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

What means this mighty chant, wherein its wail
Of some intolerable woe, grown strong ...

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: abbaabbacdeced
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 14,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: sonnet with iambic pentameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 1101010101 0101000111 0101010001 10010100101 0101110101 01010010101 11001010111 0101111101 0100111111 10110101010 10110110001 11110100101 0101010101 10010101010
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 637
  • Average number of words per stanza: 107
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • 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 The Marseillaise;
  • 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 Todhunter