Karnataka Class 10 English Solutions Poetry Chapter 2 Quality of Mercy
Karnataka Class 10 English Solutions Poetry Chapter 2 Quality of Mercy
Karnataka SSLC Class 10 English Solutions Poetry Chapter 2 Quality of Mercy
Question 1.
Mercy is compared to something in the first two lines of the poem what is it? How is this comparison apt? Justify your answer.
Answer:
In the first two lines of the poem, the poet compares mercy to gentle rain from heaven. This comparison has many suggestions: first of all it signifies that just as the gentle rain is one of the natural phenomena, mercy is a natural trait in human beings. If human beings don’t show mercy, then they don’t deserve to be called human beings.
Secondly, the analogy between the gentle rain and mercy is also symbolic of the fact that mercy comes one’s way unexpectedly and when it comes, it is as soothing as the gentle rain. Thirdly, the gentle rain from heaven is indicative of God’s mercy on human beings. Since we expect and enjoy God’s mercy on us, we cannot deny the same to others. The Christian spirit is to say, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”
Question 2.
The speaker says that mercy is twice blessed. What does she mean by this?
Answer:
When the speaker says that mercy is twice blessed, she draws the attention of the giver to the fact that even as he gives, he receives because mercy blesses not only the receiver but also the giver. The speaker tries to show that if the receiver of mercy is blessed with a sense of gratitude, the giver has the sense of fulfillment of being God’s messenger as he has acted with divinity.
Question 3.
‘Sceptre shows the force of temporal power’. In contrast, what or whose quality does mercy stand for?
Answer:
If the scepter shows the force of temporal power, mercy shows the permanent worth of a king because it flows from his heart and makes him Godlike. It is only when the monarch has the quality of mercy that he can do justice to the concept of the king is divine. Mercy and forgiveness are enduring themes that pervade Shakespeare’s works. The poem is an example of the esteem in which Shakespeare held those who showed mercy. Shakespeare presented mercy as a quality most valuable to the most powerful, strongest, and highest people in society.
Question 4.
Some traits or qualities are mentioned below. Classify7 them into two categories of temporal power and divine (Godly) attributes.
(love, revenge, sympathy, tyranny, cruelty, miserliness, mercy, hatred, tit-for-tat attitude, compassion)
Answer:
| Temporal | divine attributes |
| revenge, tyranny, cruelty, miserliness, tit-for-tat attitude | love, sympathy, mercy, compassion |
Read And Appreciate
1. Work in pairs/groups and answer the following questions.
Question 1.
Read the first two lines. Explain the simile (comparison) briefly.
Answer:
In the first two lines of the poem, the poet compares mercy to gentle rain from heaven. This comparison has many suggestions: first of all, it signifies that just as gentle rain is one of the natural phenomena, mercy is a natural trait in human beings. If human beings don’t show mercy, then they don’t deserve to be called human beings. Secondly, the analogy between the gentle rain and mercy is also symbolic of the fact that mercy comes one’s way unexpectedly, and when it comes, it is as soothing as the gentle rain. Thirdly, the gentle rain from heaven is indicative of God’s mercy on human beings. Since we expect and enjoy God’s mercy on us, we cannot deny the same to others.
Question 2.
How do you interpret the speaker’s interpretation of mercy as twice blessed?
Answer:
If mercy is shown to somebody, the giver is blessed; simultaneously the person who takes (receives) mercy is also blessed. So according to the speaker, it is twice blessed. The interpretation is as follows: –
In nature, if the cloud is blessed, it showers the rain on the earth. On the other hand, the earth also gives trees and fruits if it is blessed. That means both the cloud (giver) and the earth (receiver) were blessed twice. It is vice-versa.
Question 3.
The speaker compares the power of the king with the power of mercy, saying that mercy is the mightiest of the mightiest. How does she justify this? (Read the last part of the text carefully)
Answer:
The throned kings had the power to rule. They carry their scepter which indicates their royal power. The scepter is also a symbol of their majesty. They can create a threat and fear in the hearts of their people by using their worldly power. But Mercy is the divine quality if the monarchs had imbibed mercy in their heart, they become like God. Mercy can overrule the temporal power and kings are changed like God. So the speaker compares both and says that Mercy is the mightiest of the mightiest.
Question 4.
Can you think of any story wherein such virtues as mercy, compassion or sacrifice are high lighted? If so, narrate them in the class.
