected with death. He spoke of how people leave nothing behind and can call nothing their own, except for the small patch of (e)______, where they will be buried. King Richard yielded to dejection and talked of all the different ways in which defeated kings suffer how some had been deposed, (f)______in war, (g)______by their wives and so forth. He attributed this loss of lives to (h)______, who he personified as the jester who watches over the shoulder of every ruler, who mocks kings by allowing them to think their human flesh, was like (i)______brass. However, Death penetrates through the castle walls, silently and unnoticed like a sharp (j)______, thus bidding (k)______to him and all his pride forever. Finally, Richard appealed to his soldiers not to mock his mere flesh and blood by showing (l) ______and respect to him. He added that he too needed bread to live, felt want, tasted (m)______and needed (n)______. He concluded thus, urging his men not to call him a (o)______as he was only human, just like the rest of them.

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 ______.

Fill in the blank with appropriate word from the box and complete the statement suitably:

The spectators died laughing at the ______of the clown.

Fill in the blank with appropriate word from the box and complete the statement suitably:

The business woman wished to ______all her riches to an orphanage, after her death.

Fill in the blank with appropriate word from the box and complete the statement suitably:

The fortress was ______and could not be conquered by the enemies.

Fill in the blank with appropriate word from the box and complete the statement suitably:

Alexander the Great, wished to conquer many lands and ______the entire world.

Complete the passage given below, with suitable words from the box:

Lima, a (a)______and (b)______woman, kept (c)______at her colleagues and went on taxing them with hard labour. Though they were (d) ______to her, she being their head, they were offended and filled with (e)______. It so happened, that Lima was (f)______from her high position due to a serious blunder she had committed. Lima, having lost all her (g)______and glory, realized how arrogant she had been. She gave up her pride and with (h)______sought an apology from everyone. She thus turned over a new leaf and bid (i)______to them.

What do the three words, ‘graves, worms and epitaphs’, refer to?

What does the executor mentioned in the poem do?

Who is Bolingbroke? Is he a friend or foe?

Are all deposed kings slain by the deposer?

What does the crown of rulers stand for?

What hides within the crown and laughs at the king’s grandeur?

What does ‘flesh’ mean here?

What are the various functions and objects given up by a defeated king?

How does the king establish that he and his subjects are equal in the end?

Bring out King Richard’s feelings when he was defeated.

Explain the following line with reference to the context in about 5 to 8 line:

“Our lands, our lives, and all are Bolingbroke’s,

And nothing can we call our own but death;”

Explain the following line with reference to the context in about 5 to 8 line:

All murdered – for within the hollow crown

That rounds the mortal temples of a king Keeps Death his court, …”

Explain the following line with reference to the context in about 5 to 8 line:

“Comes at the last, and with a little pin

Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!”

Explain the following line with reference to the context in about 5 to 8 line:

“How can you say to me, I am a king?”

Working with your partner, discuss the following adages and share your views with the class. You may need to give your ideas and justify your point of view. Remember to take turns while making your presentation/short speech.

War begets war

Working with your partner, discuss the following adages and share your views with the class. You may need to give your ideas and justify your point of view. Remember to take turns while making your presentation/short speech.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown

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:

“Let’s talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs;

Make dust our paper, and with rainy eyes Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth’’.

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,…”

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:

“How can you say to me, I am a king?”

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:

“Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,…”

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:

“Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!”

Pick out the alliteration from the following lines:

“Our lands, our lives, and all, are Bolingbroke’s,…”

Pick out the alliteration from the following lines:

“And tell sad stories of the death of kings:”

Pick out the alliteration from the following lines:

“Comes at the last, and with a little pin…”

Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 - 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.

What are the causes for King Richard’s grief?

Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 - 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.

How are eternal truths and wisdom brought to the reader here?

Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 - 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.

Death has been cited in many ways in this monologue. Identify the poetic devices used in those references.

Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 - 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.

Who does the future generations remember easily - the victor or the vanquished? Give reasons. Also, cite relevant references from King Richard’s speech.