Following figures of speech have been used in the poem The Hollow Crown:

1. Personification– Personification is a figure of speech in which an idea or thing is given human attributes and/or feelings or is spoken of as if it were human. Examples- “Keeps Death his court”, “the bosom of the earth”
2. Simile- A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two things. Example- “that small model of the barren earth/ Which serves as paste and cover to our bones”
3. Metaphor– A metaphor directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. Example- “As if this flesh which walls about our life/ Were brass impregnable”
4. Enjambment– It is the continuation of a sentence to multiple lines. The lines from “For God’s sake” to “farewell king!” are part of a single sentence. This is an example of enjambment.
5. Alliteration- It is the occurrence of the same sound at the beginning of closely connected words. Examples- “Our lands, our lives”, “some slain in war”, “some sleeping kill’d”, “Scoffing his state”
6. Rhetorical Question– A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer. Example- “How can you say to me, I am a king?”

The Hollow Crown Poem Summary