Introductory
English literature is divided into several time zones, i.e. Romantic Era, Elizabethan Era, Post-romantic Era and Victorian Era etc. But Elizabethan and Victorian Eras are the most influential, dominating and deciding epochs in English literature.
Elizabethan Era not only had literary significance but also it played a key role in the development of science and painting. Galileo and Da Vinci are some of the renowned names in favour of the above-stated argument of scientific progress. In a literary sense, the Elizabethan Era was a period of dramas but poetry (especially sonnets) and prose writing also flourished during that period. Lyly, Francis Bacon are recalled for their excellent prosaic content; William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Johnson for their history-making dramas and plays and Wyatt, Earl of Surrey, Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, John Milton, John Donne and William Shakespeare are to name some prominent stars in the constellation of poets of Elizabethan Era.
Sir Thomas Wyatt
Sir Thomas Wyatt introduced the Italian recipe of Petrarchan sonnets into English literature. He translated the Petrarchan Sonnets while breaking their structural identity. The Petrarchan sonnets were divided into octave and sestets but he changed it into two royal rhymes.
Earl of Surrey
Henry Howard only contributed in poetry, not in other literary genres. He was a pioneer to Shakespearean sonnets. His sonnets are divided into three quatrains and a concluding couplet (quite alike Shakespeare one's). He is also known for utilizing figurative language in his poetry.
Sir Philip Sidney
Sir Philip Sydney is renowned for innovations in sonnets. He used every sort of figurative language possible. His sonnets are crammed in complex ideas and thoughts.
Edmund Spenser
Surprisingly, Edmund Spenser was also a sonnet writer. His sonnets are simple and honest in understanding. There was an air of maidenliness, states S. T. Coleridge.
John Milton
A classic who is famous for his Paradise Lost. His creation is devoid of romantic ideas. That's why his robust creation ranks number 1 in the history of English Literature.
William Shakespeare
The Bard of Avon is famous for his "Ensuing Sonnets". His sonnets are the powerhouse of strong and positive emotions but he rhymes lofty subjects like time, love and friendship etc.
John Donne
The most innovative and different poet among all the Elizabethan poets. He fathered conceit and the metaphor he uses, leave the reader in great wonder. For example, in one of his poems, he forbids his beloved to kill the flea as it is a "three-times" murder. First, it sucks the blood of the poet, then his beloved so killing the flea will be the murder of the poet, his cherished beauty and the flea itself!
Shared Romantic Elements
Classical elements
Elizabethan poets were realists. They versified what came into their heart but through sensible processing of their minds, they, somehow, illustrated moral values in the garb of their complex yet remarkable compositions.
Romantic Elements
Non-realistic features are the traits of the unchecked feelings of the heart. The imaginative aspect is prominent in The Faerie Queene. Monster Errour and shiny diamond shields have nothing to deal with our surroundings but it was another prominent feature of Elizabeth poets.
Blank verse
The verse devoid of any rhyme scheme but follows a specific rhythmic pattern is called a blank verse. Most of the dramas were written in blank verse. The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe is a fine example of a blank verse Elizabethan drama.
Critics on Spenser
Ben Johnson sharply criticizes Spenser's strange grammar: "Spenser writ no language". Spenser, no doubt followed his own grammar but he influenced more poets and grammatical persons to accurate their language and grammar.
Conclusion
Shakespeare was a poet for a mature audience and Milton for well learnt scholarly persons but Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene is for the audience of all ages, including children for its super-natural syntax. Manifestly, Edmund Spenser is the true representer of Elizabethan Poetry because of a beautiful blend of romance (imaginative super-natural) and classical morals.
