“Epic of Gilgamesh” is one of the earliest poetic works. It dates back to 2000 B.C. and was a tradition of the Sumerians. The ancient Greeks were also known for epic poetry that dates back as early as 1200 B.C. and A.D. 455. Homer and Hesiod were two of the most famous Greek poets. Homer wrote the “Iliad” and The “Odyssey” while Hesiod wrote “Works and Days.” It is said that poetry was originally used to tell a story so people could remember it easier. Most of the epic poetry was written in Latin. This is the beginning of the Odyssey:
SPEAK, MEMORY-
Of the cunning hero,
The wanderer, blown off course time and again
After he plundered Troy’s sacred heights.
In the medieval times, between 455 and 1485 poetry was being toyed with in regards to the language and subject matter. Ballads came out at this time. Poets got more imaginative during the Renaissance period. Verse drama was the new form of poetry. One of the playwrights written in this form was by the famous William Shakespeare. …show more content…
They are short and use a single topic. The two main sonnet forms are Petrarchan and Shakespearean. Petrarchan is the most common form of a sonnet. It is named after the Italian poet Francesco Petrarch. It has two stanzas; the octave, which is the first eight lines, and the answering sestet, which are the last six lines. Petrarchan shows observations, questions, or an argument during the octave than it takes a turn to answer the octaves needs. The Shakespearean sonnet is divided into three quatrains consisting of four line each. In the quatrain the poet has to create a problem or theme and then in the couple, the last two line, end it. Here is the first five lines of a sonnet by