Answer:
The story posted on Mail Online on Sunday, April 27th, 2014 is an amazing story of mercy and forgiveness. A mother whose only child was shot dead showed the ultimate forgiveness – by inviting her son’s killer to live next door. Mary Johnson, 59, now lives in the apartment adjoining the home of 34-year-old Oshea Israel and they share a porch. In February 1993, Mrs. Johnson’s son, Laramiun Byrd, 20, was shot in the head by 16-year-old Israel after an argument at a party in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Israel, who was involved with drugs and gangs, was tried as an adult and sentenced to 25 and a half years. He served 17 before being released.
He now lives back in the neighbourhood where he grew up – next door to the mother of the young man he murdered. Mrs. Johnson said she originally wanted justice and to see Israel locked up for what he had done. However, later she decided to found a support group and counselled mothers whose children had been killed and encouraged them to reach out to the families of their murderers, who were victims of another kind. Then, just a few years ago, the 59-year-old teacher and devout Christian, asked if she could meet Israel at Minnesota’s Stillwater State Prison. She said she felt compelled to see if there was a way in which she could forgive her son’s killer.
At first he refused but then nine months later, changed his mind. Israel said he was shocked by the fact she wanted to meet him. He said: ‘I believe the first thing she said to me was, “Look, you don’t know me. I don’t know you. Let’s just start with right now.” ‘And I was befuddled myself.’ The pair met regularly after that. When Israel was released from prison around 18 months ago, Mrs. Johnson introduced him to her landlord – who with her blessing, invited Israel to move into the building. Mrs. Johnson and Israel are now close friends, a situation that she puts down to her strong religious beliefs but says she also has a selfish motive. She said: ‘Unforgivingness is like cancer. It will eat you from the inside out.
It’s not about that other person, me forgiving him does not diminish what he’s done. Yes, he murdered my son – but the forgiveness is for me.’ Mary Johnson even wears a necklace with a two-sided locket – on one side are photos of herself and her son; the other has a picture of Israel. Israel admits he still struggles with the extraordinary situation he finds himself in. He said: ‘I haven’t totally forgiven myself yet, I’m learning to forgive myself. And I’m still growing toward trying to forgive myself.’ Israel now hopes to prove himself to the mother of the man he killed. He works at a recycling plant during the day and goes to college at night. He says he’s determined to pay back Mrs. Johnson’s clemency by contributing to society. He visits prisons and churches to talk about forgiveness and reconciliation. Mrs. Johnson often joins him and they tell their story together. He added: ‘A conversation can take you a long way.’
Question 5.
This poem has fourteen lines. But it is not a sonnet. Look at the ending of the lines and justify the above statement.
Answer:
The poem ‘Quality of Mercy’ does not have either the quatrains or the couplet. Neither does it have the usual rhyme scheme. In fact what we see here is Free verse which is an open form of poetry. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. This is understandable as the selected piece is an extract from Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant of Venice’. There are fourteen lines in a Shakespearean sonnet.
The first twelve lines are divided into three quatrains with four lines each. In the three quatrains the poet establishes a theme or problem and then resolves it in the final two lines, called the couplet. The rhyme scheme of the quatrains is abab cdcd efef. The couplet has the rhyme scheme gg. This sonnet structure is commonly called the English sonnet or the Shakespearean sonnet, to distinguish it from the Italian Petrarchan sonnet form which has two parts: a rhyming octave (abbaabba) and a rhyming sestet (cdcdcd).
Quality of Mercy Additional Questions and Answers
Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1.
William Shakespeare was well known
a) dramatist of his time
b) Poet
c) Sonnet writer
d) actor
Answer:
a) dramatist of his time
Question 2.
“Quality of Mercy” is an extract from
a) Jullius Caesar
b) The Merchant of Venice
c) Merchant of Europe
d) Sonnet
Answer:
b) The Merchant of Venice
Question 3.
“Quality of Mercy” was written by
a) Thomas
b) Christine Rigden
c) Bernard Howe
d) William Shakespeare
Answer:
d) William Shakespeare
Question 4.
Portia was the main character of
a) Quality of Mercy
b) Compassion
c) The Merchant of Venice
d) Julius Caesar
Answer:
c) The Merchant of Venice
Question 5.
The throned monarch better than
a) his crown
b) his kingdom
c) his people
d) Mercy
Answer:
a) his crown
Question 6.
The quality of mercy is not
a) in heaven
b) in earth
c) with the kings
d) strain’d
Answer:
d) strain’d
Question 7.
His Sceptre shows the force of
a) kings
b) temporal power
c) divine power
d) Gods
Answer:
b) temporal power
Question 8.
Mercy is
a) quality
b) attribute
c) twice blest
d) power
Answer:
c) twice blest
Question 9.
