Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View
W.H. Auden is the narrator of the poem and it is told from his point of view.
Form and Meter
The poem is written in free verse and does not follow a regular meter.
Metaphors and Similes
"His dreams" is an example of a metaphor used in the poem.
Alliteration and Assonance
"safe and asleep" is an example of alliteration.
Irony
The dictator thought he was doing good for his people, but was really oppressive and cruel.
Genre
Political commentary
Setting
The poem doesn't have an explicit setting, but presumably takes place in a country who had a dictator that died.
Tone
Tonally, the poem is critical and reflective.
Protagonist and Antagonist
There is no protagonist in the poem; however, the tyrant is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The conflict in the poem is between the tyrant's desire for power and wealth and his disregard for the well-being of those who live under him.
Climax
The poem doesn't utilize a traditional climax.
Foreshadowing
N/A.
Understatement
There is no clear example of understatement in the poem "Epitaph on a Tyrant."
Allusions
The poem contains no explicit allusions to anything else. However, the poem implicitly references the horrors committed by dictators throughout history.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
"His laws" refers to the tyrant's rules and regulations he imposed on his subjects.
Personification
N/A.
Hyperbole
N/A.
Onomatopoeia
N/A.
