This is an analysis of the poem An Elegy On A Lap-Dog that begins with:

1 Shock's fate I mourn; poor Shock is now no more,
2 Ye Muses mourn, ye chamber-maids deplore.... 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: aaaabbaacccc aaXXddcXddee eeffXcccc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 12,12,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 11111110111 11101110101 10101110101 11001111101 11101011111 11101010101 11111110101 11101000101 11111010101 11101000101 111010011001 11111011101 11011010001 10101111101 10101010110 1101111101 11101011101 11101010101 11101010101 11111111101 11101010101 11101010111 11111110101 11101111101 11101011101 11101000111 10111010101 11101010101 11111110001 11101010101 11101010101 111011111101
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 398
  • Average number of words per stanza: 71
  • Amount of lines: 32
  • Average number of symbols per line: 49 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; his, her, no are repeated.

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

  • summary of An Elegy On A Lap-Dog;
  • 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 Gay