Renaissance Period Authors and Literature

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Table of Contents

John Donne, The Flea
Country-House Poem
Twellth Night
Raphael Hythloday
Pastoral Poetry
References

John Donne, The Flea

In the Stanza by John Donne, the speaker is having a conversation with his beloved. Firstly, he argues that she should note how insignificant the thing she denies is by stating – ‘how little that which thou denies me is’ (Donne, n.d., line 3). Next, the author explains how this flea that they both see already has the blood of both of them.

Since this is a romantic poem, one can argue that Donne uses a very unusual symbol to depict his feelings and demonstrate his opinion on the relationship with the woman he loves. The conclusion of this stanza suggests that this mixing of their blood inside the flea is not a sin and is more than what he and the woman did. In this regard, this work relates to the works by George Herbert, who was also a metaphysical poet and used unusual and intellectually challenging forms and symbols to depict love and romantic relationships.

Country-House Poem

A country house poem is a popular genre that developed in the 17th century. The main theme and aim of these poems are to compliment the country house of a friend or a patron, which the poet considers beautiful. In her poem A Description of Cookham Aemilia Lanyer praises a house belonging to her patron (Lanyer, n.d.).

These poems were usually dedicated to a poet’s patron, and in the case of Aemilia, the author openly spoke about her search for patronage since at that time, female-poets were not as common as male. This particular work was dedicated to Countess of Cumberland who helped Lanyer publish her poems. In it, the author explains her experience of visiting the courthouse and the delight she felt there, by stating – ‘those pleasures which my thoughts did then unfold’ (Lanyer, n.d. line 5). As such, it can be concluded that these poems serve as a way to express gratitude to a patron who helped a poet, in the case of Lanyer, to Countess of Cumberland.

Twellth Night

Twellth Night is a comedy by William Shakespeare in which the author tells a story of four people, who through misunderstandings and complications eventually are able to marry (Greenblatt, 2005). The comedy of the plot is the idea that the main characters pursue the wrong partners because of identity confusion. The comedic atmosphere is supported by cross dressings of the characters and other misunderstandings.

By definition, comedy is a genre that involves a depiction of dramatic events portrayed in a humorous way (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d.). In Shakespeare’s work, the author uses comedy to showcase a complex problem of society, where people who fall in love face difficulties because of their status and have to go through challenges to eventually be with each other. In essence, this work is filled with confusion and misunderstandings.

A distinct characteristic of this comedy is the author’s use of subversion, which shared a theme with the works of Whitney and Lanyer. Through the use of comedy, Shakespeare attracts attention to an important issue – the societal standards, which dictated that a noble person cannot fall in love with a servant. Therefore, the combination of a serious theme and a humorous depiction are the main elements that make Twellth Night by Shakespear a comedy.

Raphael Hythloday

Raphael Hythloday is a character in work by Thomas More titled Utopia. In it, the author presents a written portrayal of the conversation he had with Hythloday. Therefore, Hythloay is one of the main characters of Utopia. His significance is supported by the role that this character plays in regards to the plot. Hythloday is a fictional character, although the focus is on his conversation with More, it is evident that such a conversation never occurred.

His name, Raphael, is a reference to a Biblical character, an angel called Raphael. The character talks about a mysterious island, the one where an ideal society resides. He is wise and demonstrates a good knowledge of the court system and continuously praises the society of Utopia.

The following describes Raphael’s view of Utopia – ‘Among [the Utopians] virtue has its reward, yet everything is shared equally, and all men live in plenty’ (‘Sir Thomas More: Utopia (1516),’ n.d., para. 50). Unfortunately, the island does not exist in reality and therefore, the role of Hythlodaay is central to the understanding of the plot of Utopia since this character brings the news of the mysterious island.

Pastoral Poetry

Pastoral poetry can be defined as a genre in which a poet aims to depict the beauty of rural life, landscapes and other important aspects of living. This tradition has a long history and mostly focuses on human labour and rural life. Herrick’s Corrinna’s Going A-Maying is dedicated to portraying the beauty of celebrating the first of May (Herrick, n.d.). The May holiday aims to celebrate the work of people, and that the author encourages Corinna to get out of bed and spend time with others. Herrick depicts nature in the following manner – ‘To come forth, like the Spring-time, fresh and greene.’ (Herrick, n.d., line 10).

Notably, the author does not dedicate much attention to the description of landscapes, instead focuses on another important element of pastoral poetry – the virginity of nature. At the time of Herrick’s life, the celebration of May was an important holiday during which people were able to have fun and celebrate. Through his poem, he depicts this tradition and nature’s beauty.

