Poem at a glance
- Lines 1–6: King Francis — "hearty", loves a "royal sport"; nobles and ladies on benches; Count de Lorge with "one for whom he sighed"; "Valour and love, and a king above, and the royal beasts below".
- Lines 7–12: "Ramped and roared"; "horrid laughing jaws"; "blows like beams"; "a wind went with their paws"; "stifled roar"; "thunderous smother"; "bloody foam … whisking"; King: "better here than there".
- Lines 13–18: the lady overhears; "beauteous lively dame"; "smiling lips and sharp bright eyes, which always seemed the same"; "brave as brave can be"; "I'll drop my glove, to prove his love; great glory will be mine".
- Lines 19–24: she drops the glove, smiles; he bows, leaps; "His leap was quick, return was quick"; "threw the glove, but not with love, right in the lady's face"; King: "rightly done!"; "No love … but vanity, sets love a task like that".
- Form: 24 lines, rhyming couplets, internal rhyme, galloping rhythm.
Common traps
| Trap | Correct idea |
|---|---|
| "Ramped and roared" is a simile | It is alliteration (2025 specimen). |
| The lady's action was scornful | Provocative and challenging (2027 specimen). |
| The glove fell by accident | She dropped it deliberately. |
| The King scolded de Lorge | He approved: "rightly done!" |
| De Lorge returned the glove lovingly | He threw it in her face — "not with love". |
| The lady's smile was warm | It was fixed and artificial. |