Summary & Analysis of Friends and Flatterers
William Shakespeare’s poem Friends and Flatterers makes us knowledgeable in being able to distinguish between good friends who always wish the best for us and lousy company who are actually our foes in disguise, wishing for us to go on the wrong track. Friendships are some of the most important relationships humans make in their lifetime.
Through the camaraderie of friends, one grows and evolves and learns the art of loving selflessly and, most importantly, the art of living to the fullest. As goes the common proverb, “A man is known by the company he keeps,” which is a universal truth because if a person falls into the wrong companionship, life becomes terrible as hell. Haven’t our parents warned us from time to time about the dangers of having bad friends and how important it is to surround ourselves with good people? This understanding is the main thematic content of William Shakespeare’s poem.
Main Summary of the Poem Friends and Flatterers
The poem Friends and Flatterers 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 piece of great advice by the great poet. When a person is generous, he would be supported and get a good crowd around him praising him as king. But when he suffers from sorrow they would leave him. Thus the poet gives awareness of false friends and honest friends. The poem ‘Friends and Flatterers’ is written by William Shakespeare, who is considered the greatest playwright of all time. The speaker warns the reader not to fall prey to flatterers and one should know one’s worth to avoid becoming a victim of flattery.
General Meaning of The Poem
“Friends and Flatterers” describes how to differentiate between friends and enemies. The “certain signs” that tell us how to do so should be given attention so that we can have meaningful experiences in our lives. Then we can live fully in the companionship of our true friends. Through the poem, Shakespeare tells us how bad friends feed upon our darker sides or impulses, pushing us in the wrong direction. So acting upon their flattery can ruin our lives forever.
On the other hand, true friends would comfort us on our most miserable days, be with us and guide us towards the light present inside of us, taking us out from the darkness. They would highlight the good and positive aspects of our character. In their presence, we will have happiness plentiful in our lives.
Historical Background
The poet of “Friends and Flatterers,” William Shakespeare, was active during the 16th-century. He was a prominent figure of the Elizabethan Renaissance. His writing is considered canonical. All his works have been read, interpreted, and appreciated by multiple people across the centuries. He was the man behind the famous Globe Theatre in London, where all his famous tragedies and plays were officially staged. This Shakespearean poem is the source of several modern-day sayings that people often use. Though it was written in the 16th-century, its appeal has never been shrouded.
The theme of Friends and Flatterers
“Friends and Flatterers” imparts wisdom about true and false friends. The main themes of the poem are genuine friendship, flattery, and perception versus reality. Through this poem, Shakespeare describes how friends and flatterers (fair-weather friends) behave differently in particular situations in life. A person should notice those changes to figure out which friendships to keep and cherish throughout life. They need to cut off temporary relationships with fawners to eliminate negativity. In this way, Shakespeare provides both a warning and a piece of advice which is why the poem is so important to be read until today, even though it was written centuries back.
About the Writer of Friends and Flatterers
William Shakespeare
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| Friends and Flatterers Summary & Analysis of the Poem by William Shakespeare |
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and regarded as the greatest writer and greatest dramatist. He is called the National poet of England and the Bard of Avon. His works consist of 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and a 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 years 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 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 is one of English Literature’s most well-known figures whose writings still continue to reign the minds of academicians and literature enthusiasts. Shakespeare’s timeless plays, awe-inspiring sonnets, heart-warming poems are considered iconic classics of English literature. Such is the beauty of Shakespearean words that they thread the reality of life even today.
Shakespeare died at the age of 52 on 23rd 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.
Detail analysis of Friends and Flatterers Poem
Stanza - 1
“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 a piece of 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 the wind but they are serpent under their sweet tongue. It is very hard to find faithful friends in life.
Stanza - 2
“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 everyone who trusts his or her friend.
Stanza - 3
“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 friend to those who spend much on 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 in his poverty.
Stanza - 4
“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 lifestyle. 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.
Stanza - 6
“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 a piece of 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.
Stanza - 6
“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 on the positive side of a genuine friendship. 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 awake. Their love never dies and never stops coming after you.
Stanza - 7
“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 to wind 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 taken from the bible the holy book of Christians, where the parable of the 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 a person.
The poet compares the person to a prodigal son which conveys the universal message to society.
Thus the poem makes the differences between a good relationship and a fake friendship. It’s a good message by the poet. He in a 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 & Answer Related to Friends and Flatterers
According to the poet, flatterers are not friends in need. Their praise is as transitory as the wind.
Why are “words” compared to “wind” in the poem “Friends and Flatterers”?
The words of flatterers are compared to the “wind” as like the wind in fair weather; it does not last long. They ride along with us as long as we have resources to share. When their need dries up, they instantly desert us without a second thought.
How do the last two lines explain the true intent of the poem?
The true intent of the poem is to educate readers about “certain signs” that help us to differentiate a faithful friend from a flattering enemy. The last two lines of “Friends and Flatterers” does it efficiently.
What is the meaning of “flattering foe”?
The term “flattering foe” hints at the fact that those who spill sweet words in our good times are none other than our enemies, waiting to show our catastrophe. They somehow lead us to our own moral destruction.
What are the signs of a “flattering foe”?
Shakespeare says there are a number of signs to know a “flattering foe”: they use our wealth, give company for their own benefits, and maroon us at the slightest hint of misfortune.
What happens to your flatterers when your luck turns bad?
When our luck turns terrible, flatterers stop to praise us—those who flattered us before now leave our company without a second thought.
What does the frown of Fortune mean? What happens when fortune frowns at a person?
In “Friends and Flatterers,” Shakespeare personifies “Fortune.” He says, if Fortune becomes displeased (frowns) or refrain from favouring us, the sweet-talking, so-called friends avoid our company.
What does the poet mean by “store of crowns”?
The “store of crowns” is a symbol of wealth, resourcefulness, and fortune. In Shakespeare’s time, crowns were used as currency. So, the “store of crowns” literally means one’s good fortune.
What would flatterers say if one is wasteful?
If one is prodigal or wasteful, the flatterers would call them bountiful. They would further wish him to be a king.
How do flatterers respond when a person becomes rich or extravagant?
When a person becomes rich or extravagant, flatterers become his friends. They will always be there for him as long as he has money.
What does the poet mean by a “friend in misery”?
A “friend in misery” means one who stands by us in our sorrow. At times of grave need, true friends are always there to share our pain and comfort us.
Why does the poet allude to the story of the Prodigal Son?
The Parable of the Prodigal Son has several morals. One of them is how false friends desert the youngest son (who is prodigal or extravagant) to fend for himself during his dark times. When he had his father’s wealth, they fawned him. But, when his share went down, there was only his father to take him out of his misery.
Additional Questions
1. Name the poet of the poem?
2. What are the differences between true and fake friends?
3. Why should 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 the king?
8. When will one become a lonely person?
9. What happens to Prodigal Son?
10. What are the positive things about Good friendship?