Caesura: GCSE English Definition

What is caesura?

In GCSE English Literature, caesura is a poetic device that involves a pause in a line of poetry, usually marked by punctuation such as a comma, a dash or a full stop.

Why do writers use caesura?

Caesura interrupts the flow of a line in poetry, creating a range of different effects for the reader. Caesura can be used to create a contrast between the ideas on either side of the punctuation, to emphasise specific words and phrases or to focus the reader’s attention on a particular idea.

The word comes from the Latin verb caedere which means “to cut”, just as lines of poetry are cut off or interrupted when poets use caesura. 

Examples of caesura

Remember me when no more day by day

You tell me of our future that you planned:

Only remember me; you understand 

In ‘Remember’, a poem about death, Christina Rossetti uses caesura in the last line by adding a semicolon between the words “me” and “you” to emphasise the separation between the speaker and their beloved. Visually, this creates the sense that the speaker (who wishes to be remembered) is coming to an end, while “you”, the beloved, must carry on alone.

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating

In ‘If-’, the poet Rudyard Kipling splits his lines with commas. This use of caesura highlights the contrast between the advice the poet gives to the reader and the negative actions of others, strengthened by the repetition of “don’t”. 

Revision resources to ace your exams

For guidance on how to analyse the use of caesura in poems, check out our detailed revision notes. All our notes are course-specific, so everything you’ll need to ace your exams is in one place!

GCSE English Literature Revision Notes 

For more literary techniques, check out our list of 127 top literary devices, complete with student-friendly definitions.