Types of Poetry
There are many different types of poetry. Each type may have a different form or requirements. Some include:
Ballad--a narrative poem that tells a story and was originally meant to be sung or recited. Traditional ballads are written in four-line stanzas with regular thythm and rhyme.
Blank verse--an unrhymed poem written in iambic pentameter, which means that each line of blank verse has five pairs of syllables. In most pairs, an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable.
Elegy--an extended poem in which the speaker reflects on death, often in tribute to a person who has died, or on an equally serious subject. Elegies are usually written in formal, dignified language and are serious in tone.
Epic--A long narrative poem on a serious subject, presented in an formal style. An epic follows the adventures of a great hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or race. Epics address universal concerns, such as good and evil, life and death, etc.
Free Verse--does not contain regular patterns of rhythm or rhyme. The lines often flow more naturally than do rhymed, metrical lines. It usually has the rhythm of everyday speech. Free verse may contain rhythmic and sound effects.
Limerick--a short, humorous poem composed of five lines. It usually has the rhyme scheme aabba, created by two rhyming couplets followed by a fifth line that rhymes with the first couplet.
Lyric--a short poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings. Most poems, other than dramatic or narrative pomes, are lyric poems.
Narrative--a poem that tells a story. It contains characters, a setting, and a plot.
Ode--a type of lyric poem that deals with serious themes, such as justice, truth, or beauty. Many commemorate events or praise people or elements of nature.
Sonnet--a poem that has a formal structure, containing 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme and meter. Sonnets often contain three four-line stanzas or quatrains, and a final couplet.
Ballad--a narrative poem that tells a story and was originally meant to be sung or recited. Traditional ballads are written in four-line stanzas with regular thythm and rhyme.
Blank verse--an unrhymed poem written in iambic pentameter, which means that each line of blank verse has five pairs of syllables. In most pairs, an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable.
Elegy--an extended poem in which the speaker reflects on death, often in tribute to a person who has died, or on an equally serious subject. Elegies are usually written in formal, dignified language and are serious in tone.
Epic--A long narrative poem on a serious subject, presented in an formal style. An epic follows the adventures of a great hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or race. Epics address universal concerns, such as good and evil, life and death, etc.
Free Verse--does not contain regular patterns of rhythm or rhyme. The lines often flow more naturally than do rhymed, metrical lines. It usually has the rhythm of everyday speech. Free verse may contain rhythmic and sound effects.
Limerick--a short, humorous poem composed of five lines. It usually has the rhyme scheme aabba, created by two rhyming couplets followed by a fifth line that rhymes with the first couplet.
Lyric--a short poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings. Most poems, other than dramatic or narrative pomes, are lyric poems.
Narrative--a poem that tells a story. It contains characters, a setting, and a plot.
Ode--a type of lyric poem that deals with serious themes, such as justice, truth, or beauty. Many commemorate events or praise people or elements of nature.
Sonnet--a poem that has a formal structure, containing 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme and meter. Sonnets often contain three four-line stanzas or quatrains, and a final couplet.