What Is a Caesura? | Definition & Examples
A caesura is a break or pause in a line of poetry, either caused by the natural flow of the language or marked by punctuation.
The purpose of a caesura is to make the poem sound more like natural speech, emphasizing certain words, and helping to create a more interesting and engaging rhythm. Caesura is often indicated using lines, either slashed (//) or upright (||).
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Caesura definition
A caesura is a technique that creates a pause in a line of verse where one phrase ends and another begins. Derived from the Latin word “caedere” meaning “to cut,” a caesura refers to a deliberate interruption in the flow of words. A line of poetry can have more than one caesura or none at all.
If the pause is near the beginning of the line, it’s called an initial caesura; if it’s in the middle, it’s called a medial caesura; and if it’s near the end, it’s called a terminal caesura. The most common type is the medial caesura.
“I’m nobody! // Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there’s a pair of us // – don’t tell!” (“I’m Nobody! Who Are You?” By Emily Dickinson)
Depending on the type of syllable that precedes the pause in a line of poetry, a caesura can be categorized as:
- Feminine, following an unstressed syllable and creating a softer pause (e.g., “Getting and spending, // we lay waste our power”)
- Masculine, following a stressed syllable and resulting in a more abrupt pause (e.g., “We have given our hearts away, // a sordid boon!”)
Caesura examples
A caesura may coincide with punctuation marks, but that is not always the case. Sometimes it is introduced after a word to slow down the reading pace and add emphasis to specific parts of a line.
| Example | Function |
|---|---|
| “The world is too much with us; // late and soon,
Getting and spending, // we lay waste our powers; Little we see in Nature that is ours;” |
The caesuras in the poem “The World Is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth emphasize the disconnection between humanity and nature, echoing the theme of the poem, which is a critique of human materialism. |
| “We slowly drove – // He knew no haste” | This caesura in Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” slows down the reading pace, reinforcing the idea of slow movement. |
| “It is for you we speak, // not for ourselves:
You are abused // and by some putter-on That will be damn’d for’t; // would I knew the villain, I would land-damn him. // Be she honour-flaw’d, I have three daughters; // the eldest is eleven” |
The caesuras in this excerpt from The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare follow the punctuation marks, imitating natural speech. One exception is in the second line where the caesura highlights the word “abuse.” |
| “When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, // in midst of other woe” |
In “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats, the caesura after “remain” can be seen as imitating the stillness of the urn referenced in the poem. |
| “The fair breeze blew, // the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free;” |
In these lines from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the caesura works together with alliteration (repetition of the “f” and “b” sounds).
The caesura divides the line in two equal parts emphasizing the two images of the breeze and the foam. It introduces a pause that makes the alliterative sounds stand out more. |
Frequently asked questions about caesura
- What is an example of caesura?
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An example of caesura can be found in the lines from the prologue of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet:
“Two households, // both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, // where we lay our scene.”Here, the commas after “households” and “Verona” create natural pauses, marking the caesurae. These pauses emphasize the words that precede them—the two families and the setting—directing the audience’s attention to key elements of the plot.
- What is the difference between caesura and enjambment?
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Caesura and enjambment are both techniques that impact the rhythm and pacing of a poem, but they should not be confused.
A caesura is an intentional break when reading a poem, often created with the help of punctuation, such as a comma, full stop, or a colon. It creates a moment of reflection or emphasis within the line, often altering the rhythm and pace of the poem.
Enjambment occurs when a sentence or phrase continues from one line of poetry to the next without a pause or punctuation at the end of the first line. This encourages the reader to continue until the sentence is concluded, speeding up the pace of the poem.
In short, caesura introduces a pause in a line of verse, while enjambment eliminates pauses between lines to create a continuous flow.
