FEATURES OF A BALLAD

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A ballad is a poem or a song narrating a story in short stanzas in a simple, rhythmic language. In simple terms it is more like a folk song. 

They basically tell stories of the time it was written. 


 FEATURES OF A BALLAD:

  • Ballad is a short story in the form of a verse.
  • It has a universal appeal.
  • Ballad has an sudden and unexpected opening.
  • Language used is mostly colloquial.
  • There are no extra details about the surroundings.
  • Dialogue is an important element of ballad.
  • Use of supernatural elements can be observed.

TYPES OF BALLAD:

  • Literary Ballad
  • Traditional / Folk Ballad
  • Broadside Ballad

HOW TO RECOGNIZE A BALLAD?

  • It must be a narrative.
  • Tone should be impersonal.
  • Written in stanza of four lines in which the first and the third line consists of 8 syllables each and the second and the fourth line consists of 6 syllables each.  

STRUCTURE OF A  BALLAD:

  • Rhyme scheme: ABCB or ABAB
  • Form: Quatrain / four-lined stanzas; Narrative.
  • The first and the third line are written in iambic pentameter.
  • The second and the fourth line are in trimester.
  • On some specific occasions it is sung as a song.

Examples:

Few famous ballads include John Keats' "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" , Thomas Hardy's "During Wind and Rain" and Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee".







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