Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments Questions Answers and Summary for Class 10 CBSE, English Literature 2024-2025 provides a concise overview of Shakespeare’s sonnet, exploring themes of transience and immortality.
It provides thought-provoking questions aimed at enhancing students’ comprehension and critical thinking abilities, in accordance with the curriculum for English Literature Reader CBSE Class 10, focusing on Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments Questions Answers.
About the Poet:
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. He is considered by many to be the greatest dramatist and poet. He wrote 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and about three dozen plays. Shakespeare used poetic and dramatic means to create unified aesthetic effects. In verse, he perfected the dramatic blank verse.
Summary of the Poem:
“Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments” brings out the futility (uselessness) of statues and decorated monuments erected in the memory of the rich and powerful kings and rulers to immortalize themselves. With the passage of time, they stand lost and forgotten. However, the poet’s work, which is literary art, will outlive these transient monuments and will be remembered in the times to come.
In this sonnet, Shakespeare argues that grand physical monuments made of marble or adorned with gold will eventually decay and fade. Unlike these monuments, the poem will endure and keep the memory of its subject alive forever. The poet highlights that wars and natural elements can destroy statues, but poetry remains unaffected. The poem, the literary art, will continue to celebrate and immortalize the subject, defying the destructive forces of time.
Ultimately, Shakespeare asserts that as long as people exist and read, the poem will survive, ensuring that the subject’s legacy remains intact. The sonnet underscores the idea that poetry has a lasting power that surpasses the ephemeral nature of physical monuments, preserving memories and legacies for future generations.
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Poetic Devices Used in the Poem:
a. Personification: A figure of speech that is used for an inanimate object or
animals/birds look or feel human qualities.
- ‘Time’ has been personified in the poem and is called heartless and cruel.
b. Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in the same line.
- Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
- you shall shine
- unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish fire
- When wasteful war
c. Transferred Epithet: A transferred epithet is a figure of speech in which an epithet for adjective) grammatically qualifies a noun other than the person or thing.
- sluttish time
- wasteful war
- unswept stone, besmeard
- ending doom
d. Allusion: A reference to a statement, person, place, etc from history, religion,
literature or any other field.
- Mars, the Roman God of war
- Day of Judgement
Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments Questions Answers:Textual
6. On the basis of your understanding of Shakespeare’s sonnet, answer the following questions by ticking the correct options.
(a) The couplet in the sonnet reinforces the poet’s claim that his friend will_________.
A. rise out of his grave
B. be judged on the Judgment Day
C. be praised by all
D. live through this poem
Ans: D. live through this poem
(b) Choose the most appropriate collocation for the word doom, from the following:
A. imminent
B. unlikely
C. conscious of
D. avoidable
Ans: A. imminent
(c) The poet’s tone in the poem is ______________.
(i) despairing
(ii) optimistic
(iii) loving
(iv) admiring
Ans: (ii) optimistic
(d) The poem is set in ________________.
(i) the place where the poet meets his friend
(ii) a battlefield where Mars is fighting a battle
(iii) a city ravaged by war
(iv) the poet’s study where he is writing
Ans: (iv) the poet’s study where he is writing
7. Answer the following questions briefly.
(a) Describe how the monuments and statues brave the ravages of time.
Ans: Monuments and statues, crafted from durable materials like marble and gold, stand resiliently against the ravages of time. They face harsh weather, wars, and natural decay, striving to preserve the memories and legacies of the figures they commemorate.
(b) Validate the poet’s reference to Time, as being sluttish.
Ans: The poet calls Time “sluttish” to show it as careless and destructive. Time doesn’t value or preserve anything, causing even the grandest monuments to decay and be forgotten. This highlights the temporary nature of physical things compared to poetry’s lasting impact.
(c) Elaborate on the reason why wars have been described as ‘was tefil’?
Ans: Wars are described as “wasteful” because they cause massive destruction and loss. They ruin cities, monuments, and lives, leaving behind devastation and ruin. This term emphasizes the pointless and destructive nature of war, highlighting its negative impact on civilization.
(d) The poet says that neither forces of nature nor wars can destroy his poetry. In fact, even godly powers of Mars are not going to have a devastating effect on his rhyme. What quality of the poet is revealed through these lines?
Ans: Through these lines, the poet’s confidence and belief in the enduring power of his poetry are revealed. He shows a strong conviction that his literary work will outlast any natural or man-made destruction, emphasizing his faith in the immortality of art.
