1. A pause in a line of verse

dictated by sense or natural speech rhythm rather than by metrics. 2. A pause or interruption, as in conversation: After another weighty caesura the senator resumed speaking.

What is a Caesural pause?

A caesura is a pause in a line of poetry that is formed by the rhythms of natural speech rather than by metrics. A caesura will usually occur near the middle of a poetic line but can also occur at the beginning or the end of a line. In poetry, there are two types of caesural breaks: feminine and masculine.

What is caesura and examples?

In the simplest terms, a caesura is a natural end in a poetic phrase or break in the rhyme. Let's look at Shakespeare's line again. To be, or not to be - that is the question. The example has two caesurae; the clearest one comes after be and before that. It's a dramatic pause in the meter of the writing.