Republic of the Philippines

Eastern Visayas State University

Tanauan Campus
Tanauan, Leyte
College of Education

Narrative Poetry, Lyrical Poetry, and Dramatic Poetry

Narrative Poetry

The word narrative comes from the Latin narrare, “to tell or recount.”.

It is a poem that tells a story, it has a full storyline with all the elements of a
traditional story (characters, plot, conflict, resolution, setting and action). Born
from oral tradition, narrative poetry served to entertain, as well as preserve
and transmit cultural, historical, and religious content. Unlike lyric poetry,
narrative poems focus on plot and characters, rather than emotions.
Narrative poetry uses narrative and poetic elements to form an engaging
and indelible hybrid, narrative poems include old epics, lays and ballads

 Characters - A person in a literary work; People and animals who are involved in a
conflict in a story
 Plot – The Structure of the beginning, complication, climax, and resolution
 Setting – Time and place in which the story is told
Example of Narrative Poetry
1. Ballad
It is a ballad or song if the poem narrates a story in short stanzas.
2. Epic
It is a long poem, typically one derived from ancient and oral tradition. It
narrates the deeds and adventure of legendary heroic people such as
Gods, Kings, Knights, and other people in high stature and may also
feature the history of nation.
3. Lays
It is a short narrative or lyrical poem written in octosyllabic couplets, and it
deals with tales of adventure, romance, and chivalry.

Lyrical Poetry

“Derive from a form of Ancient Greek literature, a formal type of poetry

which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first
person. Also refers to a short poem, often with songlike qualities”
Lyrical Piece #1
Q1. Can you tell us about the author?
David, (flourished c. 1000 BCE), second king of ancient Israel. He founded
the Judaean dynasty and united all the tribes of Israel under a single monarch.
He was famous by the story of David and Goliath.
Q2. What is the piece all about?
Psalm 23 reminds us that in life or in death — in times of plenty or want —
God is good and worthy of our trust. The psalm uses the metaphor of a
shepherd’s care for his sheep to describe the wisdom, strength, and kindness of
our God. It gives voice to the sheep who are always eager to share what they
know to be true, that staying close to the shepherd is always the safe place to be,
for there can be nowhere He leads that does not, in the end, result in that which
will be good for His flock.

Lyrical Piece #2
Q1. Can you tell us about the author?
Christopher Marlowe was a poet and playwright at the forefront of the 16th-
century dramatic renaissance. Christopher Marlowe's literary career lasted less than
six years, and his life only 29 years. He was born in Canterbury around February 26,
1564.
Q2. What is the piece all about?
The Passionate Shepherd to His Love’ by Christopher Marlowe describes the
life that a shepherd wishes to create for his lover if she agrees to come and live with
him.
The poem begins with the speaker asking his lover to come and be with him
forever. If he does this simple thing, they will be able to experience all the joy that the
world has to offer. They will have all the best in life. By the end of the piece, it is not
clear whether she accepts his offer, but he seems to understand that it is up to her.
He has done his best and is waiting for her answer.

Literary piece #3

Q1. Can you tell us about the author?

Edwin Arlington Robinson was born in Head Tide, Maine in 1869. He was an
unhappy kid. An American poet who is best known for his short dramatic poems
concerning the people in a small New England village.
Q2. What is this piece all about?
Edwin Arlington Robinson's "Richard Cory" asks all of us to take a second
glance at the things we have in our lives, and the things we want. This poem is proof
that material wealth, good looks, and fancy things just can't guarantee our
happiness. This poem's got a lesson to teach us, and that lesson rings out loud and
clear: even the richest, handsomest man in the world has problems—even if you
can't see them from the outside. Just because a man looks like he should be happy
doesn't mean he is happy. We humans are complicated beings, and our
appearances don't always match our realities.

Literary Piece #4
Q1. Can you tell us about the author?
Jose Garcia Villa was born in 1907 in the Philippine Islands. His early
path did not involve poetry, instead he began a pre-medical course of study.
After some time, Villa recognized that his true passion was in the creative
arts, and his career as a writer began.
Q2. What is this piece all about?
This poem talks about the creation of man, of a man philosopher, to be
exact. When God created man, man was nothing but clay. But with man's own
efforts he developed himself into our civilized state. The first stanza of the
poem tells us how God has created a man, Biblically speaking, we were from
the clay but he has breathed on us and thus we are alive and has his image
through the spirit/soul that is in us. The last line of the poem reminds us that
indeed stupidity of man, thought of as great genius would be its downfall. In
this relation when viewed in the current world pandemic, one would see what
happens when man imitates and acts like God.
DRAMATIC POETRY
Dramatic poetry is one of the earliest forms of western literature,
originated in ancient Greece. It is a form of poetry that is written in verse and
meant to be recited in public or acted out.
Types of Dramatic Poetry
 Soliloquy
a character speaks aloud about what is going on inside their mind.
 Dramatic monologue
in which a character addresses someone else but reveals something
about themselves in the process.

 Character sketch
where the playwright invites the audience to form an opinion on the
character delivering their lines.
 Dialogue
between at least two characters.
 WRITTEN REPORT

IN

INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
1

GROUP 1
ABALOS, DIANALYN
CATINDOY, GRETCHEN GRACE
LUBAN, CHINITO
LLUVIOSO, ANGELYN