What Is a Persona Poem? How to Write Persona Poetry

A persona poem involves poets adopting the point of view of someone other than themselves. The writer develops a character—either a historical figure, a fictional person, or a nonhuman animal or object—and speaks as them from the first-person perspective. A persona poem may appear as a dramatic monologue, but it usually stands on its own rather than in the context of a play as a monologue would.

Here are a few notable characteristics of persona poems:

1. 1. Assumed voice: The defining trait of a persona poem is the creation of a character other than the poet. The poet writes a unique account from that character’s perspective, adding a personal aspect to a subject or character from which people may generally feel detached.
2. 2. Direct address: A persona poem is similar to a dramatic monologue, with the speaker often directly speaking to an assumed crowd of listeners. This means the poem may be self-referential.
3. 3. First-person voice: Poets almost always write persona poems in the first-person point of view, with little to no dialogue or outside interjecting voices. The speaker of the poem (the character the poet has invented) is the poem's sole voice.

Here are a few famous examples of persona poems:

1. 1. "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning: Victorian-era poet Robert Browning translated literary techniques like dramatic monologue into persona poetry. In "My Last Duchess," Browning adopts the voice of sixteenth-century noble Duke of Ferrera as he laments the loss of his late wife.
2. 2. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot: In this work, Eliot speaks through the voice of fictional character J. Alfred Prufrock, who addresses a potential lover.
3. 3. Personae by Ezra Pound: Pound published a collection of short poems in Personae. Each poem sees Pound adopting a different alter ego. His experimentation with different personas ushered in a new movement in poetry in the twentieth century.
4. 4. "Lady Lazarus" by Sylvia Plath: Plath invents a character in this poem through allusions to biblical character Lazarus, who dies and then comes back to life. Through the titular Lady Lazarus, Plath investigates her preoccupations with death while immersing herself in the voice of a larger-than-life character.
5. 5. "Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood: In this poem, Atwood inhabits the perspective of a siren from Greek lore, giving a voice to a conventionally vilified character. Margaret Atwood gives voice to women characters who, in the past, acted only as smaller players in men's stories.

If you’re thinking of writing a persona poem, here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

1. 1. Make a statement. Before you craft your persona poem’s character, focus on the subject you want your poem to address. Nailing down your message will put you in the best position to develop your character and what you want them to say.
2. 2. Craft a character. Decide what character you’ll inhabit in the text of your poem. Determine their voice, how they feel about the subject of your poem, and their backstory. If you're writing from the point of view of a historical figure, research that person thoroughly. Study the events of their life, the characteristics of their time period, where they lived, and the vernacular of the time. You may even choose to write from the perspective of an animal or an inanimate object.
   
3. 3. Inhabit your character’s voice. In a persona poem, the poet’s voice should evoke the speaker’s world. As you write your persona poem, maintain the character’s first-person perspective throughout. This includes the world of the character, their time and place, their moods and emotions, and the audience to which they’re speaking. Use language and diction to create all the details of this world.
4. 4. Project your message. The voice of the poet in a persona poem animates the character’s voice, but you should always keep your poem’s message in mind as you write. Even if you feel that your words are accurate to your character, evaluate whether or not their words serve the message of your poem.

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