If droppeth as the
a) gentle rain
b) monarch
c) kings
d) gods
Answer:
a) gentle rain
Question 10.
It is enthroned in the
a) God himself
b) like Gods
c) heart of kings
d) Seasons Justice
Answer:
c) heart of kings
Question 11.
Temporal means
a) view point
b) worldly power
c) temper
d) blessed
Answer:
b) worldly power
Question 12.
Wherein doth sit the dread and
a) mercy above
b) heart of kings
c) fear of kings
d) likest God.
Answer:
c) fear of kings
II. Match the following :
1.
Answer:
1 – d
2 – a
3 – f
4 – e
5 – b
6 – c
2.
Answer:
1 – e
2 – f
3 – a
4 – b
5 – c
6 – d
Answer the following questions in a word or a sentence each:
Question 1.
Why does mercy drop like rain from heaven, according to Portia?
Answer:
According to Portia, mercy is never forced or compelled and so it drops freely like rain from heaven.
Question 2.
How is mercy ‘twice blessed’?
Answer:
Mercy is twice blessed because it blesses the one showing mercy and the one receiving mercy.
Question 3.
What does show the force of temporal power?
Answer:
The scepter.
Question 4.
What attributes does the speaker liken to the sceptre?
Answer:
The speaker attributes awe and majesty to the sceptre.
Question 5.
How is mercy above the sceptred sway?
Answer:
Mercy is divine and hence its power is superior to the earthly power of kings symbolized by the sceptre.
Question 6.
What is the earthly power referred to?
Answer:
The speaker refers to authority that is vested in mortal beings like judges or kings as earthly power.
Question 7.
How is mercy an attribute of God Himself?
Answer:
Mercy is an attribute of God Himself as it is a divine quality, superior to all other human qualities, justifying the idea that God has created man in His own image.
Question 8.
When do you find earthly power resembling God’s power?
Answer:
We find earthly power resembling God’s power when the quality of mercy is enthroned in the heart of kings.
Question 9.
What happens when mercy seasons justice?
Answer:
When mercy seasons justice, the giver of justice gets blessed and becomes divine.
Question 10.
Mention the three things of temporal power of a king.
Answer:
Throne, Crown and Scepter.
Question 11.
What does the speaker compare the power of the king to?
Answer:
The speaker compares the power of the king to the temporal power of the scepter.
Answer the following questions in 2-3 sentences each:
Question 1.
Why does the speaker say, ‘The quality of mercy is not strained’?
Answer:
The speaker says the quality of mercy is not strained because he is of the opinion that mercy is a natural attribute of human beings. That is why he compares mercy with the gentle rain from heaven.
Question 2.
What is meant by ‘mercy seasons justice’?
OR
What happens when mercy is tempered with justice?
Answer:
The phrase ‘mercy seasons justice’ can be interpreted in different ways as the word ‘seasons’ has different meanings. It can mean flavours, tempers, enhances etc. Interestingly all meanings fit the context. It can be said that justice gets enhanced and becomes more attractive if it goes hand-in-hand with mercy. If the judgement, even if it is the right one, is too harsh, it should be made more moderate or temperate with mercy.
Question 3.
‘Mercy is the mightiest of the mightiest’. How does the poet justify this?
Answer:
Mercy is the mightiest of the mightiest because its power is mightier than all the other powers that a king can boast of. The throne, the crown and the scepter are all symbols of power of the king. But all these signs of power lose their importance as they speak of merely earthly power. The earthly power is short-lived. Mercy should have its place of prominence in the heart of the king as it makes the king God-like.
Answer the following questions in 5-6 / 6-8 sentences each:
Question 1.
Describe how Shakespeare depicts the quality of mercy.
OR
What are the qualities of mercy?
Answer:
The Christian spirit of forgiveness is highlighted in the poem ‘Quality of Mercy’. Shakespeare seems to uphold the notion that if man is the true image of God, then he should be Godlike in his behaviour. One of the qualities that would make man divine is the quality of mercy enshrined in his heart. The quality of mercy comes to everyone naturally like the gentle rain from heaven. Its importance is heightened in the case of a ruler because he needs to temper justice with mercy.
Question 2.
What does qualify a monarch more – mercy or throne? Why?
Answer:
If the sceptre shows the force of temporal power, mercy shows the permanent worth of a king because it flows from his heart and makes him Godlike. It is only when the monarch has the quality of mercy that he can do justice to the concept of the king being divine. It looks better in a king than his own crown looks on him. The sceptre is a symbol of awe and majesty in which lies the source of the dread and fear that kings command. But mercy is above that sceptred power. It is enthroned in the hearts of kings. Hence mercy qualifies a monarch more than his throne.
