What is Allegory in Poetry with Examples?

An allegory refers to a figure of speech and a literary device, which is widely used in varied forms of arts. It is a set of symbols that act together to make the text coherent and concise. The main objective of using an allegory is to convey the hidden ideas and concepts of the piece of art and literature to the readers, listeners and viewers. In other words, it helps readers and listeners understand the symbolic and hidden meanings that are represented by the characters or events in the poems or stories. Generally, a writer conveys a lesson or moral to the readers through the characters, setting and plots, which called as an allegory.

A poem is a piece of writing that uses similes or metaphors to convey the feelings or ideas in a rhythmic form to the listeners and readers. In order to convey the deep emotion, the poet uses a lot of imagery. In an allegorical poem, the words act as a set of symbols so as to convey the hidden emotions and feelings. An allegorical poem is a poem that has two meanings, one is literal meaning and another is symbolic meaning. Literal meaning means non figurative sense of the words or without any exaggeration, but the symbolic meaning means the hidden words beneath the surface or between the lines. In simple words, allegorical poetry is a kind of poetry that have two meanings one is literal meaning - exactly the same what is written and another is symbolic, which mean a listener or reader needs to interpret the text in order to identify what the poet is trying to say.

A list of allegorical poems is mentioned below:

•    The Frog by Norman Crocker
•    In by Thomas Martin
•    Love and Ecstasy by Gerry Legister
•    Style by Leon Enriquez
•    Prince and Purple Rain by  James Horn
•    Hell Sent by Elissa Quigley
•    Back to Heave by James Horn
•    The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser
•    Water of Life by Tom Arnone
•    An Elusive Dream by James Horn

English Grammar