DRAMATIC

POETRY
DRAMATIC POETRY DEFINED

HAS ELEMENTS THAT CLOSELY RELATE IT TO DRAMA, EITHER

BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN IN SOME KIND OF DRAMATIC FORM, OR USES
A DRAMATIC TECHNIQUE
• MAY ALSO SUGGEST A STORY, BUT THERE IS MORE EMPHASIS ON
CHARACTER RATHER THAN ON THE NARRATIVE
 FORMS OF DRAMATIC POETRY

1. DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE
2. SOLILOQUY
3. CHARACTER SKETCH
1. DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE

A COMBINATION OF DRAMA AND POETRY PRESENTS THE SPEECH

OF A SINGLE CHARACTER "IN A SPECIFIC SITUATION AT A CRITICAL
MOMENT "THE SPEAKER ADDRESSES ONE OR MORE PERSONS
WHO ARE PRESENT AND WHO ARE LISTENING TO THE SPEAKER,
BUT REMAIN SILENT”
• THE SPEAKER'S PERSONALITY AND CHARACTER, HIS
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHERS, HIS SENSE OF VALUES AND ATTITUDES
TOWARDS LIFE ARE INDIRECTLY GLEANED FROM HIS MONOLOGUE
2. SOLILOQUY

• A PASSAGE SPOKEN BY A SPEAKER IN A POEM OR A CHARACTER

IN A PLAY
• SOLILOQUY IS THE WORD WE TRADITIONALLY USE TO REFER TO
A MONOLOGUE THAT IS DELIVERED WHEN THE CHARACTER IS
ALONE. IN SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE
MANY SPEECHES THAT BEGIN WITH A CHARACTER SAYING
SOMETHING LIKE “NOW I AM ALONE.” AND YOU KNOW YOU ARE
ABOUT TO EXPERIENCE A SOLILOQUY.
 EXAMPLE OF SOLILOQUY

FROM THE STORY OF ROMEO AND JULIET:

ROMEO: “BUT SOFT! WHAT LIGHT THROUGH YONDER WINDOW BREAKS?”
ROMEO: “OH, SHE DOTH TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN BRIGHT!”
JULIET: “THE CLOCK STRUCK NINE WHEN I DID SEND THE NURSE”
JULIET: “GALLOP APACE, YOU FIERY-FOOTED STEEDS”
ROMEO: “HOW OFT WHEN MEN ARE AT THE POINT OF DEATH,”
3. CHARACTER SKETCH