Question 3.
How does Portia describe the quality of mercy?
Answer:
Portia describes the quality of mercy using different analogies. To show that mercy is natural for a human being, she compares it with the natural and gentle rain that drops from above. To show that mercy is divine, she contrasts it against the throne, the crown and the scepter which are all symbols of a king’s earthly power. She says that mercy is twice blessed. It blesses both the giver and the receiver. Mercy becomes an attribute of God Himself if mercy seasons justice.
Read the following extracts and answer the questions given below them:
Question 1.
The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath.
a) What does the poet mean by the word ‘strained’?
b) Explain the simile in the second line of the passage.
Answer:
a) Mercy is not mercy when pressure is put upon a person to show mercy, when he is under strain to show mercy.
b) True mercy comes spontaneously from the merciful person to the offender. It comes as quietly and naturally as the rain comes gently and freely to the place beneath the sky. Here the poet compares mercy and the gentle rain that drops from heaven.
Question 2.
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown.
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
a) What do the crown and sceptre symbolize?
b) What is temporal power?
Answer:
a) Crown and sceptre symbolize kingly power. The crown is worn by the king. A new king is always crowned. Sceptre is an ornamental staff held by the king. It again is a symbol of his authority.
b) Temporal power is earthly power.
Question 3.
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.
a) When do you find earthly power resembling God’s power?
b) What kind of justice does the poet recommend?
c) What happens when mercy seasons justice?
Answer:
a) We find earthly power resembling God’s power when the quality of mercy is enthroned in the hearts of kings.
b) The poet recommends justice that is seasoned with mercy. He means that justice that is too harsh is not justified even if the wrongdoer deserves punishment.
c) When mercy seasons justice, the giver of justice gets blessed and becomes divine.
Question 4.
“It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest”
a) What is compared to the gentle rain from heaven?
b) Why does the speaker feel it is twice blest?
c) ‘It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven’.
What is the figure of speech used here?
Answer:
a) Mercy.
b) According to the speaker, not only the person who shows mercy but also the person who receives mercy is blest. Hence it is twice blest.
c) Simile.
Question 5.
‘It’s mightiest in the mightiest’
a) Who is mighty?
b) How is it mighty?
Answer:
a) Mercy.
b) The quality of mercy is divine. Hence it is more powerful than all the symbols of power on earth.
Question 6.
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.
a) How does it bless the one who gives?
b) How does it bless the one who takes?
Answer:
a) The giver is blessed as he has the sense of fulfillment of being God’s messenger as he has acted with divinity.
b) The receiver is blessed with a sense of gratitude.
Question 7.
“And earthly power doth then show likest God’s When mercy seasons justice.”
a) When does earthly power become like divine power?
b) How should the king’s judgement be?
c) What happens when mercy seasons justice?
Answer:
a) When earthly power is filled with mercy it becomes divine power.
b) The king’s judgement should be seasoned with mercy.
c) When mercy seasons justice, kingly power seems most like God’s power.
Question 8.
“The quality of mercy is not strain’d
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.”
a) What is ‘mercy’ compared to?
b) Why does the poet say that mercy is not strain’d?
c) What is the meaning of the word ‘strain’d’ in this context?
Answer:
a) Gentle rain from heaven.
b) Because it is divine power given by God.
c) Forced/compelled.
Quality of Mercy Poem Summary in English
“Quality of Mercy” is the extract taken from the play “The Merchant of Venice” In the play, Portia, the main character argues why mercy is the greatest virtue of all? The well-known poet William Shakespeare describes the quality of mercy through Portia in the play. This is not the poem or a sonnet only argument of Portia. Here Portia conveys and the greatness of Mercy.
The quality of mercy is not showered by force or compulsion. It showered like a gentle rain directly from Heaven or paradise to Earth. Whenever mercy is given, it comes back i.e., gives and take. So it is blessed by two times. It becomes strongest of strongest, never ceased. The kings and emperors of the earth had their power. They had all the worldly powers, they can J do, what they were thinking. They can rule as they like.
Their quality or character makes the threat in the hearts of the people. The people had fear about their king’s power, though they had majesty (dignity). But if the kings had mercy in their heart, it ruled over their power. Mercy should be seated in the hearts of the kings, they become like that of God. Then their royal power changes to God’s power. They are good to their people and loved by subjects (people). So mercy is my quality of God those who cultivate mercy in their character, they become like God. Accord ’g to the author, mercy is the divine quality and greatest virtue of all.
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