READING COMPREHENSION (CLASS 9 and 10 )Fear No More William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

SOLVED WORKSHEET 17

Fear No More 

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

The singers of the song, the characters Guiderius and Arviragus, the sons of Cymbeline in the play and half-brothers to Imogen (who is really one of the ‘men’ over whom this dirge is being sung), take it in turns with the first two verses: Guiderius sings the first, and Arviragus the second, with them alternating the lines of the third and fourth verses until they both sing the final couplet together.

Fear no more the heat o’ the sun, 

Nor the furious winter’s rages;

Thou thy worldly task hast done, 

Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages: 

Golden lads and girls all must, 

As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

The meaning of the song is simple: if you’re dead, you need fear no more either the excessive heat of the summer sun, nor the harsh winter cold; you’ve done your duty, and have gone ‘home’ back to the earth which bore you; everyone must die, from the highest-born and the fittest (‘Golden lads and girls’) to the lowest-born and the weakest (‘chimney-sweepers’).

Fear no more the frown o’ the great,

Thou art past the tyrant’s stroke; 

Care no more to clothe and eat;

To thee the reed is as the oak: 

The sceptre, learning, physic, must 

All follow this, and come to dust.

In the second verse, we’re told that another good thing about being dead is that you’re beyond the reach of a tyrant’s rule, you don’t need to worry about feeding and clothing yourself or others, and everything is as pointless and worthless to you as everything else.

Fear no more lightning-flash,

Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone; 

Fear not slander, censure rash; 

Thou hast finished joy and moan:

All lovers young, all lovers must 

Consign to thee, and come to dust.

In the third verse, the list of Things The Dead Need Not Concern Themselves With continues: thunder and lightning, people saying bad or untrue things about you behind your back (‘slander’) or telling you off (‘censure rash’). Both the happy and sad times are now behind you when you’re dead.


1. What happens to ‘Golden lads and girls ‘,‘chimney-sweeper’, ‘The sceptre’, ‘learning, physic’, ‘All lovers young’?

They all ‘come to dust’. It means they all have to die one day.

2.     Whom does the sceptre refer to --------------------

The sceptre refers to a King.

3.    Whom does a learning physic refer to ----------------

It refers to doctors and scholars.

4.     What is more unkind than “winter’s wind”?

Man’s ingratitude is more harsh than winter’s wind.

5.     What is the Elizabethan attitude towards death?

Death comes to everyone so don’t worry, you can be immortal in the memories of others forever.

6.    What is the theme of the poem?

The fundamental theme of this poem is regarding the significance of succumbing to death, for after having a full life everyone must fearlessly face the end. In the first line of all three stanzas, the author begins with the phrase, "Fear no more," openly showing his belief that one should willingly submit to mortality.

7.     Why does the poet say fear no more?

This is a death poem having universal appeal. In this poem the poet has expressed his feeling for the rest of the soul of the dead. It is written for the consolation of the dead. The poet wants to say that a dead person becomes free from all kinds of worldly anxieties.

No exorciser harm thee! 

Nor no witchcraft charm thee! 

Ghost unlaid forbear thee! 

Nothing ill come near thee! 

Quiet consummation have; 

And renownèd be thy grave!

And in the final verse, the tone switches, with the two singers asking that nobody disturb the sleep of the dead: neither exorcists seeking to expel evil demons, nor witches seeking to use demons to raise you from the dead; no ghosts to bother you, and no bad things to befall you.