Class - VII [Raintree Coursebook Theme - 3: All You Need is Love] Friends and Flatterers by William Shakespeare

Summary: Friends and Flatterers

Friends and Flatterers is a poem by one of the masters of English literature, William

Shakespeare. It is a poem that gives the reader advice on friendship and how to tell true

friendship apart from flattery.

The speaker says that not everyone who praises you will be there for you in times of trouble.

Praise or flattery is easy to do, but like the wind, a person can change what they are saying

depending on what the times are like. Only loyal friends will support their words with actions.

Such friends are difficult to find.

When you are rich, everyone will pretend to be your friend. It is when you are short of money

that you will find out who your real friends are. There will be many who give you company only

for your money. These people will give you extravagant compliments when you spend money

freely. But if you lose your money, then these people will abandon you to your troubles.

A true friend is one who will help you through times of trouble. He will share your sorrows with

you. He cannot sleep when you are awake, worrying about your troubles. These are the signs

that set true friends apart from flatterers.

Like all works by Shakespeare, this poem too has been written in Old English. While the

language takes a while to decipher, the theme of the poem is quite simple. It embodies the

saying ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed.’ The speaker’s disappointment and bitterness with

people is very evident in this poem. A bad experience has probably led him to realise the darker

side of human nature. 


Poem Analysis

Central Idea: The poem contrasts genuine friendship with deceitful flattery, emphasizing the value of sincere relationships over insincere praise.

Themes:

1. Authentic Friendship vs. Flattery: The poem explores the difference between true friends who provide honest feedback and flatterers who only offer praise for personal gain.

2. Trust and Deception: It highlights how flattery can deceive and how trust in friends is crucial for genuine support.

Message: True friends offer honest, constructive feedback, while flatterers give deceitful praise for their own benefit. Value those who are sincere rather than those who simply flatter.

Underlying Message: Genuine support comes from real friends who are honest and trustworthy, not from those who merely tell you what you want to hear.

 Poetic Devices

1. Rhyme Scheme: The pattern of rhyming words at the end of lines in a poem, like having a specific pattern of rhymes throughout  ABABCC.

2. Metaphor: Compares two things directly to show they are alike, like saying friends who share your sadness are like those who truly care.

3. Simile: Compares two unlike things using "like" or "as," such as describing words as “easy, like the wind.” To show they’re not solid or lasting.

4. Juxtaposition: It means showing how two different things are different by placing them next to each other, like comparing real friends to fake ones.

5. Irony: Points out when something is the opposite of what you expect, like praising someone for spending money but ignoring them when they’re poor.

6. Repetition: Repeats words or ideas to make them stand out, like saying multiple times what makes a true friend.

Comprehension (to be done in the Raintree Textbook)

A.

1. …you have money and spend it generously.

2. …you lose your wealth.

3. …when you spend money very generously.

4. …‘it is a pity he is not a king.’

5. …lose your wealth.

6. …your grief.

7. …you are awake, worrying about something.

B. Reference to Context

1. a. The speaker is referring to the words of a flatterer.

b. Words are ‘easy’ because people can say anything without meaning it. One day, they can praise you, and the next day, they can curse you and speak ill of you.

c. It is difficult for people to say something and then back it up with real actions. 

2. a. A true friend will help you when you need it. He will cry when you do. If you are awake, worrying about something, he will not sleep either. He will share all your troubles with you.

b. These signs tell you that a person is your true friend.

c. The speaker’s advice is wise. All through our lives, we meet many people. We need to understand who a true friend is and who is merely a flatterer.

C. Think and Answer

1. The speaker sounds as though his advice comes from real-life experience. He tells us that not everyone we meet is a friend. He also tells us what signs can help us recognize a true friend. This kind of advice is very practical and useful. The speaker obviously wrote it after he lost his fortune and was abandoned by all except his true friends.

2. A two-faced person is someone who behaves a certain way in front of someone and in a very different way behind their backs. His behaviour changes depending on who he is talking to. A two-faced person is insincere and is not to be trusted. An example of two-faced behaviour would be a person who says sweet things to someone and then turns around and says mean things about them to someone else.

D. Complete the sentences with the given letters (to be done in the Raintree Textbook)

Funny through good times and bad

Ready to help always

Includes you in all plans

Encourages you in everything

Never lies to you

Does not hurt you

FRIENDS AND FLATTERERS POEM

A. Answer in brief.

Who according to the poet is not a true friend?

 Ans: The poet feels that anyone who uses flattering words just to please a person can never be a true

friend. A flatterer uses words in a such a way that he can get work done till he is able to and will never

be around when one really needs help.

B. Answer in detail.

When will a flatterer leave your company? How is a true friend different from him?

 Ans: A flatterer, the poet says, will remain by your side till you are influential and rich. It is very easy for

a flatterer to be generous with praises and thus lure a person. He will be your closest friend as long as

you have money and you are popular. He will totally ignore you the moment you lose your fortune or

become less known in society.

 A true friend on the other hand, is always with you irrespective of your status. He experiences pain if

you are in pain. He does not sleep if you have disturbed sleep. He shares your problems and helps you

come out of it. He is ready to help you whenever you need him.

C. Read the lines and answer the questions.

But if fortune once do frown

Then farewell his great renown

They that fawn’d on him before

Use his company no more.

a. When does one lose his popularity?

b. What does the poet mean by ‘they that fawn’d on him before’?

c. Use the word renown in a sentence of your own.

Ans: a. The poet says that when luck stops favouring a person, he loses everything – money, fame

and status.

 b. He says, those who were around him and always showering praises will leave him and will

no longer require his company as he is no more rich and famous.

 c. Free response.

D. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)

 Does the poem indicate a feeling of disappointment, bitterness and a realisation of the dark side of

human nature? Or does it show a state of calm observation and conclusion about human behaviour?

 Ans: In this poem, the poet expresses his feelings about the truth of life. It showcases the poet’s

disappointment, bitterness and realisation of the dark side of human nature. It comes across as more

than just calm observation.