10th Dramatic Poetry and Poetic Forms

Poetic Forms (Structures)

Haiku – unrhymed lyric poem of three lines of five, seven, and five syllables. It usually includes an image from nature

Tanka – five unrhymed lines of five, seven, five, seven and seven syllables. Like haiku, tanka also includes simple, straightforward images.

Sonnet – fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter (five unaccented syllables each followed by an accented one)

Villanelle – lyric poem written in three-line stanzas and ending in a four-line stanza. It has two refrains formed by repeating line 1 in lines 6, 12, and 18 and line 3 in lines 9, 15, and 19.

Quatrain – group of four lines

Cinquain – group of five lines

“The Waking”

Villanelle that reflects upon our daily process of waking up – literally and figuratively – the process of becoming “awake” to the world of nature and the meaning of life.

Two refrain lines: 1,3, 6 & 12; Variations appear in lines 9 & 15

These lines express the central meaning of the poem: that waking up to life and learning about life represent a gradual process that cannot be rushed or planned.

The speaker advises us to appreciate nature, which can teach us to appreciate the beauty of life.

Tanka & Haiku

Japanese poems that reflect on traditional Buddhist emphasis on contemplation of nature as a path to wisdom and understanding. Vivid, fleeting images from nature express ideas and feelings about human experience.

The poem is usually one sentence or phrase.

Images

Cold & winter/autumn = sadness

Spring & flowers = freshness and new beginnings

Dramatic poetry involves a narrative poem of a person in a specific situation. It can involve emotions, but has so much more to it. An example of this type of writing is in Shakespeare's plays.

All conclusions about character and situation must be inferred from what the characters say in the dialogue, similar to a play.

“The Bridegroom”

Variation on the familiar folk motif of a worthy young person standing up to declare independence and becoming heroic. By doing so. it raises questions about fate, whishes, and particularly about making choices for yourself.

“The Stolen Child”

Faries tempting a child to leave his life as a human.

“La Belle Dame sans Merci”

“The Beautiful Woman Without Pity”