This is an analysis of the poem The Flying Dutchman that begins with:

LONG time ago, from Amsterdam a vessel sailed away,—
As fair a ship as ever flung aside the laughing spray....

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: aabbccdd aaeeffbbccggaa ggaaddhh ccddhXbbXXiihh ddddddee eeddeXaa ddeeeejjeXaakkggXX aakkggeeddlleedX aabbXhhffgghheeggcceeddbb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,14,8,14,8,8,18,16,25,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 11010101010101 11011101010101 01010101110001 100100101110111 1111010001001 110010101011111 11111101111101 11011101010101 01010101110111 01011101010101 11010101110101 11111111010111 11011101010101 110011111111111 11100101010101 11010101110111 111111011101001 11000111110101 01010101111111 11010101110101 11111101110111 010011101111111 01010101111101 11010111010101 01010111010101 1100101011100001 01011101110101 110101011000101 11000101010101 01000101110101 11011101010101 10110101010001 10010111111101 11110101111101 11111100010101 01010101110110 01010011110011 11110101110111 111101001010111 10011101110110 111101010101001 11010101110101 11011101010101 01010101010101 010101001010101 010100101010101 00110101010111 01011101010011 11110101010101 110111001011101 11010101110101 01000101110111 010100101010101 0101110010101001 010111001010101 11010111110101 111111101110001 11010101111100 111100101010101 11110001011001 110101111100101 11010101010101 11010101010111 010001010100101 01010101110101 11010101110001 01010101010101 11010101111101 010100101010101 110001011101010 01011111110001 1101010011101001 01010001110101 1111001011001101 11111101110101 01111111110101 01001101110111 11111101111101 11110101010101 01010101010101 011101000101001 01010101110101 01010101010101 11010101010101 010111001111001 11110101110101 111111111101001 11011110110001 11010001110101 11010101111111 01111101010111 110111001010101 010100101111101 01011111110101 110010101110111 011100101110101 010010100110101 11011011010101 11010111011111 01010111010101 11010101111101 110111011100101 11010101010001 11110101010101 01010101010101 11010101110111 11010111110111 11010101110101 11111101010101 101010101010101 101000100010111 001011101010101 1010101011111001 001000101010101 11010111010101 01010101110101 11011101111111 111010101010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 10
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 737
  • Average number of words per stanza: 130
  • Amount of lines: 118
  • Average number of symbols per line: 62 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 11
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; as, and, he, his, they, her, home, your, in, no, with are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words he, where, the, a are repeated.

    The poet repeated the same word ' 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 The Flying Dutchman;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by John Boyle O'Reilly