Analysis of Ellen Terry in the Merchant of Venice

Thomas Bailey Aldrich 1836 (Portsmouth) – 1907 (Boston)



As there she lives and moves upon the scene,
So lived and moved this radiant womanhood
In Shakespeare's vision; in such wise she stood
Smiling upon Bassanio; such her mien
When pity dimmed her eyelids' golden sheen,
Hearing Antonio's story, and the blood
Paled on her cheek, and all her lightsome mood
Was gone. This shape in Shakespeare's thought has been!
Thus dreamt he of her in gray London town;
Such were her eyes; on such gold-colored hair
The grave young judge's velvet cap was set;
So stood she lovely in her crimson gown.
Mine were a happy cast, could I but snare
Her beauty in a sonnet's fragile net.


Scheme ABBAACDEFGHFGH
Poetic Form
Metre 1111010101 1101110010 011001111 10011101 110101101 1001010001 110101011 111101111 1111001101 1001111101 0111010111 1111000101 1001011111 010001101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 619
Words 112
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 481
Words per stanza (avg) 110
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
81

Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Thomas Bailey Aldrich was a poet novelist traveler and editor more…

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