The Glove and the Lions is a short, lively narrative poem by the English poet Leigh Hunt. It retells an old story from the court of King Francis I of France. The King and his court are watching a fierce fight between lions in a pit. Among the spectators is a brave knight, Count de Lorge, sitting beside the lady he loves. To show off before the court and to test his love, she drops her glove among the lions. De Lorge leaps into the pit, picks up the glove, comes back — and throws the glove in her face. The King approves: such a test, he says, comes not from love but from vanity.
The poem is a sharp attack on vanity and on a false idea of love that values show and glory above a loved one's life. In just twenty-four lines it gives us a vivid spectacle, a scheming character, a dramatic action and a crisp moral.
Foundation first
Four ideas help you read this poem.
- A narrative poem. Some poems describe a feeling. A narrative poem tells a story, with characters, events and an ending, just like a short story. This poem has a setting (the lion pit), a build-up (the lady's plan), a climax (the glove thrown in her face) and a moral (the King's verdict).
- Who is who. King Francis watches and judges. Count de Lorge is the brave knight. The lady is the woman he loves. The lions are the "royal beasts" in the pit.
- Two big words. Valour means great courage. Vanity means too much pride in oneself and a wish to be admired. The poem sets de Lorge's valour against the lady's vanity.
- Irony. Irony is when the result is the opposite of what was expected. The lady wants glory and admiration, but she ends with public shame. This is the heart of the poem.
Why the story is told so briefly. The poem has only 24 lines, so every line must work. The first two stanzas build the danger, the third shows the lady's mind and the last gives the action and the verdict. The danger is described in detail so that we feel how cruel the lady's test is.
Worked examples
Example 1 (MCQ, 1 mark; ICSE 2025 Improvement, Q1(viii) pattern). What does "royal sport" refer to in the poem? (a) the lions fighting in the pit (b) King Francis battling the lions (c) the nobles courting the ladies (d) Count de Lorge fighting the lions.
Solution. (a). The King "loved a royal sport, / And one day as his lions fought, sat looking on the court". The King only watched; nobody fights the lions at that point.
Example 2 (short answer, 2 marks). Summarise the poem in about 30 to 40 words.
Model answer. At a lion fight in King Francis's court, a vain lady drops her glove into the pit to test Count de Lorge. He fetches it and throws it in her face. The King approves: vanity, not love, set the task.
Why this scores: it gives the situation and the lady's act (1 mark), and the Count's reply and the King's verdict (1 mark), in a few clear sentences.
Example 3 (3 marks; ICSE 2025, Q6(i)). Describe the scene at the beginning of the poem.
Model answer. King Francis, the nobles and the ladies of the court are seated together on the benches, watching the lions fight in the pit below. Among them sits Count de Lorge, sighing for his beloved.
Why this scores: the three details in the marking scheme are King Francis with the court, the lion fight, and Count de Lorge sighing for his beloved. The 2025 examiner report notes that a few candidates wrote only "king" and not "King Francis"; always give the name.
Doubts cleared
Q. Is this a true story? It is an old tale from the court of King Francis I of France, which Hunt retells in verse. The same story was also told by Schiller and by Browning, so it was well known. You answer from Hunt's poem only.
Q. Why is the lady not given a name? The poet calls her "a beauteous lively dame". She stands for a kind of person, someone who values show above real feeling, rather than for one particular woman.
Q. Is the poem against love? No. It is against a false idea of love, one that tests the beloved by putting him in danger for the lady's glory.
Q. Who is the hero of the poem? Count de Lorge. He is brave enough to risk the lions, and proud enough to refuse to be used.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing "the king" instead of "King Francis", or leaving out the Count's name.
- Saying that the Count threw the glove "with love". The poem says "but not with love".
- Giving a long retelling in a 2-mark answer. The word limit is short; give the situation and the ending only.
Check yourself
- Who are "the royal beasts below"?
- What does vanity mean?
- What is ironic about the lady's plan?
Answers: 1. The lions in the pit. 2. Too much pride in oneself and a wish to be admired. 3. She wants glory and admiration, but she gets public shame.