Chapter -16

Friends and Flatterers

- William Shakespeare

I. Prologue :
II. Lesson Objectives :
a. To read and appreciate the given poem.
b. To analyze the poetic devices used in the poem.
c. To develop writing skills through different writing tasks.

III. Research and write a short note about the poet. Stick the picture too.

IV. Annotate :

1. “But if store of crowns be scant

No man shall supply thy want.”

Q: What does the poet mean by these lines?

Ans: If we have lost money and are not as rich as we are accustomed to be,
nobody but a friend will be willing to help us out with what we need.

2. “If thou wake he cannot sleep.”

Q. Who is ‘he'? What does the expression ‘if thou wake’ refer to?
Ans: ‘He’ is a friend. The expression ‘if thou wake' refers to the time that
we can’t sleep because of worrying.

3. “Every one that flatters the

Is no friend in misery.
Words are easy, like the wind;
Faithful friends are hard to find:”

a. Why shouldn’t we trust a flattering friend like a real friend?

Ans. We should not trust a flattering friend because they always leave us
in our misery. These friends are only for good times.

b. Why are words compared to wind?

Ans. Words are compared to wind as flattering friends use them quickly
and easily. Their words are meaningless and directionless just like the
wind.
 c. What do you mean by ‘a friend in misery?’
Ans. A friend in misery is a real friend who will be with us in our good
and bad times alike.

d. Name the poetic device used here.

Ans. Simile.

4. “But if fortune once do frown, Then

farewell his great renown.”

a) What does the frown of fortune indicate?

Ans: Frown of fortune means bad luck.

b) What does ‘the farewell his great renown’ mean?

Ans: It means losing all fame due to bad fortune. Fame here signifies being
famous for spending money lavishly.

c) What happens to your flatterers when your luck turns bad?

Ans: When your luck turns bad, our flatterers will bid farewell to us. They
will not stay with us anymore.

5. “Thus of every grief in heart He

with thee doth bear a part. These
are certain signs to know
Faithful friend from flattering foe.”

a. What does ‘every grief in heart mean?’

Ans. It means that every little sadness that we may have in our heart.

b. Who is ‘he’ in the above lines?

Ans. ‘He’ in the above lines refers to a real friend.

c. Explain the term ‘flattering foe’.

Ans. A ‘flattering foe ’means a person who flatters you for his selfish
needs. Such a person is not a friend but an enemy.

V. Answer the following questions:

1. How do people flatter a prodigal friend?
Ans. People flatter their prodigal friends by saying that they are sorry he is
not a king. They repeatedly say that such qualities as his could only be
found in kings.
 2. According to the poet what are the special qualities of a friend?
Ans: According to the poet, a friend is someone who helps when we are in
need. If we are feeling sad, a friend will weep and as long as we are feeling
troubled, a friend will not trust either.

3. How is a flatterer different from a friend?

Ans: While a friend will not part from us when we are grieved, a flatterer
will not be with us when we need help. A flatterer would only be found in our
company if we are rich, happy and successful. A friend, on the other hand,
sticks with us through thick and thin.

4. If a person is a king, why is he to be pitied?

Ans: If a person is extravagant and spends money without sparing a thought-
everyone would like to be friends with him. They will even call him bountiful.
Even if such a man is a king, he is to be pitied, because he doesn’t have a true
friend. All his friends are fair weather friends.

VI. Adaptive Tasks:

1. Summarize the poem in a paragraph.
2. Appreciate the poem in your own words.
3. Imagine that you picked a quarrel with a classmate and said rather nasty
things. One of your friends pointed out to you that the fault was yours and
you should feel sorry for it. However, you were furious with your friend
also for not taking your side. Later you realised your mistake. Write a letter
to your friend saying that you are sorry.

VII . Think & Answer :

1. When do we find ourselves surrounded by friends? How do we recognize

them? When do flattering friends abandon us?
Ans:

VIII . Home Assignment:

1. Create a mind map of different poetic devices.

2. Essay Writing: Ex – H of Page 117

MY REFLECTI ONS ON THE LESSON:

# Connecting to Contemporary work:
# Connecting Author to Author:
# Connecting to Real Life: