Question

What is the theme of this poem? A) Life is better when you are old. B) The shepherd is nice to his love. C) Life is better when you are young. D) People often lie to get what they want.

Answer 1

D. People often lie to get what they want is the theme of the poem, ‘The Passionate Shepherd to his Love’.

Explanation:

• The poem revolves around the shepherd’s romantic passion for his lady love. The shepherd passionately requests his lady love to spend more time with him with his alluring promises.  
• Although, he is only a shepherd and cannot afford a royal living; he convinces and appeals to his lady with false promises.
• He ensures her a royal life with a dinner in silver plates on ivory tables, tempts with beautiful floral skirt and hat, woollen gown, belt with corals, golden buckled slippers and so on which are all not really possible with his current living.  
• Instead of the real image of his pastoral living, he gives an exaggerated image of his lifestyle. His passion is not true but feigned which proves that people lie to get what they want.