Caesura
Literary term · say it sih-ZHOOR-uh
A caesura is a pause within a line of verse, often marked by punctuation or a natural break in speech. It can separate ideas, give a word extra weight, or let a feeling settle before the line continues.
Two ways caesura appears
A firm stop
A full stop or another strong punctuation mark can divide a verse line sharply. The line continues, but the thought changes or comes to rest.
Near the end of Ozymandias, the traveller states that nothing remains beside the ruined statue. A full stop within the line separates that stark statement from the description of the surrounding decay.
In Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
A softer pause
A comma or a natural turn in a sentence can create a lighter pause. The thought carries on across the break.
In the opening line of The Raven, a comma separates the description of a gloomy midnight from the speaker's account of sitting tired and thinking. The pause slows the scene without ending the sentence.
In The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
How to spot caesura
- Read the verse aloud at a natural pace.
- Notice pauses that fall inside a line rather than at its end.
- Ask what each pause separates or brings into focus.
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Does a caesura always need punctuation?
No, a caesura can occur without punctuation when the sense or phrasing invites a clear pause. Commas, full stops, colons, and other marks often help identify one, but the important feature is the break within the verse line.
What is the difference between caesura and enjambment?
Caesura is a pause within a verse line, while enjambment carries a sentence or phrase across a line ending without a strong pause. Both concern the movement of verse, and a single passage can contain both.
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