Allegory is a universal element of poetic narrative. Discuss allegory in the light of this commentA detailed anser with examples please

Poetic narratives are poems that have a plot, such as
Edmund Spencer’s The Faerie Queen, John Milton’s Paradise
Lost, The Romance of the Rose, Tennyson’s
Idylls of the King, Robert Browning’s The Ring and the
Book, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, etc. Some scholars
believe that Homer compiled the Iliad and the Odyssey
from a collection of shorter narrative poems that took the form of the
various episodes or adventures that appear in these longer works. Ballads are a type of
narrative poetry. Some of Edgar Allen Poe’s works are narrative poetry (The
Raven, Annabel Lee, etc.) Other famous narrative poets are Ovid, Dante,
Chaucer.

Narrative poetry is probably one of the oldest
forms of poetry (i.e. the heroic epic poetry represented by works such as
Beowulf). Before writing, the only way to transmit stories was
through oral tradition. Hero tales were passed from one generation to the next. In order
to more readily remember the tales, storytellers used poetic forms because rhyme and
rhythm makes things easier for the human brain to memorize. That is why it is easier for
us to remember the words to songs than to remember all presidents of the United States.
In fact, many mnemonic devices are employed when trying to memorize things. These
include rhymes, poetry and songs.

Although many of the
works mentioned above are lengthy, narrative poems are not necessarily so. Allegory is a
way of conveying a meaning in ways that are not literal. Allegory conveys its meaning
through use of symbolism which can take the form of symbolic figures, actions or
representations. An allegory is an extended metaphor and therefore uses other poetic
devices to convey the meaning – onomatopoeia, simile, imagery, irony, ambiguity, and
elements of style such as assonance, alliteration, rhythm, diction,
etc.

In light of the above, I believe it is a true
statement to say that allegory is a universal element of poetic narrative. Not all
poetic narratives are allegories, but many of them are or at least contain elements of
allegory.

 You originally had your question posted in the
ARTS group. Allegory does exist in art, but that would be a different
answer.