Do not go gentle into that good night

Study Guide

Literary Devices

Structure

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Literary Devices Structure

Thomas wrote “Do not go gentle into that good night” using a highly structured poetic form known as a villanelle. A villanelle is a nineteen-line poem that must follow three basic rules. First, the poem must have two full lines that repeat at designated points in the poem. These lines are referred to as the refrains (R1 and R2). Second, the poem can only use two rhyme sounds. One rhyme sound (i.e., the A rhyme) comes from the two refrains, which must rhyme with each other. The other rhyme sound (i.e., the B rhyme) can be anything, but it must be maintained consistently throughout the poem. The third and final rule for the villanelle is that it must consist of five tercets and a concluding quatrain. Taken together, these rules yield a poem structured as follows:

Tercet 1: R1–B–R2
Tercet 2: A–B–R1
Tercet 3: A–B–R2
Tercet 4: A–B–R1
Tercet 5: A–B–R2
Quatrain: A–B–R1–R2

One noteworthy aspect of this highly controlled structure is the way the two refrains repeat in an alternating pattern that braids them together. These repeating lines, matched with the repetition of the overall rhyme scheme, has a certain relentlessness that creates a sense of obsessive focus. That is, the whole poem is effectively organized around the single message the speaker wishes to drive home: don’t die without a fight!