The urn is portrayed, in elevated language as a dignified and silent form, suitable for this horation ode comprised. It is written in iambic pentameter which lends the piece a familiar, flowing rhythm. The tone is both musing and meditative. The poem is an apostrophe as the speaker addresses the object directly, but the word 'urn' is only used in the title. The effect of this is to focus the reader's attention on what is …showed first 75 words of 1513 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1513 total…subverted in the last three lines of each stanza. The poem is crafted to leave the reader uncertain, and to provoke thought. The different interpretations that can be placed upon the piece must have been intentional. The hint of an answer at the end may be an illusion of one. If the speaker has come to no firm conclusion from his meditations on the urn, this is reflected in the readers meditation of the poem.