8. Shakespeare’s sonnet has been divided into three quatrains of four lines, each followed by a rhyming couplet. Each quatrain is a unit of meaning. Read the poem carefully and complete the following table on the structure of the poem.
| Rhyme scheme | Theme | |
| Quatrain 1 | A-b-a-b [1st line with 3rd line and 2nd line with 4th line] | Comparison between poetry and monuments. |
| Quatrain 2 | c-d-c-d [1st line with 3rd line and 2nd line with 4th line] | Ravages of time on monumentscontrasted with _________________________ |
| Quatrain 3 | e-f-e-f [1st line with 3rd line and 2nd line with 4th line] | The recorded memory of ______________________________________________posterity |
| Couplet | g-g [it is a rhyming couplet of the two lines] | Poetry immortalizes friend |
9. a) The poet uses alliteration to heighten the musical quality of the sonnet. Working in pairs, underline the examples of alliteration in the poem.
Ans: “Marble Nor” – The repetition of the “m” sound in “Marble” and “Nor.”
- “Gilded Monuments” – The repetition of the “g” sound in “Gilded” and “Monuments.”
- “forces of” – The repetition of the “f” sound in “forces” and “of.”
- “godly powers” – The repetition of the “g” sound in “godly” and “powers.”
These examples of alliteration enhance the musical quality of the sonnet by creating a rhythmic and melodious flow to the language.
b) Identify Shakespeare’s use of personification in the poem.
Ans: Shakespeare uses personification when he refers to Time as “sluttish.” By attributing human characteristics to Time, such as carelessness and moral looseness, Shakespeare personifies it, emphasizing its destructive and indifferent nature.
Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments Questions Answers: Extract Based
1. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:
(A) Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme:
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmear’d with sluttish time. CBSE 2012
Questions:
(a) What does the word ‘marble’ refer to?
(b) What does the phrase ‘in these contents’ mean?
(c) Explain the phrase “Than unswept stone’.
(d) ‘powerful rhyme’ in line 2 means…..
Answers:
(a) The word ‘marble’ refers to statues made of marble.
(b) It refers to this sonnet itself.
(c) It means the stone monuments that are often not cared for.
(d) this sonnet, which will outlive the monuments
2. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:
(B) When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory. CBSE 2015
Questions:
(a) Why are wars wasteful?
(b) What does the phrase ‘the work of masonry’ refer to?
(c) Why can’t war have any ill-effects on the poet’s writings?
(d) What does the word, ‘broils’ mean?
Answers:
(a) Wars are wasteful as they spread death and destruction.
(b) The phrase ‘the work of masonry’ refers to the statues and monuments built by masons for kings and rulers.
(c) Unlike monuments and statues, the poet’s writings are ideas, thoughts and emotions; they are not physical things. Hence, war can’t have any ill-effects on them.
(d) It means tumult, fighting, disturbances, especially resulting due to war.
3. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:
(C) Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
‘Gainst death and all oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; CBSE 2012
Questions:
(a) The word… in the extract means the same as ‘forgetful.’
(b) The word ‘your’ represents……
(c) ‘Mars’ in the above line is ………….
(d) Which poetic device has been employed in these lines?
Answers:
(a) oblivious’
(b) the poet’s loved one
(e) the Roman God of war
(c) Allusion to Mars, the Roman God of war, has been used as a poetic device here.
4. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:
(D) ‘Gainst death and all oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room,
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
Questions:
(a) What is meant by the word ‘Gainst’?
(b) Explain “your praise shall still find room.”
(c) What does the word ‘doom’ refer to?
(d) How will the poet’s friend pace forth against death and oblivious enmity?
Answers:
(a) It means ‘against
(b) The poet wants to say that his loved one would receive praise from future generations due to the poet’s sonnet
(c) It refers to the last day of judgment.
(d) The memory of the poet’s loved one will pace forth against death and oblivious enmity because the person will remain alive in the lines of his poem
5. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:
(E) So, till the judgment that yourself arise.
You live in this and dwell in lover’s eyes.
Questions:
(a) ‘You live in this’. What does ‘this’ refer to
(b) When does the poet expect that his beloved shall arise?
(c) What is meant by the word ‘dwell’
(d) What did ’till the judgement’ refer to
Answers:
(a) The word ‘this’ refers to this poem or verse
(b) The poet’s loved one shall arise on the day of the last judgement
(c) It means to remain or reside
(d) The phrase ‘till the judgment’ refers to doomsday of the day on which the last judgment will occur
Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments Questions Answers: Short Type( SAQ)
1. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words.
A. Why do you think the rich and powerful people get monuments and statues erected in their memory? CBSE 2014
Or, Why do the rich and powerful erect monuments? CBSE 2011
Ans: The rich and powerful people get monuments and statues erected in their memory so that they may be remembered It reflects their desire to be immortalized. by generations to come and their name be noted in history.