• A POEM IN WHICH "THE WRITER IS CONCERNED LESS WITH

MATTERS OF STORY, COMPLETE OR IMPLIED, THAN HE IS WITH
AROUSING SYMPATHY, ANTAGONISM, OR MERELY INTEREST FOR
AN INDIVIDUAL“
• POET - SERVES AS OBSERVER AND COMMENTATOR
• INCORPORATES THE ELEMENT OF SUSPENSE, CONFLICT, OR
TENSION
EXAMPLE OF A CHARACTER SKETCH.
ROWAN IS A TWELVE YEAR OLD BOY WHO LIVES IN THE TINY VILLAGE OF RIN. HE IS SMALL
AND RATHERSCRAWNY FOR HIS AGE. HIS UNKEMPT, CURLY BROWN HAIR LOOKS LIKE A MOP
ON HIS TINY FACE ANDHIS THINNESS MAKES HIM LOOK LIKE A WALKING SKELETON.THE
PEOPLE IN THE VILLAGE POKE FUN OF ROWAN. THE ADULTS CALL HIM A WEAKLING
BECAUSE HE NEVER STANDS UP FOR HIMSELF. THE CHILDREN CALL HIM A COWARD
BECAUSE WHEN CONFRONTED WITH A PROBLEM, ROWAN ALWAYS RUNS AWAY.ROWAN IS
THE GENTLEST OF THE CHILDREN IN THE VILLAGE. HE IS THE ONLY CHILD THAT CAN
APPROACH ANY OF THE FARM ANIMALS WITHOUT SCARING THEM AWAY. THEY TRUST IS
SOOTHING TOUCH AND CALMING VOICE OVER THE ROUGHNESS AND LOUDNESS OF THE
OTHER KIDS.ROWAN FACES THE GREATEST CHALLENGE OF HIS LIFE. HE POSSESS A SPECIAL
GIFT THAT HE MUST USE TO SAVE THE VILLAGE FROM THE FIERCE DRAGON THAT LIVES IN
THE MOUNTAIN. HE STARTS THE JOURNEY AFRAID OF WHAT HE MIGHT FACE AND WORRIED
THAT HE WILL LET THE VILLAGE PEOPLE DOWN. AFTER FACING AND WINNING OVER HIS
FIRST TEST, HE GROWS MORE CONFIDENT AND STRONGER SO THAT BY THE END OF THE
NOVEL, HE HAS ALL THE STRENGTH HE NEEDS TO FACE HIS GREATEST TEST, A FACE-TO-FACE
MEETING WITH THE DRAGON.I THINK ROWAN DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE TREATED SO POORLY.
POETIC FORMS
DEFINITION OF POETIC FORMS
A POETIC FORM IS A SET OF RULES THAT DICTATE THE RHYME SCHEME,
STRUCTURE, RHYTHM, AND METER OF A POEM. THE FORM MAY ALSO GUIDE THE
PURPOSE AND TONE OF A POEM. WHEN THE MESSAGE AND FORM FIT TOGETHER,
YOU CAN PRODUCE A POEM THAT IS TRULY POWERFUL.
POET MATSUO BASHO ONCE SAID, "IN MY VIEW A GOOD POEM IS ONE IN WHICH
THE FORM OF THE VERSE AND THE JOINING OF ITS PARTS SEEMS LIGHT AS A
SHALLOW RIVER FLOWING OVER ITS SANDY BED."
• EVERY POEM HAS A FORM—ITS OWN WAY OF APPROACHING THESE ELEMENTS—
WHETHER THAT FORM IS UNIQUE JUST TO THAT POEM, OR PART OF A MORE
WIDELY USED POETIC FORM.
• POETRY FORMS ARE DEFINED POETIC STRUCTURES USED ACROSS MULTIPLE
POEMS, GENERALLY BY MULTIPLE AUTHORS. TWO WELL-KNOWN EXAMPLES ARE
THE HAIKU AND THE LIMERICK. BOTH FORMS OF POETRY ARE DEFINED BY THEIR
STRUCTURE IN EXACTLY THE ELEMENTS DESCRIBED ABOVE: LINE LENGTH,
METER, RHYME SCHEME. AND THESE FORMS INFLUENCE HOW THE POETRY
WRITTEN IN THEM TENDS TO TURN OUT, FROM TERSE AND PROFOUND (HAIKU)
TO SINGSONGY AND SILLY (LIMERICK).
 TYPES OF POETIC FORMS

1. LYRIC 8. ELEGY 14. NARRATIVE POETRY 20. EPIGRAM

2. SONNET 9. BLANK VERSE 15. SIMILE

3. HAIKU
10. EPIC 16. ACROSTIC
4. VILLANELLE
11. COUPLET 17. STANZA
5. FREE VERSE
6. ODE 12. RHYME 18. REPITITION

7. LIMERICK 13. SESTINA 19. BALLAD

READING POETRY
 HOW TO READ A POETRY

• JUST SPEAK CLEARLY AND SLOWLY. OBVIOUSLY, POEMS COME IN LINES, BUT
PAUSING AT THE END OF EVERY LINE WILL CREATE A CHOPPY EFFECT AND
INTERRUPT THE FLOW OF THE POEM’S SENSE. READERS SHOULD PAUSE ONLY
WHERE THERE IS PUNCTUATION, JUST AS YOU WOULD WHEN READING PROSE,
ONLY MORE SLOWLY