To My Wife by Harold Pinter: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem To My Wife that begins with:

I was dead and now I live
You took my hand...

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: aB bB Xc cbXca
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 2,2,2,5,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1111111 1111 1101 1111 1111 1111 1011 1111 1111 1111
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 34
  • Average number of words per stanza: 8
  • Amount of lines: 10
  • Average number of symbols per line: 17 (very short strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 4

  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; i is repeated.

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

    The author used the same words i, you at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines life is repeated).

    The poet repeated the same word hand at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of To My Wife;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Harold Pinter

Poems about...
✕