Edmund Spenser was born near the Tower of London in East Smithfield. His exact date of birth is unknown, as is his parenthood, although it is thought he was probably the son of John Spenser, a journeyman clothmaker. As a child, he attended the Merchant Taylors' School in London and completed his education at Cambridge. While at Cambridge he became a friend of Gabriel Harvey and left Cambridge in 1576. He read the classics, met the great Italian poets, and produced countless tiny poems of his own.
He first appears in print in London in 1579 as a member of the famed intellectual society known as The Areopagus Group. the club may have involved figures such as Edmund Spenser, Gabriel Harvey, Edward Dyer and Sir Philip Sidney.
His life and work appear to revolve around three major inspiration, which can be summed up in three names : Cambridge, where he learned about the classics and Italian poets; London, where he experienced the glamour and misery of court life; In Ireland, where he was immersed in the grandeur and imagery of cold celtic poetry and had the time to create his masterpiece.
He wrote The Shepheardes
Calender in 1579 and married his first wife, Machabyas Childe, around the same
time. Sylvanus (d. 1638) and Katherine were their two children.
Sir Philip Sidney was a
sponsor of Spenser, presenting him to Queen Elizabeth and urging him to imitate
classical metre. Spenser was appointed secretary to Lord Grey De Wilton in
Ireland in 1580 and stayed for 18 years.
Spenser's first wife died by 1594, and that year he married a considerably younger Elizabeth Boyle. He addressed the sonnet sequence Amoretti to her. The wedding itself took place in Epithalamion.
A short distance distant
grew a tree that was known locally as "Spenser's Oak" until it was
devastated by lightning in the 1960s. According to local belief, he wrote some
of The Faerie Queene under this tree.
During the Nine Years' War,
native Irish soldiers drove Spenser from his house in 1598. In the year
following his expulsion, 1599, Spenser proceeded to London, where he died at
the age of forty-six - "for want of ‘bread," according to Ben Jonson.
Many of the day's leading
writers, including Shakespeare, are said to have attended Spenser's funeral in
1599. Spenser was buried at Westminster Abbey with his literary hero, Geoffrey
Chaucer, in the section of the church that became known as 'Poets' Corner.
👉The Shepheards Calendar (1579)
Spenser's first major poem
was published in 1579. Dedicated to Sir Philip Sidney. The Shepheards Calendar
is written in pastoral Eclouges. It was written in Dialogue style and divided
into 12 Eclouges, one for each month of the year. Cuddie, Colin Clout, and
Perigot are some of the standard pastoral characters he employed. Spenser's
style was purposefully old and rustic, with characters speaking in midland and
northern dialects.
The Ruins of Time (1591)
The Tears of the Muses
(1591)
Mother Hubberd’s Tale (1591)
The Ruins of Rome (1591)
Amoretti (1595)
Epithalamion (1595)
Astrophel (1595)
Mother Hubberd’s Tale is a satire on society. Amoretti was published four years later, in 1595, by Spenser, and collection contains 88 sonnets remembering his wooing of Elizabeth Boyle. Epithalamion was written for his wedding to his young bride, Elizabeth Boyle. Astrophel is An elegy on the death of his friend Sir Philip Sidney.
👉The Faerie Queene (1589/90 & 1596)
The Faerie Queene
was appeared in instalments. In 1589/90, Spenser published first three books.
In 1596, the second three books followed. He travelled to London to publish and
promote his work, and he was successful enough to receive £50 from the Queen
each year.
Each of the
virtues appears as a knight, fighting his opposing vice, and poem tells the
story of the conflicts. The most important of the books is Prince Arthur, who
appears at vital points in the poem and eventually marries Gloriana, the queen
of 'faerie - Londe.'
There are the
usual characters, poorly developed, of the Arthurian and classical romance,
such as Arthur, merlin, Saracens, fauns, and satyrs. The plot is
extremely slow and elaborate; it is loaded with incident and digression, and it
is palpably weakening by the fifth book.
There are the
allegorized moral and religious virtues, with their counterparts in the
vices.There is the Elizabethan political historical – religious element, also
strongly allegorized. For Ex. Gloriana is Elizabeth, Duessa may be Mary, queen
of Scots, Archimago may be pope, and Artegal is said to be Lord Grey.
Elizabeth, who is grossly
and shamelessly flattered in the poem, is sometimes Gloriana, sometimes
Belphoebe, or Britomart, or Mercilla.
The knight of the red cross
represents Holiness
Sir Guyon represents
Temperance
Britomart reparesents
Chastity
Campbell represents
friendship
Artegall represents Justice
Calidore represents Courtesy
Spenser elaborated an archaic Diction ; “ he writ no language,” said Ben Jonson, who did not like the diction. He invented words or word – forms; for ex. He uses blend for blind, kest for cast, and vilde for vile. He introduced the Spenserian stanza. Each stanza contains nine lines in total. Eight lines in Iambic Pentameter, one single Alexandrine line in Iambic Hexameter. Rhyme scheme of Spenserian stanza is ABAB BCBC C. The alliteration, vowel – music and inflection of voice are fashioned in a skillful way and impressively approptiate.
👉Prose
👉A View of the Present State of Irelande (1596)
Spenser discussed
future plans to establish control
over Ireland, His opinions are exceedingly hostile to the irish and his
methods. The style of the pamphlet is quite not admired.
👉His Style
His lyrical ability
was moderate in quality. His style was spread over the wide area and decorated with
strong feeling. For his odes, he used deep, pleasant sound and impressive
features delight both mind and ear.
No one goes to
spenser for story, one goes for senses in the rich and sensual pleasure style.
The style has its weaknesses. It is spread over the wide area and lacks of
judgement. It is weak in wound and in sharpness of attack. It is full of cloudy
or covered with mist and having no reality. Highly shaped for indirect method
and full of melody for visual impression in words for death.
It is spenser’s
idealism, his love of beauty, and his exquisite melody which have caused him to
be known as ‘the poets’ poet’.
👉Characteristics of Spenser’s Poetry.
1)
A Perfect Melody
2)
A rare sense of beauty
3)
A splendid imagination
4)
A lofty moral seriousness
5) A delicate idealism
👉Praised by other writers :
1.
Spenser was called “The poet’s poet “ by
Charles lamb.
2.
Alexander pope compared spenser to ‘a mistress, whose faults
we see, but love her with them all.’
3. John Milton in his Areopagitica mentions “ our sage and serious poet spenser, whom I dare be known a better teacher than scotus or Aquinas.”
Work cited
Albert, Edward. History
of English literature, Oxford University Press, 1979.
J Long, William. English
Literature Its History and Its Significance for the Life of the English
Speaking world. Rupa Publications, 2015.
Carter, Ronald and John
Mcrae. The Routledge history of literature in English : Britain and Ireland.
Routledge, 2016.
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