Analysis of Upon The Punishment Of Death

William Wordsworth 1770 (Wordsworth House) – 1850 (Cumberland)



YE brood of conscience--Spectres! that frequent
The bad Man's restless walk, and haunt his bed--
Fiends in your aspect, yet beneficent
In act, as hovering Angels when they spread
Their wings to guard the unconscious Innocent--
Slow be the Statutes of the land to share
A laxity that could not but impair
'Your' power to punish crime, and so prevent.
And ye, Beliefs! coiled serpent-like about
The adage on all tongues, 'Murder will out,'
How shall your ancient warnings work for good
In the full might they hitherto have shown,
If for deliberate shedder of man's blood
Survive not Judgment that requires his own?


Scheme ABABACCDEEFGHG
Poetic Form
Metre 111101110 0111010111 10111010 01110010111 1111010100 1101010111 0100111101 11011010101 0101110101 0101111011 1111010111 001111111 1101001111 01110101011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 608
Words 107
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 484
Words per stanza (avg) 104
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 19, 2023

32 sec read
141

William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth was the husband of Eva Bartok. more…

All William Wordsworth poems | William Wordsworth Books

56 fans

Discuss this William Wordsworth poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Upon The Punishment Of Death" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/42463/upon-the-punishment-of-death>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    4
    hours
    25
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Still I Rise"?
    A Robert Burns
    B Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    C Dylan Thomas
    D Maya Angelou