Poetry Hacks

Alliteration

What is it? Where two or more nearby words begin with the same consonant sound.

What effect does it usually have? Words are given greater emphasis by being alliterated , and connected to one another, creating a strong sense of cohesion or harmony; certain sounds, which might have an onomatopoeic or other effect, are also made more noticeable. What else should I look out for? Since alliteration was used instead of rhyme in Old English poetry (e.g. in Beowulf ), where two or three words are alliterated every line, poets sometimes use it to evoke the Dark Ages.

An example of how it works … ‘Sonnet 127’ by William Shakespeare:

Fairing the foul with Art's false borrowed face

In this line, the poet expresses his contempt for the use of heavy make-up: those who are naturally ugly ('foul') can paint themselves a more attractive ('fair') face. The alliteration binds the operative words of the line together, giving special emphasis to the fourth alliterated word, 'false'; this is especially important, since a key idea of the poem is the contrast between the beloved's true beauty and the artificial – and temporary ('borrowed') – beauty of other women.

Another example … ‘The Shadow on the Stone’ by Thomas Hardy:

I thought her behind my back, Yea, her I long had learned to lack

4