In stanza’s twelve to twenty eight of the poem “Isabella/The pot of Basil”, language and structure take on an immense role in the development of the poem. Keats uses rhyming couplets in the poem in order to convey the natural flow of nature and fate to the reader. We can see an example of this when Lorenzo says “Love Isabel, I was in pain, lest I should miss to bid thee a good morrow, Ah! What if I should loose thee, so fain?” Along with the connotations of the use of rhyming couplets in the poem, we could also argue that the method of rhyming couplets represents fate and a lack of control, in the sense that it is very hard to break away from the rhythm that rhyming couplets lay down.

       Another feature of the poem that reflects fate and a lack of control throughout the poem is the fact that the poem generally obeys the rules of iambic pentameter. This is when each line contains ten syllables with every second symbol stressed. We can see an example of this when the narrator says “So the two brothers and their murdered man”. This shows us that the poem obeys certain rules such as iambic pentameter, which we could argue convey fate/God’s plan. This is reflected throughout the poem, even during chaotic parts of the poem such as when Lorenzo is murdered by Isabel’s two brothers. We can see this during stanza twenty eight when the narrator says “There was Lorenzo slain and buried in.” This conveys to the reader a sense of conflict between fate and control.

       Metaphors are commonly used throughout the poem to exaggerate certain features of the characters. We can see this when the narrator says “And at last these men of cruel clay”. This emphasises the cruelty of Isabel’s brothers and intervenes with the reader’s opinion of the brothers. This allows Keats to have a huge influence on the reader and their views. It helps him to make the reader see the characters how they are meant to be seen.

       There are several points in the poem where Keats asks the reader a rhetorical question. A good example of this is when the narrator says “How was it these same ledger men could spy fait Isabel in her downy nest?” This invites the reader to participate in the poem and makes the poem more enjoyable to read.