- Vanity versus true love: true love protects; vanity demands proofs for its own glory.
- Courage and dignity: de Lorge is brave but will not be humiliated or used.
- Appearance and reality: the lady's charm hides a calculating heart.
- Public display: the court is a stage; the lady wants glory, and receives public shame.
- Justice: the King's verdict restores the moral balance.
7.1 Tone and mood
| Part | Tone / mood |
|---|
| lines 1–6 | splendid, festive |
| lines 7–12 | violent, thrilling, terrifying |
| lines 13–18 | ironic — the lady's thoughts expose her vanity |
| lines 19–24 | dramatic, swift; ending with stern moral approval |
7.2 Significance of the title
The title names the two things that decide the story: the glove — the lady's token, the test, and finally the instrument of her shame — and the lions — the danger she was willing to put her lover in. The plain title, like a fable's, prepares us for a simple story with a sharp moral.
7.3 Alternative titles (for the 2027 specimen Q6(v))
| Title | Reason |
|---|
| Vanity Rebuked | the King condemns the lady's vanity |
| The Test of Love | the lady tests de Lorge's love and fails the test herself |
| Not with Love | the key phrase of the climax |
| Courage and Vanity | the contrast between de Lorge and the lady |