Edmund Spenser
Introduction
Edmund Spenser was one of the best known English poets for his works such as The Faerie Queene- an allegorical poem that is regarded as one of the greatest in literature. In the year 1580, he published his first important work, The Shepheardes Calender. He is approximated to have been born in the years 1552 or 1553 (“Edmund Spenser” 373). Spenser is known as “The Poet’s Poet” for the pure artistic craft and delight in whatever he did. He established himself as one of the greatest poets in the history of literature by the way he generously used sensuous description, linguistic richness, and pictorial description (Buck 238). Despite being unhealthy and underprivileged at s young age, Edmund Spenser was the sixteenth century’s foremost English poet; he explored the theme of religious and humanistic ideals.
Personal Life of Edmund Spenser
Childhood
Edmund Spenser was born around in the year 1552 in London (Noble 115). His father was a tailor with moderate income. He was related to the noble Midlands family who made their fortunes through sheep raising, with a less than wealthy family.
Education
Indeed, little is known about this man. During his early years, he schooled at the merchant Taylors’s Free School as a poor boy; receiving a quiet humanistic education by the standards of the time (Reisman 1192). He studied Latin, Greek, some Hebrew, grammar, and music (“Edmund Spenser” 374). Spenser was a student of the Pembroke Hall of the University of Cambridge where he was classed as a sizar. In the year 1573, he received a bachelor of arts degree. He later left the university because of an epidemic in 1574, but received a master of arts degree in 1576 (Reisman 1193).
In college, Spenser acquired a broad range of valuable knowledge that include Latin, Greek, Italian, French, and the English literature. The vast knowledge of traditional themes and the lyrical and narrative poetry forms provided a concrete foundation for him to develop original compositions (Noble 116). Without the traditional pastoral history of France and Virgil’s Bucolics, he would not have written The Shepheardes Calender. Jointly, Epithalamion and Amoretti could not have been written without the Italian, Latin, and French highly traditional marriage code together with the canzone forms of Petrarch that followed the sonneteers (Buck 238).
He also received religious training while in college- one of the most important parts of his training. During the time, he was in no position to avoid involvement in the characteristic bitter struggles in the university during the path between Roman Catholicism and Puritanism (“Edmund Spenser” 375). His poetry is also a reflection of the struggle for the new Church of England and the opposition between Catholicism and Protestantism and the perpetual need the moral and national purity put in place by the Elizabethan church (Reisman 1195).
Adult Life
Jobs
After spending several years in Northern England, his first appointment came in the year 1578 where he worked as a secretary to Bishop John Young of Rochester (Noble 115). Bishop John Young was by then a former master of Spenser at the Cambridge University. He later moved to Ireland in the July of 1580 where he served under Arthur Grey, who was the Lord Deputy of the 14th Baron Grey de Wilton (Carpenter 97). Spenser stayed in Ireland after the recall of Lord Grey to England because he had acquired new official posts and land in the Plantation of Munster. In 1590, Spenser published and promoted his first three books of The Faerie Queene after traveling to London (Reisman 1195).
Marriage and Children
Spenser married his first wife Machabyas Childe on the 27th of October 1579 at the St. Margret’s Church in Westminster. With no clear records existing, she is speculated to have died at some point before 11th June 1594 (“Edmund Spenser” 375). The same year, Spenser married Elizabeth Boyle-many of Edmund’s love poems are intended to be a reflection of his emotions towards Elizabeth. Spenser was related to the Spencers of Althorp through his second wife. Maria Towerson and Anna Spenser are under speculation. His children include Children-Sylvanus and three other children (Reisman 1191). However, through time, Spenser’s poetry gained much fame, making him wealthy, but not popular in the wealthy social groups of England.
Death
In 1599, Spenser was driven from his home in Ireland and later travelled to London where he died at the age forty-six on the 16th of January, the same year. Ben Jonson notes that he died for “the lack of bread” (Carpenter 98)-a subtle detail considering that he approved the use of scorched earth policy; which brought famine to Ireland. Other poets carried his casket to the Poet’s Corner in the Westminster Abbey and buried there (“Edmund Spenser” 375).