B. What purpose do the statues and monuments serve?
Ans: The rich and powerful people believe that the future generations would remember them through their statues and monuments. They want to somehow survive even after their death. The statues and monuments are erected to serve this purpose.
C. Explain “Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme.”
or In what way is the poet stronger than powerful rulers? CBSE 2016
Ans: The poet says that his poetry has great power. He says that all the marble structures or gold-plated monuments which are erected in the memories of powerful people like the princes cannot stand against the ravages of time. He
believes that his loved one shall outlive these monuments as his poetry has the power to withstand time’s destruction and to confer immortality.
D. Why does the poet refer to time as being sluttish?
Or, Why has time been referred to as sluttish by Shakespeare in his sonnet, ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’? CBSE 2015
Ans: The poet rightly calls time ‘sluttish’ because it is never faithful to anyone. All that was a reality of the past has become history; kings and rulers are no exception to this rule. They have faded away from memory just because time has left no one untouched.
E. How would wars prove ineffective in tarnishing the living record of your memory?
Or, How will the ‘living record’ of the poet’s beloved and his memory be more powerful than wasteful wars? CBSE 2012
Ans: War always brings destruction and death. It is a wasteful evil But war cannot erase the name and fame of those personalities whose images exist in people’s hearts. The poet knows that war cannot destroy the written memory of his loved one’s life.
F. The poet says that neither forces of nature, nor war can destroy his poetry. What do you learn about the poet’s character through these lines? CBSE 2015
Ans: The poet is proud of creating art and literature. These are immortal whereas the material achievements of man are temporary. The poet is self-confident and contemptuous of arrogant rulers.
G. How does the poet glorify the power of poetry?
Ans: The poet glorifies the power of poetry in an attractive manner. He shows faith in his poetry and says that even time and his own death cannot destroy it. The beauty of his poetry is more than that of the statues and gilded monuments of princes.
H. What will the poet’s friend learn when he arises on the Judgement Day’ in the poem ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’? CBSE 2019
Or What will Shakespeare’s friend realize when he rises on the Day of Judgement? CBSE 2018
Ans: On the ‘Judgement Day’, the poet’s friend will learn that due to the poem, he/she is still alive in the hearts and memories of the people.
I. How long does the poet feel can the lover live in the rhyme written by him? CBSE 2011
Ans: The poet feels that by writing about his loved one, he has immortalised the person. As a result, even the coming generations will remember the person. He/She will continue to dwell (live) till the day of the last judgment.
J. Explain “Gainst death and all oblivious enmity”.
Ans: The poet says that no enemy will get success over his loved one. Neither death nor enmity that wipes out everything from people’s memory can obliterate the (wiped out) memory of his loved one. Noble souls such as of his loved one will continue to stride forward despite enemies and even after death.
K. How has the poet eternalized the subject of his attention in the poem ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’? CBSE 2011
Ans: The poet has eternalized the subject of his attention by mentioning him/her in his sonnet. According to the poet, none can destroy his/her memory now. He/She would continue to dwell (live) in the hearts of all those who will read this sonnet.
L. Bring out the sum and substance of Shakespeare’s sonnet, ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’,
or What is the theme of the poem ‘Not Marble nor the Gilded Monuments’? CBSE 2015, 14
Ans: In this poem, the poet pays tribute to the quality of his verses and also to the intensity of his love for his loved one. The poet is confident that his verses will continue to be read forever. His loved one will outlive all other things of the world as he/she is described in the poet’s verses.
M. How, according to Shakespeare, will poetry prove to be more powerful than statues? CBSE 2020
Ans: According to Shakespeare, poetry will prove to be more powerful than statues as it will survive the passage of time. It is not a physical entity that can be destroyed or ruined. It is an idea which will survive in the memories of the people.
N. Why does the poet believe that he has immortalized his friend? CBSE 2019
Ans: The poet believes that he has immortalized his friend by writing the sonnet as the poem will survive the test of time. It will not be destroyed by anything and will remain the memory of people for eternity.
Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments Questions Answers: Long Type( LAQ)
1. Answer the following questions in 150 words.
A. “Not marble, nor the gilded monuments, Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme.” How does Shakespeare emphasise the fact that immaterial things are imperishable whereas material things perish over a period of time. Explain with reference to the poem. CBSE 2014
Ans: Shakespeare’s sonnet, ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’ portrays time as a mighty destroyer. According to the poet, all material things, worldly power, glory and prosperity, fade away with the passage of time. The princes, rulers and the rich try to perpetuate their memory through gold plated monuments, memorials and statues. But all their attempts are in vain as over a period of time, such monuments and memorials lose their glory and fall to utter neglect, decay and deterioration. The ravages of ‘sluttish’ time destroy them.
