This is an analysis of the poem King Canute that begins with:

KING CANUTE was weary hearted; he had reigned for years a score,
Battling, struggling, pushing, fighting, killing much and robbing more;... 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: aaa bbb ccc ddd eXe aaX fff gXX fff hhh cXc iii ffX XaX bXX XXX hhh bbb eeX fff XXg bbX aaa jjjX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,4,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 110110101111001 10010010101011101 111010101010111 101001101010101 100111101001101 101011101010001 101010111011101 0010110010100111 001011101110111 111010111110111 1011111010100101 101110111110101 1001110101010001 111000101010101 101010111011111 101110101111101 10101111111111 1011101101111111 1010101011101010 1011111111101010 1001100001100010 101111001110111 1111111011101010 10101001010101010 101111101011111 111110101011111 110110101010101 101010101110111 101011111111101 101010101011111 1010101010101010 1010101010111011 10101001010100101 111010111110101 101010101110101 101011101010001 101010101110101 1010101111101101 1110101011100100 111011101110101 1110101001010101 111011101110101 111010101010101 111101101010110 111010011010001 101010101001000 111000111011111 100010101001111 101010101010101 111110101100100 101110001011101 101010101010101 101001101110111 101110110010101 111010101010101 101110101010111 111110100000101 111010110110101 1110101010101001 001011101110101 1001010111001101 1010101011111110 101010101111101 101011111011001 101110100011101 100111111110011 101010100010101 101011101010101 1010101010111001 111010101010101 101011101111101 1010101001011011 11001111010110
  • Amount of stanzas: 24
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 197
  • Average number of words per stanza: 36
  • Amount of lines: 73
  • Average number of symbols per line: 64 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 12
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; and, my, ', i, to, he are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word if is repeated.

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines ' is repeated).

    The poet repeated the same word ' 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 King Canute;
  • 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 Makepeace Thackeray