Why did Robert Frost prefer traditional verse forms to free verse?

Robert Frost did not prefer free verse because he viewed its lack of structural constraints as inherently limiting to the creative process. He famously likened writing poetry without the discipline of traditional forms to playing tennis without a net, suggesting that the absence of boundaries diminished the rigor and challenge of the craft.1

Rather than abandoning tradition, Frost sought to be "new" by employing "old ways to be new." He mastered metrical forms, such as the sonnet and quatrain, by setting them against the natural, irregular rhythms of everyday speech. This approach allowed him to infuse traditional stanzas and lines with fresh vigor. Even in his blank verse narratives, his primary technical innovation was the unification of strict iambic pentameter with the conversational cadence of human dialogue, demonstrating that traditional structures could effectively capture the complexity of the modern experience.1