Blank Verse Versus Free Verse
Although they're easily confused with one another there is a difference between blank verse poetry and free verse poetry.
How to tell the difference between a blank verse poem and a free verse poem.
Blank verse is poetry with a consistent meter but no formal rhyme pattern. Free verse is poetry that has no formal rhyme scheme or any metrical pattern. In poetry a meter is the pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables.
The best way to tell a blank verse poem from a free verse poem is by reading the poem aloud and pay attention to the syllables, writing down the number of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line. If you see a consistent pattern in the syllables then the post was probably writing a blank verse poem.
An iamb (EYE-am) is a literary device that is described as a metrical foot that uses unstressed syllables and stressed syllables. Think of a heartbeat and how the pattern feels: ba-BUM, ba-BUM, ba-BUM.
Understanding the origins of blank verse poetry.
Blank verse first appeared in sixteenth century Italy during the Renaissance. Later it was introduced to England in the 1550s by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey with his translation of Virgil's The Aeneid .
Blank verse became popular and has been used by writers such as Shakespeare, Milton, and Marlowe. The metered lines used in blank verse poetry is what distinguishes it from free verse.
Here's some examples of blank verse poetry you can read.
John Milton - “Paradise Lost”
W.B. Yeats - “The Second Coming”
Robert Browning - “Fra Lippo Lilppi”
Examples of Free Verse
Walt Whitman - “Song of Myself”
Allen Ginsberg - “Howl”
Christopher Smart - “My Cat Jeffory”
Conclusion
As you read different blank verse poems and then read different free verse poems you'll be able to hear the difference or see the difference.
Reading poetry aloud is the best way to hear the unstressed syllables along with the stressed syllables that make up blank verse poetry. Free verse differs from prose because of the line breaks poets use.
As with all poetry, writers play around with forms and bend the rules to create unique poems. I am partial to free verse poetry myself when writing. Which form do you prefer?
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