Question

Elaborate the idea in the following lines of the poem death the leveller
'The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows ,not substantial things
There is no armour against fate'

Answer 1

Answer:

The glory or our birth and our condition are simply like shadows, not substantial, not concrete, not things that will last for long. There is no way we can escape from death. Whether we are born high or low, whether we are powerful or not death will come to us and no shield of any kind will protect us from death.

Answer 2

The poem talks about how death comes for everyone regardless of what they have achieved or who they are.

• These lines are from the first stanza of the poem Death the Leveller by James Shirley.
• The stanza signifies that no matter how many achievements one may have in their life or how great or significant their achievements are, they are all 'shadows' or irrelevant 'not substantial things' death will come for the individual, as will it for everyone else. It is 'fate' that the richest of kings and the poorest of peasants will die one day.

#SPJ3