Types of Poetry

 1. Narrative

-a poem that tells a story, and has the elements of a story

Types of narrative poetry

Epic – an epic is a long unified narrative poem, recounting in dignified language the adventures of a warrior, a king or a god, the whole embodying the religious and philosophical beliefs, the moral code, customs, traditions, manners, attitudes, sciences, folklore and culture of the people or country from which it came

Metrical Romance – it recounts the quest undertaken by a single knight in order to gain a lady’s favor

Metrical Tale – is a simple, straightforward story in verse

Ballad – is a narrative poem which is meant to be sung, usually composed in the ballad stanza

2. Dramatic

- A poem where the speaker is someone other than the poet themselves

- Often includes dialogues and characters

- Often from a fictional characters’ point of view

Types of Dramatic Poetry

Dramatic Monologue – is a literary device that is used when a character reveals his or her innermost thoughts and feelings, those that are hidden throughout the course of the story line, through a poem or a speech

Soliloquy – is the act of speaking while alone, especially when used as a theatrical device that allows a character’s thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience

3. Lyrical

- A poem that expresses emotions, appeals to your senses, and often could be set to music

Types of Lyric Poetry

Ode – is a dignified and elaborately structured lyric poem praising and glorifying an individual, commemorating an event, or describing nature intellectually rather than emotionally

Elegy – is a lyric poem, written in elegiac couplets, that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has died

Sonnet – is a short poem with fourteen lines, usually written in iambic parameter, penta means “five”, so a line of iambic parameter consists of five iamb – five sets of unstressed and stressed syllables

Song – is a lyric poem which is set to music , all songs have a strong beat created largely through the 3R’s: rhythm, rhyme, and repition

Simple lyric – is a short poem expressing the poet’s thought, feeling, or emotion