Dulce et Decorum Est
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through
sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
1. Theme(s)
Theme Explanation
The poem challenges the romanticized view of war. It shows the
The Reality of War
physical and emotional suffering of soldiers.
Disillusionment with Owen attacks the idea that dying for one's country is noble, calling
Patriotism it "the old Lie."
Death is shown as painful, terrifying, and undignified. Owen
Death and Trauma
captures the trauma of watching a comrade die.
Hypocrisy of The poem criticizes those who glorify war without experiencing
Propaganda it.
2. Form and Structure
Element Description
Lyric poem (expresses deep emotions); irregular iambic pentameter; no
Form
set stanza structure.
Stanza 1 Describes the exhaustion and misery of soldiers marching.
Stanza 2 Sudden panic: a gas attack and a soldier dying in agony.
A direct, bitter address to the reader (or propagandists), attacking the lie
Final lines
that war is glorious.
Volta (turning Comes at "Gas! GAS!" – changes from slow, tired tone to panic and
point) horror.
Enjambment Used to create flow and mimic the never-ending suffering.
Caesura Breaks in the lines reflect the chaotic rhythm of war.
3. Language and Diction
Feature Example Effect
“boys,” “guttering,” Brings realism and immediacy to the
Colloquial/Informal
“fumbling” poem.
Jargon/Technical Reflects real war language; increases
“Gas! GAS!” “helmets”
Terms authenticity.
“guttering,” “choking,” Highlights the brutality and horror of
Violent verbs
“drowning” war.
Repetition “Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!” Emphasizes panic and urgency.
Used ironically to criticize outdated
Archaic Latin phrase “Dulce et decorum est…”
ideals of glory.
4. Imagery and Symbols
Type Example Meaning
“blood-shod,” “green Evokes the physical suffering and surreal gas
Visual imagery
sea” attack.
“like old beggars under Compares soldiers to weak, poor figures –
Simile
sacks” anti-heroic.
Symbol: Gas “green sea,” “misty Symbolizes the horror and inhumanity of
Attack panes” modern warfare.
Suggests helplessness and a slow, painful
Symbol: Drowning “I saw him drowning”
death.
Symbol: ‘The old “Dulce et decorum Symbolizes false propaganda and patriotic
Lie’ est…” brainwashing.
5. Tone and Mood
Tone Angry, bitter, sarcastic
Mood Disturbing, shocking, heavy, nightmarish
Tone shifts from tired and weary → panicked and intense → bitter and accusatory.
The final lines act as direct condemnation of people who glamorize war.
6. Interpretation
Owen’s message: War is not glorious; it is horrifying.
He directly addresses people at home (especially pro-war poets and politicians) who
send young men to die.
The poem exposes the trauma of war, not just the death, but the way it dehumanizes
and destroys soldiers physically and mentally.
The last two lines are sarcastic — he calls it “The old Lie” to expose how false and
dangerous patriotic slogans are.
7. Quotations for Analysis
Quote Technique Effect
“Bent double, like old De-glorifies soldiers, shows them as
Simile
beggars under sacks” broken and weak.
Emphasizes how exhaustion has
“Drunk with fatigue” Metaphor
overwhelmed their senses.
Quote Technique Effect
Repetition + Sudden change in pace and tone – sheer
“Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!”
Exclamation panic.
“As under a green sea, I saw Describes the gas attack like suffocating
Metaphor
him drowning” underwater.
“guttering, choking, Tricolon + present Intensifies the suffering; continuous action
drowning” participles makes it more vivid.
“The old Lie: Dulce et Final bitter attack on the glorification of
Irony + direct
decorum est / Pro patria war. Latin makes it more formal and
address
mori.” scathing.
