Explore the portrayal of war in the poetry of Wilfred Owen and William Shakespeare.

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Explore the portrayal of war in the poetry of Wilfred Owen and William Shakespeare.

There are many different types of war poetry and we have studied two very contrasting poems. "Before Agincourt" by William Shakespeare and "Dulce et Decorum est" by Wilfred Owen. "Before Agincourt" was written in the 16th century as a morale boosting speech to be spoken by Henry V before the Battle of Agincourt because his army was harshly outnumbered. Shakespeare wrote this speech by guessing at words possibly spoken by Henry V himself. "Dulce et Decorum est" was written in the 20th century by Wilfred Owen as a response to his traumatic experiences in the war. In this poem he attempts to portray the reality of war by indirectly exposing the truth behind the words of glorified war poetry. Both poems were written at a time when war was glorified, however whilst Shakespeare's was referring to this glory, Owens's was about the horror.

Written at the time of the First World War, Owen describes what he saw and how it affected him. In an attempt to shock, his thorough use of punctuation makes the reader take in and dwell upon all the shocking information that they are being given. "All went lame, all blind; drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots of tired, outstripped five-nines that dropped behind." By writing in short phrases, the poem is broken up so that the different sections of information stand out against each other.
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The use of stanzas and a definitive rhyme scheme help to emphasise Owens points of view and convey his message. The most effective stanza in my opinion is the third one that has just one phrase "In all my dreams before my helpless sight he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning." This is so effective because it is an isolated phrase that demands attention and extra thought from the reader. The rhyme scheme is important to keep the poem in the readers' head once they've finished reading it. Also, it helps to keep a steady pace throughout the ...

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