Analysis of Lear

Thomas Hood 1799 (London) – 1845 (London)



A poor old king, with sorrow for my crown,
Throned upon straw, and mantled with the wind—
For pity, my own tears have made me blind
That I might never see my children's frown;
And, may be, madness, like a friend, has thrown
A folded fillet over my dark mind,
So that unkindly speech may sound for kind—
Albeit I know not.—I am childish grown—
And have not gold to purchase wit withal—
I that have once maintain'd most royal state—
A very bankrupt now that may not call
My child, my child—all beggar'd save in tears,
Wherewith I daily weep an old man's fate,
Foolish—and blind—and overcome with years!


Scheme ABBACBBCDEDFEG
Poetic Form
Metre 0111110111 101101101 1101111111 1111011101 0111010111 0100110111 11111111 01011111101 011111011 1111011101 0101011111 111111101 111011111 100101011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 626
Words 113
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 463
Words per stanza (avg) 110
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
25

Thomas Hood

Thomas Hood was a British humorist and poet. His son, Tom Hood, became a well known playwright and editor. more…

All Thomas Hood poems | Thomas Hood Books

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