“Break, Break, Break” Introduction

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“Break, Break, Break” Summary

“Break, Break, Break” Themes

• 

  Loss and Impermanence

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• 

  The Difficulty of Moving On

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Break, Break, Break”

• Lines 1-2

  Break, break, break,
           On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 3-4

  And I would that my tongue could utter
           The thoughts that arise in me.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 5-8

  O, well for the fisherman's boy,
           That he shouts with his sister at play!
  O, well for the sailor lad,
           That he sings in his boat on the bay!

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 9-10

  And the stately ships go on
           To their haven under the hill;

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 11-12

  But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand,
           And the sound of a voice that is still!

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 13-16

  Break, break, break,
           At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!
  But the tender grace of a day that is dead
           Will never come back to me.

  

  

  

  

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“Break, Break, Break” Symbols

• 

  The Sea

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“Break, Break, Break” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Apostrophe

  

  

  

  

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• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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• Irony

  

  

  

  

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• Juxtaposition

  

  

  

  

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• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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• Sibilance

  

  

  

  

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“Break, Break, Break” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Break
• Thy
• Would
• Utter
• Lad
• Stately
• Haven
• Vanish'd
• Foot
• Crags
• Tender
• Grace
• Dead

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Break, Break, Break”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Break, Break, Break” Speaker

“Break, Break, Break” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Break, Break, Break”

More “Break, Break, Break” Resources

• External Resources

  • Pictures of Tennyson — Because the 19th century saw the onset of photography, there are a number of pictures of Tennyson himself available for perusal! 

  • Hear the Poem Out Loud — Listen to a dramatic reading of "Break, Break, Break" by the famous British actor Sir John Gielgud.

  • A More Detailed Look — Read about Tennyson's life in more detail, especially regarding his tumultuous upbringing.

  • The Poet's Life — Watch a documentary about Tennyson's life.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson

  • Crossing the Bar

  • Tears, Idle Tears

  • The Brook

  • The Charge of the Light Brigade

  • The Eagle

  • The Kraken

  • The Lady of Shalott

  • Tithonus

  • Ulysses