However, immaterial things like great poetry and art are imperishable. They withstand the forces of decay over time, and outlive all such monuments erected by princes and rulers. The words of this ‘powerful rhyme’ will be a living record of the memory of the poet’s loved one. The poet asserts that his loved one will be remembered longer because of the poet having written about him/her.
B. “When wasteful war shall statues overturn, And broils root out the work of masonry.” War is destructive in nature. It does not see anything or anybody when it comes; and leaves villages, towns, cities and kingdoms empty and without people. Now write an article on the topic ‘War is Wasteful.’
Ans:
War is Wasteful
by Anuj
War is always wasteful, as it causes widespread death and destruction. It is never productive or creative for society. It is fruitless in the sense that it only kills happiness and hope for humanity. In earlier days, greedy kings followed the way of war to extend their kingdoms and to amass (collect) wealth, Man’s ego, lust for power and false concepts of religion, caste, colour, creed or language gave birth to the evil of war.
Nobody wins in war, as it does not give real happiness to anybody. Thousands of wars have been fought in human history and hundreds of kings have gained power, but to what use? They too had to bend before death and depart from this world. Were they really the winners? Actually, they were not. They were unable to achieve the happiness that they could get only in peace.
C. Materialistic things don’t really last. What matters most are the people we care about and the values we live with. Explain this with reference to the poem ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments.’ CBSE 2014
Ans: It is a well-known truth that materialistic things don’t really last. All signs of worldly power, glory and prosperity fade away with the passage of time. Kings and princes get their monuments erected so as to be remembered by the future generations. But all gold plated monuments, memorials and statues fall to utter neglect, decay and deterioration. They all meet the fate of destruction as they fail to outlive the ravages of time. In stark contrast are our relationships They are immortal and don’t get destroyed by time. Rather they get strengthened with the passage of time.
The poet is also of the opinion that riches don’t matter much in this world. What is more valuable is his love for his monuments. Neither death nor war will be able to destroy beloved. Their love would live longer than any man-made matter more in this world. All other things come to an end her memory. Hence, it is our love and relationships which one day.
Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments Questions Answers: Unsolved Worksheets for Exam Practice
A. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
1. But you shall shine more bright in these contents
than unswept stone, besmear’d with sluttish time.
when wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Sot Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
(b) Why is the reference to Mars given here?
(a) Name the two destructive forces mentioned in the extract.
(c) What is the tone of the poet?
(d) What is the meaning of ‘sluttish’ here?
B. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
2. Gainst death and all oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall find room,
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the judgement that yourself arise,
You live in this and dwell in lover’s eyes.
(a) Explain ‘the ending doom’ and the ‘judgement’.
(b) The word ‘oblivious’ in the extract means……..
(c) ………. is an example of personification.
(d) What is the rhyme scheme adopted in this paragraph?
Short Answer (SAQ) Type Questions
1. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each.
A. Bring out the irony in the sentence “Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn the living record of your memory.”
B. The poet himself desires the immortality he promises his beloved. Comment.
C. What does Shakespeare praise more in his poem ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’, poetry or beauty?
D. What mythological references does Shakespeare make in the poem?
E. Why does Shakespeare repeatedly use the word ‘you’ in the poem. What does he want to emphasise?
In conclusion, Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments Questions Answers offer students a profound exploration of the fleeting nature of physical monuments and the enduring legacy of poetry. Through its themes of transience, immortality, and the power of art, the poem invites readers to contemplate timeless truths about human existence and creativity.
FAQs: Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments Questions Answers
1. Why is the title of the poem significant?
Ans: The title encapsulates the poem’s central theme of the enduring power of poetry compared to physical monuments.
2. How does Shakespeare use personification in the poem?
Ans: Shakespeare personifies Time as “sluttish,” highlighting its careless and destructive nature.
3. What is the poet’s attitude towards the permanence of poetry?
Ans: The poet expresses confidence in the lasting impact of poetry, asserting that it will outlive even the forces of nature and wars.
4. How does the sonnet contribute to the broader themes of English Literature?
Ans: The sonnet explores timeless themes such as the passage of time, the nature of art, and the quest for immortality, making it a valuable study in English Literature.
5. How can students effectively analyze and interpret “Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments” for their exams?
Ans: Students can enhance their understanding by closely examining literary devices, thematic elements, and historical context, and by practicing writing analytical responses.
