This is an analysis of the poem Sonnet 35: What May Words Say that begins with:
What may words say, or what may words not say,
Where truth itself must speak like flattery? ... 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: abaa aaab cdd cee
- Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,3,3,
- Closest metre: iambic pentameter
- Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
- Сlosest stanza type: tercets
- Guessed form: sonnet with iambic pentameter or irregular meter
- Metre: 1111111111 1101111100 0111110101 1101010001 1101011101 1101110101 1111111111 1100110100 1001011101 1111111101 11011101101 1101010001 1111110101 0001011111
- Amount of stanzas: 4
- Average number of symbols per stanza: 157
- Average number of words per stanza: 29
- Amount of lines: 14
- Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
- Average number of words per line: 8
Mood of the speaker:
The speaker asks many questions. Perhaps, he or she is in confusion.
The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; what is repeated.
The author used the same word what at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.
If you write a school or university poetry essay, you should Include in your explanation of the poem:
- summary of Sonnet 35: What May Words Say;
- central theme;
- idea of the verse;
- history of its creation;
- critical appreciation.
Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!
Pay attention: the program cannot take into account all the numerous nuances of poetic technique while analyzing. We make no warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability and suitability with respect to the information.
More information about poems by Sir Philip Sidney
- Analysis of Sonnet 41: Having This Day My Horse
- Analysis of Sonnet 10: Reason
- Analysis of Sonnet 102: Wher Be Those Roses Gone
