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The Glove and the Lion Poem by Leigh Hunt Summary, Notes & Explanation in English

The poem The Glove and the Lion has four stanzas. Six-line stanzas rhyme aa bb cc. 13 feet (?) per line. The poem's setting is far from Hunt's time. The poem's kings, noblemen, and ladies give it a pre-Renaissance feel. Hunt's poem describes an unusual experience. A royal court watches two beast kings battle. Courtiers watch the king's spectacle from comfortable seats.

Many of Hunts' poems have a metaphorical secondary meaning, such as a battle between two powerful people. In the midst of the spectacle, the poet shows us Count de Lorge's love affair with a woman. The poet lists values held by his poem's people: pride, gallantry, valour, and love.

The second stanza features vivid images. "Rampled and roared" is alliterative and paradoxical ("horrid laughing jaws"). The short verbs show how quickly the beasts moved: "They bit, glared, and gave beam blows." The repeated /w/ sound in "wind went with their paws" emphasises the beasts' speed. Assonance creates an auditory image of lions roaring in the pit. The king's opinion, "Faith, gentlemen, we're better here than there," adds a dramatic ballad-like quality to the poem and emphasises the ferocity of the battle between the beasts.

Next stanza shifts from public to personal. The woman who attracted De Lorge demonstrates her power to the audience. Hunt cleverly disguises his opinion of the woman's serpentine nature by praising her "sharp bright eyes" She humiliates him by throwing her glove into the lions' pit. She wants to stroke her ego even if it endangers her lover's life and reputation. 

Not retrieving the woman's dropped glove would be unmanly. De Lorge had no choice, so he did what he had to in order to save face. He insults the woman who set the trap by throwing the glove at her face, slapping her. Despite enjoying blood sports, the king is sensitive. He calls her action vain.

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