Renaissance Self-Fashioning

The perception of self is a complicated matter, impacted by many personal and societal factors. The understanding of a person’s self in the Renaissance period was majorly affected by the need to correspond to a certain standard or an image of perfect men and women, which is self-fashioning. The concept of self-fashioning can be examined through vivid illustrations present in the literature created during the Renaissance period. This paper aims to explore the concept of self-fashioning introduced by Greenblatt and provide two examples from Renaissance literature that illustrate it.

The term self-fashioning was introduced by Greenblatt in the author’s book Renaissance, Self-Fashioning. The idea behind the concept is that one’s personality is constructed on the basis of the socially desirable profile. In other words, a person develops characteristics based on the demands of the society they live in (Greenblatt, 2005).

One example presented by Greenblatt in his book is a man who had to be well-dressed and educated during the Renaissance. He would have to be interested in arts and literature, as well as have some passion for sports and behave according to the set standards. As one can tell, the main idea is that a person’ individualistic characteristics or interests did not matter or were not considered during the time, the emphasis was on the way a person had to behave or look.

Notably, both men and women of that era had a specified self-fashioned image. The portraits of that time that aimed to showcase these key features and provide some insight into the specifics of perceived masculinity and femininity. Additionally, it should be mentioned that there are two ways of viewing a person’s self (Robson, 2018).

On the one hand, it can be perceived as a given, something that is natural for a particular person. This incorporates both the innate characteristics and those developed by a person as a result of social interactions, learning and development. Secondly, the self can be viewed as a collection of socially constructed characteristics, including gender and perception of an individual.

In general, one can argue that the construction of self prevalent during the Renaissance is similar to the one considered appropriate in modern times. Authenticity was perceived as a core element, together with individuality and autonomy. The fragmentation of this self would inevitably lead to a disease of any kind, which was the core idea of that time (Haydon, 2008; Robson, 2018).

Religion has a vital role in the context of literature during the Renaissance; however, its role shifts. While the idea of self’s perception in the Renaissance can be explored from different perspectives, it is impossible to make conclusions without an examination of examples from works of literature. For instance, in Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night, the main characters have to engage in dress-up and other imitations to fill the suitable roles within society.

Another example is the work by Lanyer, and it is an interesting since the author emphasises some of the significant elements of a Renaissance poet, such as the search for a patron. Regardless, she is a woman, and her poetry depicts the subversion and some of the societal standards.

It is a depiction of a self-fashioned poet, for instance, the poem A Description of Cookham is a tribute to Countess of Cumberland, which was typical for that time. Notably, one can argue that in Lanyer’s work, there is a clear distinction between real, noble features and a status inherited by an individual, which is another element of self-fashioning. Lanyer (n.d.) states the following:

‘Yet you (great Lady) Mistress of that place,

From whose desires did spring this work of grace;

Vouchsafe to think upon those pleasures past,

As fleeting worldly joys that could not last,

Or, as dim shadows of celestial pleasures,

Which are desired above all earthly treasures.’ (line 3)

In this passage, Lanyer praises the Lady of the house, her nobility, which is a way of praising her novelty. As such, one can argue that these characteristics were vital for a Countess living during the Renaissance, and by explaining the beauty of the house, Lanyer also praises the character and image of the Countess. In general, Greenblatt (2005) argues that the view of self that emerged during the Renaissance corresponds with the modern-day approach. More specifically, he explains that self can be changed based on the political and cultural specifics of a society.

Overall, this paper focused on examining the idea of self-fashioning, which emerged during the Renaissance and is similar to the modern view of self. The main goal of this approach was to create an image of self that corresponded to the societal standards, including the most beautiful clothes and interests in subjects such as art or sports. The literature works by Shakespeare and Lanyer help to understand this concept better.

References

Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). Comedy. Web.

Donne, J. (n.d.). The flea. Web.

Greenblatt, S. (2005). Renaissance self-fashioning: From More to Shakespeare. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press

Haydon, L. (2018). Stephen Greenblatt’s Renaissance self-fashioning. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

Herrick, R. (n.d.). Corinna’s going a Maying. Web.

Lanyer, A. (n.d.). The Description of Cooke-ham. Web.

Robson, M. (2008). Stephen Greenblatt. New York, NY: Routledge.

Sir Thomas More: Utopia (1516). (n.d.). Web.

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