Satirical Poems

“Wit with a purpose—irony, parody, and pointed critique in verse.”

TitleAuthorType of Poem
The Satires Of Dr John Donne, Dean Of St Paul's, Versified. Satire IV.Alexander PopeSatirical
The Satires Of Dr John Donne, Dean Of St Paul's,[171] Versified.Alexander PopeSatirical
The Satyr And My Muse.Friedrich SchillerSatirical
The Science ClubRobert Fuller MurraySatirical
The Second Epistle Of The Second Book Of Horace.Alexander PopeSatirical
The Shadow 1Arthur Hugh CloughSatirical
The Shaven And Shorn Goat.John GaySatirical
The Shoemaker.James Whitcomb RileySatirical
The Sinking Fund CriedThomas MooreSatirical
The Song Of The BoxThomas MooreSatirical

Understanding Satirical Poetry

Satirical poems use wit, irony, exaggeration, and ridicule to expose folly—personal, social, or political. The aim isn’t just laughter: it’s critique that nudges readers toward insight or change.

Common characteristics of satirical poetry:

  • Targeted Critique: Focuses on specific behaviors, institutions, or ideas—often timely, sometimes timeless.
  • Tools of Irony: Uses sarcasm, parody, understatement, and hyperbole to sharpen the point.
  • Voice & Persona: Speakers may be unreliable or exaggerated to reveal contradictions and hypocrisy.
  • Form Flexibility: Appears in couplets, tercets, quatrains, blank verse, or free verse—music serves the mockery.
  • Moral Pressure: Beneath the humor lies ethical pressure—satire seeks reform, not merely amusement.
  • Public & Personal: Can lampoon public figures and trends or needle private vanities and everyday pretenses.

The best satire balances bite with craft: memorable lines that entertain while revealing the gap between how things are and how they ought to be.