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

Untrue to my Ulric I never could be,
I vow by the saints and the blessed Marie,... 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: aaXXbb ccddbb aXeebbXeeaabb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,13,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 01011011010 1110110101 1010010111101 1111010010110 11111011101 111101011011 101101011011 1110010001011 0010010101011 111001101111 01011011011 01011011011 01001001011 110110010011 00101010101011 111001001111 1110100111111 111011011111 101001011011 11011101111 1010010111011 11101111111 11101001111 111001011001
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 287
  • Average number of words per stanza: 57
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 47 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 10
  • 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; my, i, your, that are repeated.

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

    The poet repeated the same word crest 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 Knightly Guerdon;
  • 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