Analysis of The Gadfly
John Keats 1795 (Moorgate) – 1821 (Rome)
1.
All gentle folks who owe a grudge
To any living thing
Open your ears and stay your t[r]udge
Whilst I in dudgeon sing.
2.
The Gadfly he hath stung me sore--
O may he ne'er sting you!
But we have many a horrid bore
He may sting black and blue.
3.
Has any here an old grey Mare
With three legs all her store,
O put it to her Buttocks bare
And straight she'll run on four.
4.
Has any here a Lawyer suit
Of 1743,
Take Lawyer's nose and put it to't
And you the end will see.
5.
Is there a Man in Parliament
Dum[b-] founder'd in his speech,
O let his neighbour make a rent
And put one in his breech.
6.
O Lowther how much better thou
Hadst figur'd t'other day
When to the folks thou mad'st a bow
And hadst no more to say.
7.
If lucky Gadfly had but ta'en
His seat * * * * * * * * *
And put thee to a little pain
To save thee from a worse.
8.
Better than Southey it had been,
Better than Mr. D-------,
Better than Wordsworth too, I ween,
Better than Mr. V-------.
9.
Forgive me pray good people all
For deviating so --
In spirit sure I had a call --
And now I on will go.
10.
Has any here a daughter fair
Too fond of reading novels,
Too apt to fall in love with care
And charming Mister Lovels,
11.
O put a Gadfly to that thing
She keeps so white and pert --
I mean the finger for the ring,
And it will breed a wort.
12.
Has any here a pious spouse
Who seven times a day
Scolds as King David pray'd, to chouse
And have her holy way --
13.
O let a Gadfly's little sting
Persuade her sacred tongue
That noises are a common thing,
But that her bell has rung.
14.
And as this is the summon bo
num of all conquering,
I leave 'withouten wordes mo'
The Gadfly's little sting.
Scheme | ABCBC ADEDE AFDFD AGXHH AXIXI AJKJK ALXXM AXHLH ANONO AFXFM ACXCG AXKMK ACPCP AOCOC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) |
Metre | 1 11011101 110101 10110111 110101 1 0111111 111111 111100101 111101 1 11011111 111101 11110101 011111 1 11010101 1 110101111 010111 1 11010100 1110011 1111101 011011 1 11011101 1101101 110111101 011111 1 11011111 11 01110101 111101 1 1011111 101101 10110111 101101 1 01111101 11001 01011101 011111 1 11010101 1111010 11110111 010101 1 1101111 111101 11010101 011101 1 11010101 110101 11110111 010101 1 1101101 010101 11010101 110111 1 01110101 111100 11111 01101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,608 |
Words | 350 |
Sentences | 30 |
Stanzas | 14 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 |
Lines Amount | 70 |
Letters per line (avg) | 18 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 88 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 25 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 10, 2023
- 1:48 min read
- 79 Views
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"The Gadfly" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23501/the-gadfly>.
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