Definition of Elegy An elegy generally combines three stages of loss: first there is grief, then praise of the dead one, and finally consolation. The word elegy comes from the Greek word elegeia, which means “lament.”

One may also ask, what is the purpose of an elegy? An elegy is a sad poem, usually written to praise and express sorrow for someone who is dead. Although a speech at a funeral is a eulogy, you might later compose an elegy to someone you have loved and lost to the grave. The purpose of this kind of poem is to express feelings rather than tell a story.

Regarding this, what is an elegy in literature?

Elegy is a form of literature that can be defined as a poem or song in the form of elegiac couplets, written in honor of someone deceased. It typically laments or mourns the death of the individual. Elegy is derived from the Greek work elegus, which means a song of bereavement sung along with a flute.

What is an example of elegy?

Examples of famed elegies include: Bitter constraint, and sad occasion dear,/Compels me to disturb your season due:/For Lycidas is dead, dead ere his prime,/Young Lycidas, and hath not left his peer.