This is an analysis of the poem A Cameo that begins with:

THERE WAS a graven image of Desire
Painted with red blood on a ground of gold... full text

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

The information we provided is prepared by means of a special computer program. Use the criteria sheet to understand greatest poems or improve your poetry analysis essay.

  • Rhyme scheme: abbaabbXcdacdX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 14,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: sonnet with trochaic pentameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 11010100010 1001110101 1001011101 11111101110 11001111110 0011010111 0010010011 100110110010 0101010101 1011110101 11111011010 1011010111 1101010101 01111101000
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 629
  • Average number of words per stanza: 113
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; with, and are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word and is repeated.

If you write a school or university poetry essay, you should Include in your explanation of the poem:

  • summary of A Cameo;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Algernon Charles Swinburne