"It is the mind that maketh good of ill, that maketh wretch or happy, rich or poor"
Introduction
Edmund Spenser was a 16th century English poet. Edmund Spenser was an English poet best known for notable work The Faerie Queene, which was the unfinished epic poem, the masterpiece and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. he is recognized as one of the greatest poets in the English language. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of nascent ( develop) Modern English verse. His family was not wealthy. He was poor scholar. Edmund Spenser was a man of his times and his work reflects the religious and humanistic ideals His contributions to English literature. He was influenced by Chaucer.
Life
No documentation exists to establish his exact date of birth. Edmund Spenser was born in East Smithfield, near the tower of London, in 1552. He was an English poet. He was one of the three children of Elizabeth and John Spenser. Spenser was the son of a London tailor, john Spenser, a journeyman cloth maker. His mother was Elizabeth.
Fame
Spenser was called "the Poet's Poet" by Charles Lamb. he stands between shakespeare and chaucer we can say that he was second father of English poetry. He was admired by John Milton, William Blake, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Lord Byron, Alfred Tennyson and others. my master Spenser by Thompson. Spenser is called the child of renaissance and reformation Because no major works were written during the 16th century. Chaucer was his beloved master. Milton was very much influenced by Spenser’s work. Alexander pope compared Spenser to a mistress, whose faults we see, but love her with them all. Spenser remained in London, enjoying fame and reputation, making many friends now he was not poor.
Education
He was entered as a poor boy in school. he was educated at the Merchant Taylors' School and matriculated as a sizar (a student who earns his tuition by acting as a servant to wealthy students) at Pembroke College, Cambridge in London. While at Cambridge he became a friend of Gabriel Harvey, nourished his poetic instinct. who was learned, witty, and enthusiastic for ancient and modern literature but also pedantic, devious, and ambitious. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1573. Because of an epidemic, Spenser left Cambridge in 1574, but he received the Master of Arts degree in 1576. He spent 7 years at the university, Spenser's health was poor, but he had an excellent reputation as a student. He studied Italian, French, Latin, and Greek, read widely in classical literature. he may have traveled as an envoy for Leicester to Ireland, Spain, France, and Italy. He was faced lot of the problems during education. he was also studying law.
Marriage
he married his first wife, Machabyas Childe. They had two children. In 1594, Spenser's first wife had died, and in that year, Spenser fell in love with his beautiful Elizabeth, an Irish girl. he married a much younger Elizabeth Boyle, a relative of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork. They had a son named Peregrine.
Spenserian Stanza
Spenser created a new stanza, now called the Spenserian stanza, It consists of nine lines, eight lines of iambic pentameter concluding with nine lines of iambic hexameter (having six stresses, known as an Alexandrine) arranged in the rhyme scheme ababbcbcc, Spenserian stanza fits the slow, ample, and cumulative pace of the whole work. He was also to use his own rhyme scheme for the sonnet, called a Spenserian sonnet, the last line of every stanza is linked with the first line of the next one.
Work
Spenser had written a considerable quantity of poetry, but he had published nothing. Upon the advice of his friends he decided to make his literary debut with The Shepheardes Calendar (1579). On its publication Spenser travelled to London to publish and promote the work.
Shepheardes Calender
Spenser was began his career with a series of eclogues ( short poems in the form of pastoral dialogues), in which various characters. In 1579, he published his major work The Shepheardes Calender (pen name Immerito ), which he dedicated to philips sidney, It mirrors the style of the Classical epic poet Virgil ( positive reviews ). he worked 8 year for this work. The Calender consists of 12 eclogues, one named after each month of the year, which represents the turning of seasons. January pastoral tells of the unhappy love of Colin for Rosalind, the springtime of April calls for a song in praise of Elizabeth.
The Shepheardes Calender can be called the first work of the English literary Renaissance. Spenser in this work shows the influence of such classical.
Spenser inspired by Chaucer, Spenser tried to copy that form and format. Sidney praised it in his important critical work The Defence of Poesie (1595). Spenser remained permanently devoted to this brilliant writer and good nobleman, embodied him.
Amoretti
Edmund Spenser’s famous collection of sonnets, Amoretti, is a series ( cycle ) of love sonnets, sequence of 89 sonnets, dedicated to Elizabeth Boyle, the lady of his dreams whom he pursues, Courtship and eventually marries in 1594. The term “amoretti” is literally mean little loves or little cupids. In Amoretti, compare with heavenly objects like moon, star, Faerie.