Literary Accomplishments
Major Literary Accomplishments
The Faerie Queene
The first three books of the epic poem The Faerie Queene were published in 1590, followed closely by the second set in 1596 (Reisman 1193). With the intended version initially consisting of twelve books, the existing version is complete, but nevertheless one of the longest in literature (Noble 115). The piece can be read on several levels of allegory, with a hint of Spenser’s intention being the praise of Queen Elizabeth I (Noble 116).
The Shepheardes Calender
In this poem, Spenser meticulously employs the outer postural world and sheepfold to depict the inner world of a young man named Colin Clout, whose unrequited love for the beloved Rosalind continuously provides a unifying thread throughout the volume alder (Noble 116). The poet uses a sheer variety of form and meter in his Eclogues as a precedent to earlier pastoral poetry, proving an ample showcasing of experimental prosody works that notoriously so fascinated the poets of Areopagus.
Amoretti and Epithalamion
Spenser also authored great works such as the Amoretti and Epithalamion, which have also been greatly acclaimed and analysed by different authors (Reisman 1200). Spenser’s Amoretti poem deals with pride, critiquing his beloved for showing a proud stance, but nevertheless defending the stance as a mere manifestation of the personal perfection while Epithalamion captures some of the most memorable wedding (Buck 237).
How Edmund Spenser was viewed in his lifetime
Edmund was seen as “the Prince of Poets in his time.” For the delight, linguistic richness, and pure artistry of his work, Spenser is referred to as “the poet’s poet”; establishing him as one of the greatest Literature poets (Noble 115). Some of the most illustrious names in poetry have paid him respect and approbation; being acknowledged by John Dryden as the “master” in poetry; as “fancy’s pleasing son” by James Thomson, and as “elfin Poet” by John Keats. John Milton, who saw Edmund as his poetic father referred to him as “Our sage and serious Poet Spenser” (“Edmund Spenser” 375). The above praise is accorded to him because of his work, The Faerie Queene- an unfished mastery that has granted him a place among other works of English literature. Spenser has managed to capture imaginations over centuries through his chivalric romance and adventure.
How Spenser was viewed after his death
Even after his death, Edmund Spenser is known to be the foremost sixteenth century poet. It is said that he is not ranked far from William Shakespeare and John Milton (705-708) (Buck 237). His works have continued to motivate many poets and saw different authors like Carpenter analyse Spenser’s works (98). Different author’s in their reviews of Spenser’s poems have noted his unique presentation of literature, which has seen him stand out as a unique poet.
Themes of Edmund’s works
Major Themes
The major themes of Edmund’s works are religious, political, pride, humility, and humanistic. The poem, The Faerie Queene, was written during periods of major religious affiliations (Reisman 1198). At the time, England had parted ways with the Catholic church, forming a new Protestant Church. The poem explicitly defends the prevailing Protestants beliefs over the Catholicism ones in addition to its being an exploration of a godly life and ethical decision making (Noble 115). Edmund’s The Faerie Queene was based on the religious information; ranging from the motivating factors of the starring characters to the fictional villain representation. The poem is a mythical Greek fairy tale; that focuses on the threat on true Protestant as the true religious faith (“Edmund Spenser” 376).
Pride and humility are also major themes in Spenser’s poems. Historically, the classical Greek tradition and the Protestant Christian tradition referred pride as the greatest sin a man can ever commit (Reisman 1196). Spenser’s Amoretti poem deals with pride, critiquing his beloved for showing a proud stance, but nevertheless defending the stance as a mere manifestation of the personal perfection (Buck 237). Defiant, he points out that the pride his beloved shows to lesser men is because they are lesser beings that she is. Never is she arrogant, but merely who she was created to be. Spenser’s beloved humility is asserted when the speaker claims that she accepted his marriage proposal (Buck 237). He goes further to question why on earth would such a divine rapture join to one who is so mundane. Men who do not know her rarely appreciate her humility, but rather see her pride that either drive them to envy or awe of her inherent virtue of her being and the overpowering self-confidence (Buck 237).
