The Golden Age Of Poetry: Exploring 11+ English Renaissance Poets
The English Renaissance is a period that scholars and historians still study to this day. It was an era of significant change, as the world seemed to be on the brink of modernity. This period also saw many substantial changes in literature, with poets such as John Donne and Edmund Spenser leading the way.
The English renaissance ended in the late 1600s and early 1700s. There is no exact date, but scholars agree that this period of English literature was a time of significant change and innovation.
Table of Contents
Background
The poets from the English renaissance were part of an intellectual movement known as The Metaphysical Poets. They often explored the divine through metaphor and analogy or described the relationship between humans to God (in their work).
This era also saw many changes in poetry formats – for example, lyrical poems started including stanzas rather than line breaks alone. Furthermore, it became more common for poems to be about general reflections on life instead of love.
Some other changes include using blank verse, which was considered a more sophisticated and scholarly form than the rhyming couplets prevalent in previous centuries.
The poets who wrote during this time often came from wealthy aristocratic families. They had access to education but would also have been expected to take on some sort of occupation. For example, George Herbert worked for his family’s estate while John Donne served as an Anglican cleric (priest).
William Shakespeare is probably one of the most famous English Renaissance writers. However, he did not write much poetry – instead, focusing mainly on drama plays such as Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet. William Blake is another well-known poet – even if you don’t know him by name! He has written many poems, like The Tyger, for example, which is widely known.
Let’s take a closer look at the most prominent poets from the English Renaissance :
Philip Sidney
Philip Sidney is one of the most important poets in English Renaissance literature. His poetry was born out of a time when there was much debate about what constituted “good” poetry, and he helped shape this discussion when he started writing his works.
Sidney’s poems are also very representative of what people felt during this period, making them an excellent historical artefact for understanding the social climate during that time.
Philip Sidney is one of the most underrated poets of the English Renaissance. His work was not only hugely influential, but it also helped to shape what would become a new form of poetry in England during this period.
He wrote poems such as Astrophil and Stella and The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia that was important for the development of English poetry.
Sidney was one of the most influential poets in England during this era, but he did not achieve fame until after his death, when his work became more popular among other writers such as Robert Greene, who helped promote Sidney’s works.
Philip is also widely considered a very underrated poet because while his work may have been hugely influential, many people didn’t always read outside academic circles, which limited poetry’s readership during this time.
So while Philip wrote some beautiful poems about love and politics (his subjects tended to focus on these areas), they never achieved much popularity.
It’s hard to say whether or not Sidney would have been more famous if he were alive today because the culture and technology we use for reading poetry in this day and age are very different from what people used during the English Renaissance era.
Edmund Spenser
Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment in time when a movement truly begins, but for English Literature, that moment was 1590. It was then that Edmund Spenser released The Faerie Queene, an epic poem that would go on to have a profound impact on all of English literature.
The Faerie Queene influenced society so much that he became one of the first poets to be published as an individual rather than just being included in anthologies compiled by other writers; his work was also heavily studied throughout Europe for its allegorical significance. It has been argued that Spenser “was not just a poet but also the founding father” of English literature.
The Faerie Queene is one of the most influential works ever written in England, and it has had a massive impact on all subsequent writers who have used allegory to explore moral or political questions. This poem helped cement poetry’s role as an essential vehicle for intellectual exploration in Britain, and its influence can still be seen today across many writing genres.
The Faerie Queene, published during the Renaissance period, bridged medieval society with early modernity; this publication would shape literary tradition within British culture and abroad. Edmund Spenser would have a tremendous influence on many other writers; this includes John Milton, William Wordsworth and Alfred Tennyson.
The poem helped to popularise allegorical narrative, which is regarded as one of the most effective literature methods for exploring moral questions or political issues.
John Milton
John Milton’s poetry has had a tremendous impact on the English Renaissance era. His contributions to England include “Paradise Lost” and “Paradise Regained”.
These two poems are considered one of the most critical works in English literature because they were both published when there was much debate about religion. The religious argument was deciding whether people could be saved from eternal damnation through faith alone (without good deeds).
Milton’s writings show that he advocates for morals and virtues, which are learned by living life with integrity. He believed that people could only have peace of mind if they live their lives according to God’s plan rather than their desires.
His poetry impacted the English Renaissance era in many ways, but most notably by influencing other poets, such as John Dryden and Samuel Johnson, to follow his poetic style.
Milton’s poems were also influenced by other literary works, including Homer’s Odyssey and Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. In this way, he helped to shape what would become a popular form of literature at that time – the epic poem.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is most well-known for his work as a playwright, but he was also an accomplished poet. Many of his plays were originally written as poems and then later translated into prose. His poetry has profoundly impacted the English language during the Renaissance era and beyond, changing how people speak and how they think about and express themselves.
These poems have had an enormous impact on both literature and historical events during the time because they were so provocative; it was common for them to be printed first before being translated into prose or acted out by actors during this time which meant that much like today these pieces could quickly go viral within hours.
His poems and plays have been translated into almost every language worldwide, and his work has impacted theatre, poetry, and literature for centuries. We’ve already covered the life and times of William Shakespeare, and you can read more about his extraordinary journey here.
John Donne
In the English Renaissance era, John Donne’s poetry was a vital source of inspiration for his contemporaries and those to come after him. Perhaps this is because he wrote about topics that were important in his time. One such topic is religion (specifically his experience with Catholicism).