Epithalamion
Epithalamion was written in 1595, Same book of Amoretti and Epithalamion. The marriage itself was celebrated, The Epithalamion is one of Spenser’s most beautiful and intricate works. This poem in 24 stanzas is number of hours and 365 lines is number of days. Spenser also dedicated a marriage song, to his young bride. One of the most beautiful wedding hymns in any language. he wrote these poems in honor of love and beauty.
Amoretti and Epithalamion
In 1595, Spenser now published Amoretti and Epithalamion. The volume contains eighty-nine sonnets. Amoretti and Epithalamion a sonnet sequence dedicated to his second wife, Elizabeth Boyle.
Astrophel
he wrote pamphlet called A view of the state of Ireland in 1596, his only prose work. Prothalamion, a wedding song written for the daughters of a duke, marriage celebration. Colin Clouts Come Home Againe, it's Pastoral allegorical poem. In this poem talk about When Spenser's visit to London.
In 1591, he published Complaints, a collection of poems that express complaints in mournful or mocking tones, Contains 9 poem.
Faerie Queen
Spenser's ambition was to write the great English epic. Spenser is best known for his immense epic poem The Faerie Queene that continued till death. His plan was 12 books on king arthar, His plan was to compose 12 books ( in his letter to sir Walter Raleigh ). The Faerie Queene tells the stories of several knights, each representing a particular virtue, The Faerie Queene is divided into six books, each one dedicated to a specific virtue: holiness, temperance, chastity, friendship, justice, and courtesy. Each of these virtues was to be embodied in a knight. 12 knights represents 12 virtue or private virtue.
Redcross Knight, He is the hero of Book 1, the representation of holiness. Wearing the second hand armor of past knights. Sir Guyon, The hero of Book 2, the representation of temperance. Guyon learns both moderation and self control in the face of anger, sex, greed, and ambition. The lady knight Britomart, The hero of Book 3, the representation of chastity. Book 4, the legend of Triamond and cambell, in its elaboration on the virtue of friendship, is also a collection of stories. Artegall, Britomart's beloved, as well as the representation of justice in Book 5. Calidore, As the hero of Book 6, Calidore comes to represent the virtue of courtesy in its most chivalric sense. Duessa one of the most significant villains in Faerie Queene, Duessa's importance lies in her ability to deceive many of heroes who cross her path. The faeires queene was inspired by Aristo’s Orlando Furioso, and Orlando means mad in love.
Thus, the poem would combine elements of the romance of chivalry, the handbook of manners and morals, and the national epic. The first three books of the faerie queen were published in 1590, and the second three sets ( books ) of the Faerie Queen were published in 1596. The first three books met with instant success when published. ( In the faery queen, as the beautiful woman dancing among the graces.) This epic poem was written to glorify queen Elizabethan. And Spencer's purpose in writing this epic poem is to to fashion a gentleman or noble man in virtuous disapline.
The Faerie Queene can be read on various levels, as an allegory of the eternal struggle between good and evil in every form and as a historical allegory portraying the struggle between the pure Protestant traditions of England and the manifold threats of England's Roman Catholic neighbors.
Politics
Spenser pursued a career in politics, serving as a secretary first for the Bishop of Rochester. Edmund journeyed to Ireland in July 1580, in the service of the newly appointed Lord Deputy. He worked as messenger to queen Elizabeth.
Died
In 1598, during the Nine Years War, Spenser was driven from his home in Ireland. In 1599, he died on 13, January in London at the age of forty-six and was buried in Poets’ Corner ( besides Chaucer ) in Westminster Abbey.
Other
According to Ben Jonson, Spenser write no language. Spenser died at the age of 46 for want of bread. His castle at Kilcolman was burned. His second wife, Elizabeth, survived him and went on to remarry twice.
Characteristics
the five main characteristics of spenser’s poetry. 1- A perfect melody. 2- A rare sense of beauty. 3- A splendid imagination, which could gather into one poems heroes, knights, ladies, dwarfs, demons and dragons, classic mythology, stories of chivalary and the throning ideas of the renaissance—all passing in gorgeous procession across an ever changing and ever-beautiful landscape. 4- A lofty moralpurity ad seriousness. 5- A delicate idealism, which could make all nature and every common thing beautiful.
More
The Faerie Queene
In the prefatory letter to Sir Walter Raleigh describing the plan of Faerie Queene. Spenser says that its aim was “to fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline.” In other words the author wanted to portray an ideal gentleman.
Prince Arthur falls in love with Gloriana, the fairy queen, whom he sees in a dream. He sets out on his journey to her court in fairyland where sje is holding her annual twelve-day festival. On each of these days a knight presenting one of the virtues undertake an adventure. Artur is brought into these adventures which end successfully through his aid.
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