This is an analysis of the poem The Gods Are Dead that begins with:

The gods are dead? Perhaps they are! Who knows?
Living at least in Lempriere undeleted,... 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: aXXba abab aXaabb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 5,4,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: rondeau
  • Metre: 0111011111 10110101000 0101010010 11111101010 0111011101 1111111101 01010111010 1101110101 0111 0101010101 11010101110 10010010101 10110100111 10110101010 0111
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 207
  • Average number of words per stanza: 39
  • Amount of lines: 15
  • Average number of symbols per line: 41 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and is repeated.

    The poet repeated the same word dead 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 Gods Are Dead;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by William Ernest Henley