Transcript The Beggar-maid

The Beggar Maid
Poem 2
Std X – Chapter 10 -English
Author Name: Alfred Lord Tenyson
Pre-reading task
• How would you describe a beautiful person?
Discuss.
SUMMARY OF THE POEM
• "The Beggar-maid" is a story, which tells of the King
Cophetua and his love for the beggar.
• Cophetua was an African king known for his lack of any
natural attraction to women. One day while looking out a
palace window he witnesses a young beggar suffering for
lack of clothes. Struck by love at first sight, decides that he
will either have the beggar as his wife or commit suicide.
• Walking out into the street, he tells her that she is to be his
wife. She agrees and becomes queen. The couple lives a
"quiet life" but are much loved by their people. Eventually
they die and are buried in the same tomb.
About the Author
• Alfred Lord Tennyson was
the most représentative
poet of the Victorian period
in England. The Poet
expresses the faith and
doubts of people, their
sorrows and Triumphs.
• He is a master of language
and
his
publications
extended over sixty years.
Melody is the distinctive
quality of his verse. His
poems evoke word pictures.
• Alfred Lord Tennyson
For Memorization
Her arms across her breast she laid
She was more fair than words can say
Bare-footed came the beggar maid
Before king Cophetua.
In robe and crown the king step’d down,
To meet and greet her on her way;
“It is no wonder,” said the lords,
“She is more beautiful than day”.
As shines the moon in clouded skies,
She in her poor attire2 was seen;
One praised her ankles, one her eyes,
One her dark hair and lovesome mien3.
So sweet a face, such angel grace,
In all that land had never been;
Cophetua swore a royal oath:
“This beggar maid shall be my queen!”
Exercises
(Pick out the best answer and write it in your note book)
• 1. The beggar maid entered the court with her arms across
her breast because___________
a) she was afraid of the king.
b) she wanted to show respect to the king.
c) she felt shy
d) she was hurt.
• 2) ‘Bare-footed came the beggar maid before the king
Cophetua’ because ___________
a) she was very poor
b) one had to enter a court bare-footed.
c) the guards ordered her to enter so.
d) she was not in the habit of wearing slippers.
Exercises
(Pick out the best answer and write it in your note book)
•
•
•
3. The king stepped down to______________
a) welcome the beggar maid
b) send the beggar maid out of the court
c) lead her to the throne.
d) marry her
4. ‘As shines the moon in clouded skies’ The figure of speech used in this line
is_____________
a) Personification
b) Metaphor
c) Simile
d) Alliteration
5. The king decided to marry the beggar maid because___________
a) he had promised to marry a poor woman.
b) he found great beauty in her.
c) the lords praised her beauty.
c) she was bare - footed.
Exercises
(Answer the following questions in a sentence or two each)
1. How fair was the beggar maid? What is she
compared to?
She was more fairer than words can say
and was compared to a beautiful day.
2. How did the beggar maid come to king
Cophetua?
She came with her arms across her breast,
in her poor attire and bare footed.
Exercises
(Answer the following questions in a sentence or two each)
• 3. Why did the king step down from the throne?
To meet and greet her on her way.
• 4. What did the lords say about the beggar maid’s
beauty?
“It is no wonder,” said the lords, “She is
more beautiful than day”. As shines the moon in
clouded skies…
• 5. What did King Cophetua swear and why?
“This beggar maid shall be my queen”,
because she was so beautiful he had ever seen
Exercises
(Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow.)
• 1. “She was more fair than words can say”.
a) Who is the ‘she’? The Beggar Maid
b) What does ‘fair’ mean?
c) What does the statement mean?
• 2. ‘It is no wonder’
a) Who said this? The King
b) When was it said? When the king saw the beggar
c) What was ‘no wonder’? The beggar’s beauty
• 3. ‘Cophetua swore a royal oath’
a) Who was Cophetua? The King of Africa
b) What did he swear? “This beggar maid shall be my queen”
c) What made him swear so? The beggar maid was very
beautiful
Appreciation
• a) Pick out the adjectives and phrases used to
describe the
beggar maid. e.g.: more fair than words can say.
• b) Pick out the pairs of rhyming words from the
poem.
• c) Supply any two rhyming words for each of the
following:
• i) maiden ii) down iii) lords iv) grace v) oath