This is an analysis of the poem The King On The Tower that begins with:

The cold gray hills they bind me around,
The darksome valleys lie sleeping below,... 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: abab cdcd efef cfcf dgdg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 011111101 0101011001 10111110101 11100101 1111110110 1101011111 11001101110 1111011 110101001 110110101 110010100 0011111 110111111 110100101 1111011111 11111111 1111101 100100111 1111101101 1101101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 150
  • Average number of words per stanza: 30
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 37 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

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

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words the, my are repeated.

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

  • summary of The King On The Tower;
  • 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