Analysis of Menelaus and Helen
Rupert Brooke 1887 (Rugby) – 1915 (Aegean Sea)
Hot through Troy's ruin Menelaus broke
To Priam's palace, sword in hand, to sate
On that adulterous whore a ten years' hate
And a king's honour. Through red death, and smoke,
And cries, and then by quieter ways he strode,
Till the still innermost chamber fronted him.
He swung his sword, and crashed into the dim
Luxurious bower, flaming like a god.
High sat white Helen, lonely and serene.
He had not remembered that she was so fair,
And that her neck curved down in such a way;
And he felt tired. He flung the sword away,
And kissed her feet, and knelt before her there,
The perfect Knight before the perfect Queen.
So far the poet. How should he behold
That journey home, the long connubial years?
He does not tell you how white Helen bears
Child on legitimate child, becomes a scold,
Haggard with virtue. Menelaus bold
Waxed garrulous, and sacked a hundred Troys
'Twixt noon and supper. And her golden voice
Got shrill as he grew deafer. And both were old.
Often he wonders why on earth he went
Troyward, or why poor Paris ever came.
Oft she weeps, gummy-eyed and impotent;
Her dry shanks twitch at Paris' mumbled name.
So Menelaus nagged; and Helen cried;
And Paris slept on by Scamander side.
Scheme | ABBAXCCX DEFFED GHXGGHXG XIXIJJ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111011 111010111 11010010111 001111101 01011100111 1011010101 1111010101 01001010101 1111010001 11101011111 0101110101 01110110101 0101010101 0011010011 1101011101 11010111 1111111101 11010010101 1011011 1100010101 1101000101 1111110101 1011011111 111110101 1111010100 0111110101 1110101 01011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,202 |
Words | 220 |
Sentences | 16 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6, 8, 6 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 235 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 56 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 1:06 min read
- 104 Views
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"Menelaus and Helen" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33702/menelaus-and-helen>.
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