The Glove and the Lions by Leigh Hunt | Summary in English

Summary in English of the poem The Glove and the Lions by Leigh Hunt

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Transcript

The poem The Glove and the Lions by Leigh Hunt is a ballad. A ballad is a type of narrative poem that tells a story, often a dramatic one.

One day, as part of his enjoyment of royal entertainments, King Francis was observing his lions fighting fiercely and ferociously in an arena or enclosed court. The king was sitting safely above the action as the powerful beasts battled below.

The arena was filled with nobles and aristocrats sitting in raised benches above the fighting pit, and elegant ladies dressed in their finest, most ornate gowns and jewels, exhibiting their status and pride. Among the assembled nobles was the Count de Lorge, who had eyes only for one particular lady there.

The lions prowled and roared aggressively, their terrible, gaping mouths stretched wide as if laughing horribly and maliciously. The lions bit and locked their jaws, wrestled, grappled, and forcefully rolled over each other.

Seeing the violent spectacle, King Francis remarked humorously to others that they were safer observing from their seats than down in the pit. The lady whom De Lorge admired overheard the king’s comment.

She thought that her lover, the Count de Lorge, was as courageous and daring as any man could possibly be. She was confident he would carry out remarkable, incredible deeds to demonstrate the depth of his love for her. With the king, ladies of the court, and admirers all observing intently, she saw an opportunity before her.

She decided that she would drop her glove into the pit as a challenge to the Count, to prove the strength of his love for her – and in doing so, she would gain enormous honour. So she dropped her glove into the pit and turned to the Count expecting him to fetch that from among the lions for her and prove his love for her.

The Count bowed gracefully to the lady, then instantly, unhesitatingly jumped down into the pit and just as rapidly as he had leapt in, the Count leapt back out of the pit to stand again before the noble crowd with the glove.

But rather than gently returning the glove as a token of his love, as she had expected, he in anger, violently threw it on her face in front of all. Seeing this, the king was impressed. “By God!” exclaimed King Francis, approving of the Count’s shocking action, “That was the right thing to do!” And he stood up dramatically from his royal seat.

“It was not true love,” declared the king, “but vanity and pride that set a challenge like that, when love itself was at stake.”

Through the poem, the poet aims to convey to readers that genuine love should never be taken for granted or put to the test through reckless acts driven by ego and a desire for admiration. True love values the beloved deeply, cherishing their safety and well-being above all else.