Stanzas - paragraph of poetry 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Couplet - two line stanza Triplet - three line Quatrain - four line Quintet - five line Sestet - six line Septet - seven line Octave - eight line

Stanza Types:

Heroic couplet - two successive rhyming verses completing a thought Terza Rima - three line stanza with interwoven rhyme scheme iambic pentameter Limerick - five lines, anapestic A A B B A Ballad stanza - four lines, rhyme scheme of A B C B Royal Rime - seven lines in iambic pentameter A B A B B C C Ottava Rima - Italian stanza, iambic pentameter A B A B A B C C Spenserian stanza - nine lines, eight in iambic penta, one alexandrine a line of iambic hexameter A B A B B C B C C Sonnet- fourteen line stanza form in iambic pentameter Italian or Petrarchan - fourteen line; A B B A A B B A C D E C D E (CD CD CD) Shakespearean - fourteen line quatrains and a couplet A B A B C D C D E FEFGG

Rhythm is another element of poetry that merits exploration. It is the cadence of the words that strengthens a poems hold on sound and sense. Meter - the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables established in a line of poetry. The stressed syllable is also known as the accented syllable, like in the word Dou-ble the first syllable gets the emphasis.

Foot - A foot is unit of meter. A foot consists of one stressed and one or more unstressed syllables. Basic types of metrical feet are: Iambic foot - unstressed, stressed (EX: be-low, de-light) Trochaic foot - stressed, unstressed (EX: ne-ver, hap-py) Anapestic foot - unstressed, unstressed, stressed (EX: in-ter-twine) Dactylic foot - stressed, unstressed, unstressed (EX: mur-mur-ing) Spondaic foot - stressed, stressed (EX: heartbreak, childhood) Pyrrhic foot - unstressed, unstressed (this is extremely rare, and usually interspersed in other lines of poetry) Metric feet are then broken into types of lines, depending on how many feet are in each line. Iambic pentameter is the most commonly used form in the English language. Monometer - one foot line Dimeter - two foot line Trimeter - three foot line Tetrameter- four foot line Pentameter - five foot line Hexameter - six foot line Heptameter - seven foot line Octometer - eight foot line (after this, lines are referred to as nine foot line, ten foot line, and so on.) Poems can usually be divided into three classifications, narrative, lyric and dramatic. Narrative: a story told in verse form

Epic - a long poem relating deeds of a great heroic character. Example: Beowulf Metrical romance - adventures of romantic poetry. Example: Faerie Queen

Metrical tale - when a narrative poem is told in first person. Example: The Lady of Shallot Ballad - originally meant to be sung, written in quatrains, usually incorporates a refrain, or repeated chorus. Folk ballad - anonymous creation passed orally through generations Literary ballad - written deliberately in the form of a folk ballad

Lyric: meant to be sung or recited to music. Lyric poems enable poets to express feelings and personal emotions.

Elegy - formal poem of lamentation, usually about a death, or the symbolic passage of mankind. Ode - serious, long poem which uses elevated language and elaborate structure. Sonnet - set apart by distinct form, commonly about love. Complaint - poem where poet laments of the loss of love, or unrequited affections.

Dramatic: when the characters of the poem speak and move before us

Opera - poetry set to music, dialogue is usually sung Musical comedy - popular entertainment. Example: Once Upon A Mattress, Guys and Dolls Dramatic monologue - single character speaking to a silent audience. Example: My Last Duchess, by Robert Browning Dramatic dialogue - conversation shared in poetic format

Iamb

Iambic

Unstressed + Stressed

Two

Trochee

Trochaic

Stressed + Unstressed

Two

Spondee

Spondaic

Stressed + Stressed

Two

Anapest

Anapestic

Unstressed + Unstressed + Stressed Three

Dactyl

Dactylic

Stressed + Unstressed + Unstressed Three

Amphibrach Amphibrachic Unstressed + Stressed + Unstressed Three

Pyrrhic

Pyrrhic

Unstressed + Unstressed

Two