Poems can be written in either a patterned form or a non-patterned form. The latter we call "continuous" form because the lines follow one another and the poet has not arranged them into stanzas. Hamlet's soliloquy "To be or not to be" is a poem written in a "continuous" form. Hamlet's soliloquy is written in a special kind of continuous form called BLANK VERSE, which is unrhymed iambic pentameter lines.
Many poems, of course, use stanzaic patterns, and some of these patterns have become staples in poetic tradition. For example, the sonnet has been around since the thirteenth century in Italy and found its way into the cultures of Spain, France, Germany, and England, where it was popularized by leading poets of the Renaissance. If Shakespeare had not written a single play, he would be remembered for his sonnets.
The following list of patterned poems is not exhaustive. The human mind is very inventive and devises new patterns yearly.
Click on "Styles of Poetry" listed below it will take you to another page - where various styles are listed and you may delve into each type to find out the definition for writing in that particular style.
STYLES OF POETRY