Theatricality, didacticism, prosaic verse, use of persons as symbols, contemplative mood, flashbacks are some of Cavafy’s recurring ‘tropes’. Discuss.
Within the vast poetry collection of Constantine Cavafy, arguably, a pattern of recurring tropes emerges,
offering the readers an in depth understanding of what defines his artistry. The poems that I have chosen
for this essay being Young Men of Sidon, Alexandrian Kings and Kaisarion, from his book The
Collected poems. One might say that they serve as an example of Cavafy’s gravitation towards an array
of literary devices such as theatricality, didacticism, prosaic verse, use of persons as symbols,
contemplative mood and flashbacks, one might say that they create a narrative that extends beyond the
individual poems, inviting us to explore the timeless themes captured by Cavafy.
