What types of poetry are there?

Narrative

Narrative poems tell stories. They may vary in style, use of rhyme, and rhythm. Epic poems tend to be longer poems with emphasis on the plot of the story. Epic poems often deal with adventures and heroes. The story centers around the hero‘s ability to reach a major achievement. The Ballad also tells a story and is a narrative poem.

Ballads, most of which are anonymous, are poems that tell stories about people who experience dramatic events such as murder, war, revenge, love, and jealousy. Originally, ballads were songs that were shared and changed by many people. The stories often included elements of magic or superstition as part of their stories. Dialogue is a key element in most ballads. Although it takes many forms, the traditional ballad has four line stanzas with a rhyme scheme of AABB. Parts of the ballad are repeated to give it its musical quality.

The Ballad on the following page has five line stanzas with a rhyme scheme of ABAAB.