What are the characters like in a lyrical poem?

Answer 1

Hello Stan!

This is a great question, because, contrary to dramatic or epic poetry, both of which usually contain multiple named characters (think Shakespeare's plays or the Iliad), lyric poetry almost always has just one character. Moreover, the point of view is first person, with the speaker of the poem being some sort of invented character closely resembling the perspective of the poet themselves. Typically, the character of a lyrical poem expresses, in some way or another, how they feel, think, or perceive the world. For this reason, the lyrical poem is the most common and widespread type of poetry, since it can encompass such a broad span of individual perspectives and poetic forms.

I hope this helps!

-AW

Answer 2

Do you mean the characteristics of a lyrical poem?

A lyrical poem has a musical quality and expresses emotion.

Those are the 2 main characteristics of a lyrical poem.

I ask because characters are the people or players in a story.

If you truly meant the characters, often lyrical poems are written in first person, so the character could be the narrator or speaker in the poem exploring his/her own feelings.

A good example of a lyrical poem is Annabelle Lee by Edgar Allan Poe. This website has part of that poem and several other famous ones.

http://www.examplesinpoetry.com/lyric-poetry-examples-definition

Enjoy reading and feeling through poems! Write some of your own just for fun.

I hope that helps a little.

Sue H.