Analysis

In this section, we will summarise the analysis of “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen.

In the case of “Dulce et Decorum Est”, the outer and inner composition are closely linked. The stanza division also reflects an inner division of the poet’s perspective. The poem seems straightforward in terms of rhythm and rhyme at a superficial read. Nevertheless, the poet juggles with the traditional meter and rhyme scheme of a sonnet.

The main characters in the poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen are the speaker himself, or the lyrical I, and the soldier affected by chlorine gas. However, you can also think of the unnamed receiver in the last 14 lines as an absent character.

Some of the specific figures of speech employed by the poet to create imagery are allusions, similes, metaphors, epithets, and symbols.  The language and style of the poem make it come across as a lyrical narrative. In some ways, the poem resembles the narration of a story, but the pathos, the multiple adjectives, and the sentence structure contribute to giving it more lyricism.

You can read the full analysis of the poem in the next pages.