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

When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat;
Yet, fooled with hope, men favour the deceit;... 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: aabbaaccddee
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 12,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 1101011101 1101110001 1111010001 0101010101 1111011101 0111111101 11001111001 1111001101 1001011001 1011010111 01001010101 1111110111
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 547
  • Average number of words per stanza: 100
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • Average number of symbols per line: 45 (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.

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

  • summary of Life A Cheat;
  • 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 Dryden