ShmoopTube

00:03

Here's your shmoop du jour, brought to you by Couplets. The #1 dating site for poets.

00:20

The function of the couplets in lines 5-6, 11-12, and 17-18 is to... what?

00:29

And here are the potential answers...

00:35

Okay, so we need to zero in on a few couplets in particular and figure out why they're there.

00:43

First we've got lines 5 through 6:

00:45

Beauty, strength, youth, are flowers but fading seen;

00:48

Duty, faith, love, are roots, and ever green.

00:52

Then 11 through 12:

00:54

But though from court to cottage he depart, His Saint is sure of his unspotted heart.

01:01

And finally, 17 through 18:

01:04

Goddess, allow this aged man his right To be your beadsman now that was your knight.

01:10

We're told that all three have the same function, so... what do they have in common?

01:14

What are they all trying to say?

01:16

Whoa, whoa -- not all at once. One at a time, please...

01:20

In the first couplet we're talking about stuff like beauty and youth that fade... but duty,

01:26

faith and love are more permanent.

01:29

In the second couplet, he's saying that even though he's tossing in the towel, his heart

01:33

and loyalty will still be with the Queen.

01:36

And in the third one, he's indicating that his function might change, but that he will

01:40

still be serving the Queen in at least some capacity.

01:43

In fact... sounds a little stalkerish. Her royal majesty might want to put some stronger

01:49

bars over the windows... So... what do these add up to?

01:53

Well, seems that the speaker is reinforcing his loyalty to the Queen in all three couplets.

01:59

So this one's pretty obvious -- option B.

02:01

Aw... wouldn't they just make the cutest couplet?

Full Transcript