Structure
- Metrical structure: The pattern of the poem, which includes meter or other rhythmic aspects.
Pace of the poem is shown through the length of lines. As lines get shorter, pace increases. As lines get longer, pace decreases.
Effect: Position of the stone is shown through the metrical structure. When the boulder is at a distant position from the peak, lines are long and the pace of Sisyphus' work is relatively slow since he has to put more strength. When the boulder is closer the peak, the lines are short and the pace of Sisyphus' work is relatively fast since he can put less strength. However, the lines start to get longer because the boulder become distant from the peak as it starts to roll down.
- Juxtaposition: placing or dealing with close together for contrasting effect
Line 21 to 23 focus on how much Sisyphus has passion for his work whereas line 24 to 29 focus on how much Mrs. Sisyphus feels lonely due to Sisyphus' indifferent behaviors towards her.
Effect: By having Sisyphus and Mrs. Sisyphus' contrasting opinions on Sisyphus' work, the poem emphasizes how much Sisyphus is unconcerned about his wife and how much Mrs. Sisyphus is irritated by his excessive diligence.
"My smile to a twisted smirk" (29)
Effect: By explicitly stating the change in her state of mind where she was happy in the past but unhappy in the present, Mrs. Sisyphus clearly reveals her feelings that include exasperation and loneliness.
- Repetition:
"Mustn't shirk"(21 and 23)
Effect: The repetition shows Sisyphus' commitment and preoccupation to his work, since he is trying to emphasise it by repeating the same line. In addition to this, the repeated lines show Mrs Sisyphus' monotonous life from Sisyphus' continuous action that never reaches an end.
- Enjambment: The continuation of meaning, without pause or break, from one line of poetry to the next
"that feckin' stone's no sonner up / than it's rolling back / all the way down." (17-19)
"while, up on the deepening murk of the hill, / he is giving one hundred per cent and more to his work." (30~31)
Effect: The enjambment of the lines that describe Sisyphus' ceaseless work creates an imagery of his everlasting task, helping readers to understand the boredom that Mrs. Sisyphus' feels.
- End-stopping: A line ending in a full pause, which is indicated by the punctuation
"at the moon-" (16)
Effect: The metrical structure creates an imagery of the position of the boulder. The pause indicated through dash appears to indicate a pause of the stone when it is located at the peak because the lines start to get longer starting from this point.