Analysis of On a certain Lady at Court

Alexander Pope 1688 (London) – 1744 (Twickenham)



I know the thing that's most uncommon;
  (Envy be silent and attend!)
I know a Reasonable Woman,
  Handsome and witty, yet a Friend.

Not warp'd by Passion, aw'd by Rumour,
  Not grave thro' Pride, or gay thro' Folly,
An equal Mixture of good Humour,
  And sensible soft Melancholy.

`Has she no Faults then (Envy says) Sir?'
  Yes she has one, I must aver:
When all the World comspires to praise her,
  The Woman's deaf, and does not hear.


Scheme ABAB CDCD CCCX
Poetic Form Quatrain  (67%)
Metre 110111010 10110001 110100010 10010101 11110110 111111110 11010111 01001100 111111011 11111110 11011110 01010111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 435
Words 82
Sentences 6
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 12
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 107
Words per stanza (avg) 26
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

25 sec read
632

Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) is regarded as one of the greatest English poets, and the foremost poet of the early eighteenth century. He is best known for his satirical and discursive poetry, including The Rape of the Lock, The Dunciad, and An Essay on Criticism, as well as for his translation of Homer. more…

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