Short Questions and Answers of Edmund Spenser's : Amoretti XXII: “This Holy Season”

 

Short Questions and Answers of Edmund Spenser's : Amoretti XXII: “This Holy Season”

Lines and Questions:

1. "This holy season, fit to fast and pray,"

Q: What is the holy season suitable for?

A: It is suitable for fasting and praying.

2. "Men to devotion ought to be inclin'd:"

Q: What should men be inclined to during the holy season?

A: Men should be inclined to devotion.

3. "Therefore I likewise on so holy day,"

Q: What does the speaker decide to do on the holy day?

A: The speaker decides to offer suitable service for his beloved.

4. "For my sweet saint some service fit will find."

Q: Whom does the speaker call "sweet saint"?

A: The speaker refers to his beloved as "sweet saint."

5. "Her temple fair is built within my mind,"

Q: Where is the temple of the beloved built?

A: It is built within the speaker’s mind.

6. "In which her glorious image placed is,"

Q: What is placed inside the temple?

A: The glorious image of the beloved is placed inside the temple.

7. "On which my thoughts do day and night attend,"

Q: What do the speaker’s thoughts attend to day and night?

A: They attend to the image of his beloved.

8. "Like sacred priests that never think amiss."

Q: To what does the speaker compare his thoughts?

A: He compares them to sacred priests who never think wrongly.

9. "There I to her as th' author of my bliss,"

Q: How does the speaker describe his beloved?

A: As the author of his bliss.

10. "Will build an altar to appease her ire:"

Q: What does the speaker plan to build?

A: An altar to appease her anger.

11. "And on the same my heart will sacrifice,"

Q: What does the speaker offer as a sacrifice?

A: His heart.

12. "Burning in flames of pure and chaste desire:"

Q: What burns in the flames of pure and chaste desire?

A: The speaker’s heart burns in the flames.

13. "The which vouchsafe, O goddess, to accept,"

Q: What does the speaker request the goddess to do?

A: To accept his sacrifice.

14. "Amongst thy dearest relics to be kept."

Q: Where does the speaker want his offering to be kept?

A: Among her dearest relics.

 

General Questions on the Poem:

1. Q: What is the central theme of the poem?

A: The poem revolves around love, devotion, and spiritual reverence for the beloved.

2. Q: How does the speaker describe his beloved?

A: The speaker describes her as a saint or goddess, the center of his devotion.

3. Q: What is the metaphorical significance of the temple?

A: The temple represents the speaker’s mind, where his beloved’s image resides.

4. Q: Why does the speaker compare his thoughts to priests?

A: Because his thoughts are pure, devoted, and constantly focused on his beloved, much like priests serving a deity.

5. Q: What kind of sacrifice does the speaker offer?

A: The speaker offers his heart as a sacrifice, symbolizing his pure and chaste love.

6. Q: How does the speaker view the act of love?

A: The speaker sees love as a sacred and religious act, blending spiritual devotion with romantic admiration.

7. Q: What does the phrase "pure and chaste desire" signify?

A: It signifies the speaker’s untainted and virtuous love for his beloved.

8. Q: What does the speaker request from his beloved at the end of the poem?

A: The speaker requests that his sacrifice be accepted and cherished among her sacred relics.

 

Literary and Interpretative Questions:

9. Q: What literary devices are prominently used in the poem?

A: Spenser uses metaphors (temple, altar), imagery (flames, heart), and religious symbolism.

10. Q: How does the speaker blend religious and romantic elements in the poem?

A: By referring to his beloved as a saint and goddess, and by offering spiritual metaphors like temples, altars, and sacrifices.

11. Q: What tone does the speaker adopt in the poem?

A: The tone is reverent, devotional, and deeply emotional.

12. Q: What is the significance of the "altar" in the poem?

A: The altar symbolizes the speaker’s dedication and willingness to worship his beloved with his heart and soul.

13. Q: How is the beloved portrayed as divine?

A: The beloved is compared to a saint and goddess, elevated to a position of spiritual authority in the speaker’s life.

14. Q: What does the speaker mean by "dearest relics"?

A: It refers to the cherished possessions or sacred memories associated with his beloved.