Friends and Flatterers by William Shakespeare

Friends and Flatterers   by William Shakespeare

Every one that flatters thee
Is no friend in misery.
Words are easy, like the wind;
Faithful friends are hard to find:

Every man will be thy friend
Whilst thou hast wherewith to spend;
But if store of crowns be scant,
No man will supply thy want.

If that one be prodigal,
Bountiful they will him call,
And with such-like flattering,
'Pity but he were a king;'

If he be addict to vice,
Quickly him they will entice;
If to women he be bent,
They have at commandement:

But if Fortune once do frown,
Then farewell his great renown
They that fawn'd on him before
Use his company no more.

He that is thy friend indeed,
He will help thee in thy need:
If thou sorrow, he will weep;
If thou wake, he cannot sleep;

Thus of every grief in heart
He with thee doth bear a part.
These are certain signs to know
Faithful friend from flattering foe.

 

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and regarded as the greatest writer and greatest dramatist. He is called as the National poet of England and the Bard of Avon. His works consists of 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and few other verses. His works have been translated into many languages.

Shakespeare was born in Stratford – upon-Avon, Warwickshire.  He is educated at the king’s New School in Stratford.   At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway 26 year old and had three children. In 1592, he began his career in London as an actor, and writer.  At the age of 49 he retired and three years after he died. 

Shakespeare is known for his works between 1589 and 1613.  His earlier plays were comedies and histories. They are the best works of Shakespeare. Then he tried in tragedies.  Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, king Lear and Macbeth are known to be the finest works of Shakespeare.

Shakespeare died at the age of 52 on 23^rd April 1616.  He died after signing his will. He was buried in the Holy Trinity Church.   His grave, next to Anne Shakespeare his wife and Thomas Nash the husband of his granddaughter.

 

Summary of the poem

The poem says about true friends and flattery friends.  The poet makes the difference between these two types of friends.  He warns about those friends who flatter and would not stand by you when you are in difficulty.  He says how it is easy to impress a person by flattering words.  But it is not easy to find a genuine friend who will shoulder you during a difficult time.  The false friends will enjoy life when they have wealth.  But they will go away from the same person when they lose their wealth.  It’s a great advice by the great poet.  When a person is generous, he would be supported and get good crowd around him praising him as king.  But when he suffers with sorrow they would leave him.  Thus the poet gives awareness of false friends and honest friends.

 

Detail analysis

“Every one that flatters thee
Is no friend in misery.
Words are easy, like the wind;
Faithful friends are hard to find:”

The first stanza starts with an advice to those who trust all equally.  The poet says one who speaks flattery words will not extend his love and affection during misery.  Speaking flowery words are easy like wind but they are serpent under their sweet tongue.  It is very hard to find faithful friends in life.

“Every man will be thy friend
Whilst thou hast wherewith to spend;
But if store of crowns be scant,
No man will supply thy want.”

Again the poet warns about friends in this stanza too.   He points out all will be close to you when you spend without any limit.  They enjoy your companionship as you spend a lot.  But they will leave you when one faces hardships.  The false will not support or help his friend to get back his lost wealth and life.  This is an unfortunate situation for each and every one who trust his or her friend.

“If that one be prodigal,
Bountiful they will him call,
And with such-like flattering,
'Pity but he were a king;”

The poet in this stanza says about the false world where we can see people who act as a true friends to those who spend much for entertainment. They praise them and respect them as their king. But once they lose their wealth the false friends would show their true nature. They avoid and go away from him leaving him alone to his poverty.

“If he be addict to vice,
Quickly him they will entice;
If to women he be bent,
They have at commandement:”

This stanza is a teaching for all of us. For it says about those who are leading a wrong life style.  They have turned into such a bad life, due to the influence of their bad companions.  These evil friends introduce bad women to him to make him go worst.  They ruin his life by supplying bad female companions to whom he is attracted to.

“But if Fortune once do frown,
Then farewell his great renown
They that fawn'd on him before
Use his company no more.”

Starting straight with an advice about the flattery friends that they would run away leaving you to suffer when you down with poverty and hunger.  They enjoyed all of your wealth. But in difficult times they look down upon you as their love and affection is a lie.

“He that is thy friend indeed,
He will help thee in thy need:
If thou sorrow, he will weep;
If thou wake, he cannot sleep;”

The poet touches the positive side of a genuine friendship.  The true friends are soul companions.  They come when you need them.  They help when you are in trouble.  They feel your pain, they can understand your difficulties and they extend their hand to support you to stand up.  They will not sleep if you are wake.  They love never dies and never stops to come after you.
“Thus of every grief in heart
He with thee doth bear a part.
These are certain signs to know
Faithful friend from flattering foe.”

 Thus every pain the friend would feel.  He is ready to share your grief.  These are the great signs to know the difference between a true friend and a false flattery friend.

 

Poetical Devices

“words are easy like wind” comparing (simile) the words " wind" is used to show how the friendship become fake with flattery words.  The way one expresses could mislead the friendship.  The words which comes from fake friends have no meaning and direction like wind. “Store of crowns” means money.  When we don’t have money the fake friends will go away from us.  The use of the language make the meaning more deep.

“If that one be prodigal” prodigal means one who spends and waste money.  The comparison would have been take from bible the holy book of Christians, where the parable of prodigal son is a famous teaching of Jesus. All bad friends would crowd the person who spends with no limit. They praise and compare him to king falsely, for they know the weakness of such person.
The poet compares the person to a prodigal son which conveys the universal message to the society.

 

Thus the poem makes the differences between a good relationship and fake friendship.  It’s a good message by the poet. He in few lines has given a universal message suitable for all the ages and seasons.  One could not deny the warning and advice of the poet if he understands its meaning in the right sense.

 

Questions

1. Name the poet of the poem?

2. What are the difference of true and fake friends?

3. Why shouldn't we trust flattering friends?

4. What is the meaning of Wind here in the poem?

5. What are the various poetical devices in the poem?

6. When do we get Bad friends?

7. Why do they compare to king?

8. When will one become a lonely person?

9. What happens to Prodigal Son?

10. What are the positive things of Good friendship?

Answers

1. William Shakespeare

2. True friends stand would be a great moral supporters, whereas the fake friends would be near to their friends for their own benefits.

3. Flattering friends come in our good times and disappear in our failures.

4. “words are easy like wind” comparing (simile) the words " wind" is used to show how the friendship become fake with flattery words.  The way one expresses could mislead the friendship.  The words which comes from fake friends have no meaning and direction like wind.

5. Please check the poetical devices in the analysis

6. When we lead a wealthy rich life and when we are attracted towards the false and flattering words.

7. The word "king" is used to make comparison for the wealthy friend to a King.  he would spend much to his companions. So they would praise him falsely as their king.

8. when they loose everything in life.  They would become lonely as all his friends would leave him.
 
9. Prodigal Son is the parable from Bible where the prodigal son takes all the money and leads a wrong life with bad friends and comes back to his father with nothing.  The father forgives him and accepts him with his whole heart.

10. Good Friendship shows a good path, good friends would stand by their friend in all good and difficult times.  They forgive and love their friends unconditonaly.