The political allegory as a larger theme is often seen as lurking below the surface of the poems. A single noted implication of this parable is that they too have their cycles of autumn and spring (“Edmund Spenser” 376). Noting the celebrations in April of “her Majestie”, Eliza as a thinly veiled encomium that addresses Queen Elizabeth- a suggestion of the New Age that England is experiencing (Reisman 1200). “Maye,” “Julye” and “September” are all tragic and controversial months between the more conservative Catholic believers of Queen Elizabeth and the Protestant faction. The calendar may also be a reflection of Spenser’s little political fortunes between the years 1579-1580. The political strains in the year 1579 were of concern to Spenser (“Edmund Spenser” 375).
Minor Themes
The minor themes throughout Orwell’s works are the problems with Ireland. Spenser refers to Ireland sometimes, reflecting the amount of affection he had for the people and the land (Reisman 1199). The Epithalamion captures some of the most memorable weddings and the judgment scene on the Hill of Arlo that takes up a sizeable amount of the Mutability Cantos in Book VI of The Faerie Queened (“Edmund Spenser” 376). Descriptions of the land of the Irish is painted as sorrowful and disgusting due to the impoverished state of the inhabitants of the hostility toward the elusive and wily rebels. The rebels are noted to have continuously and constantly harassed the English occupiers. In the Book II of The Faerie Queene, Spenser portrays the dark side of the experiences in Ireland-especially the mutilating attack on the House of Alma (“Edmund Spenser” 376). Spenser as a new military official was present when the English men slaughtered that papal troops at Smerwick in 1580. To add insult to the injury, he also unfairly witnessed the terrible hunger that struck the land, bringing an end to the Desmond rebellion (Reisman 1198). The other two minor theme are laments for the deceased friends and the sniffling contests between rival shepherds.
Conclusion
John Milton, Edmund Spenser’s poetical son, judged Edmund as a smart and serious poet. As compared to other proficient poets, Spenser had a rather odd writing career. Spenser entered the scene when he was relatively old and published The Shepherd’s Calendar in 1579; he then took a break from publishing before the publication of the first edition of The Faerie Queene in 1590. However, torrents of work followed, which marked the helm of Edmund Spenser’s career. Despite being unhealthy and underprivileged at s young age, Edmund Spenser was the sixteenth century’s foremost English poet; setting himself strongly in the poetic history. His works will continue to inspire many people and attract the analysis of different scholars.
Works Cited
Buck, Jr. O. M. “New Facts Concerning the Life of Edmund Spenser.” Modern Language Notes. Vol. 19, No. 8, The Johns Hopkins University Press, December 1904, pp. 237-238. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/10.2307/2917322?ref=searchgateway:2039705c5c60f7c3b633ef7b226f8037
Carpenter, F. I. “The Marriages of Edmund Spenser.” Modern Philology, Vol. 22, No. 1, The University of Chicago Press, Aug. 1924, pp. 97-98. JSTOR, jstor.ord/stable/10.2307/433320?ref=searchgateway:b454a2ffe98c029731102ff5343ca430
“Edmund Spenser.” Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. Vol. 14, 2004, pp. 373-376, Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=gvrl&sw=w&txshracd2561&v=2.a&it=r&id=gale|cx3404706088&asid=eb831098550ca828b2d005e52645f36b
Noble, Annette L. “Edmund Spenser.” The Aldine, Vol. 4, No. 7, Thomas J. Watson Library, July 1871, PP. 115-116. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/10.2307/20636079?ref=search-gateway:abe08363fb25f75b23363c47ec3bc3fe
Reisman Canfield, Rosemary M., editor. “Spenser, Edmund.” British, Irish, and Commonwealth Poets, 4th ed., Vol. 3, Salem Press, 2011, pp. 1191-1201, Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=gvrl&sw=w&txshracd2561&v=2.a&it=r&id=gale|cx2132600192&asid=16ddf913bd6d602b5e380a781eab389d