Donne’s work impacted the Renaissance era because he wrote about topics that other poets at this time did not usually write about. His poems were meant to provoke thought rather than just entertain or make someone feel good.
They were written with a more serious tone and often contained references from other authors to show off his knowledge of literature. This led him to become one of the most well-known writers during this time, with his work being studied at Oxford and Cambridge.
Donne’s writings were felt to be a vital source of inspiration for his contemporaries in the English Renaissance era and those to come after him. This is likely because John Donne wrote about essential topics during this time – one such topic was religion (specifically his experience with Catholicism). Some of his religious poems are often used in sermons today.
Thomas Wyatt
In the English Renaissance era, Thomas Wyatt’s poetry was vastly influential in shaping England’s national identity. His poems and translations were at the forefront of literary development during that period. They served as a form of protest against the strictures imposed by King Henry VIII upon his subjects.
He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare, who also impacted this period with his plays and sonnets. Wyatt also wrote a poem called “In your absence”, one of the most well known allegorical poems in English literature.
Thomas Wyatt’s influence on this period makes him a key author to study and read today. We still celebrate him for pioneering literary devices, imagery, and other poetic aspects. The impact he has made on shaping England’s national identity remains relevant today with how it continues to inspire writers nearly 500 years later.
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English poet, playwright, and translator of the Elizabethan era. As one of the most celebrated writers of his time, he probably helped spread Renaissance ideas more than any other writer. His work is often compared to poetry by John Donne and William Shakespeare.
Marlowe’s poetry impacted English Renaissance literature by introducing a revolutionary tone into his work that makes his poems more interesting than anything else being written at the time. His words are raw and emotional as if they were pulled straight out of him. The themes in his poems are often dark and deal with death or other subjects that were not typically seen in poetry before he came along.
Marlowe‘s work was revolutionary for his time because it was so controversial among the Christian community. One example would be how he mocked religion with his play “The Jew of Malta.”
He had been a spy before becoming a writer, and this background gave him insight into human nature that allowed him to create complex and intriguing characters.
Francesco Petrarca
Francesco Petrarca was a Renaissance scholar and humanist who wrote poetry in Latin, Italian, and French. His poems are often about love, or they’re reflections on his life.
Petrarca’s poetry is known for its focus on personal experience as well as humanism. His work often focused on his own life experiences, which he then applied to universal truths. His poems are recognised for their deep emotional content while also being rich with symbolism interpreted differently throughout history.
Poems like “Amoretti” and “Canzoniere,” written by Petrarca, were filled with themes of love that resonated strongly with the English poets looking to explore their feelings about romance.
Today, Petrarca’s poetry is still read and studied worldwide because of its influence and relevance.
Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh was a poet, explorer, and courtier who is most well known for his sonnet sequence “The Ocean to Cynthia.He had many different styles of poems, including sonnets and odes about love and politics that were often satirical or mocking in tone.
Raleigh’s work reflects the new interests of his contemporaries like courtly love and political satire, which can be seen through his works such as “A Letter to His Son”, where he talks about how great it would be if England becomes a republic again.
Walter Raleigh was not as famous as his contemporaries, but scholars often cite his work. He wrote what is arguably the most important poem of the Elizabethan era, “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd”, which has been called one of England’s greatest love poems.
In the 16th century, poetry was a way for nobles to show off their wit and gain favour with others, and Raleigh was a Renaissance man who travelled the world and lived in various climates, which led him to write some of the most famous poetry in English.
He wrote poems about love, nature, and political views that were later published into books called “The Passionate Man’s Pilgrimage” and “The Nymph’s Reply.” His work influenced many poets during this time, such as William Shakespeare.
Raleigh’s work is still read today because of its timeless quality.
Ludovico Ariosto
In the late 1500s, Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem “Orlando Furioso” spread across Europe. The Italian poet wrote his work in a style called “terza rima”—a three-line verse that is an example of rhyming couplets. This form was translated into English by Sir John Harington and published as “The Forest of Arden.”
The poem single-handedly changed the English Renaissance and helped to reshape a new form of poetry. This poem was also one of Shakespeare’s primary sources for his play, “As You Like It.”
Ariosto is considered an essential contributor in shaping what became known as Elizabethan comedy: satirical verse tales that were popular during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. His life-long patroness Isabella d’Este brought him to Mantua, where he wrote this poem.
Ludovico Ariosto is best remembered for his epic poem Orlando Furioso which sparked the Italian movement called Renaissance Humanism, including its philosophy derived from Ancient Greek philosophy and Latin texts through a medievalizing lens. These later became the prevailing intellectual movement of Shakespeare’s time.
Conclusion
I think it is safe to say that the English Renaissance poets left an indelible mark in literature and changed how we see poetry as a whole. They were pioneers of their time, and they are still influential today. Some people may not realise this, but these men also had implications on culture and society- specifically through codes of conduct (like Petrarca’s De Remediis Utriusque Fortunae) or social norms like Donne’s sermons about marriage.
I could mention Joachim Du Bellay, Dante Alighieri Pierre de Ronsard and Elizabeth I of England, but I’m afraid this article would never end!
The only way for us to continue learning from them is by studying their work, which has been translated into many languages over the years, so even if you don’t know much Latin, you can still read some of Sidney’s poems! The future generations will be able to learn from these poets too- so it’s up to us, as readers and students of English literature, to make sure that their work is never forgotten.
