Elizabethan Sonneteers (1580-1599): The Golden Age of the English Sonnet
The late 16th century witnessed an extraordinary flourishing of sonnet writing in England, as poets adapted the Italian Petrarchan form to create a distinctly English tradition of love poetry. By 1590, the sonnet had become the dominant lyrical form, blending courtly refinement with psychological depth.
1. Origins and Influences
Petrarchan Model: Inspired by Francesco Petrarca’s 14th-century sonnets to Laura.
Wyatt and Surrey: Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542) introduced the form to England, while Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517-1547) developed the English (Shakespearean) sonnet (ABABCDCDEFEFGG).
French Influence: Du Bellay and Ronsard’s Pléiade group further refined the tradition.
2. Major Sonneteers and Sequences
a) Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586)
Astrophil and Stella (1591): The first great English sonnet cycle, mixing Petrarchan idealism with self-mockery.
Innovations: Dramatic immediacy (“Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show”) and metrical experimentation.
b) Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)
Amoretti (1595): Chronicles his courtship of Elizabeth Boyle, culminating in the marriage ode Epithalamion.
Style: Uses interlocking Spenserian sonnets (ABABBCBCCDCDEE) for musical continuity.
c) Samuel Daniel (1562-1619)
Delia (1592): Elegant, melancholic verses influencing Shakespeare’s Dark Lady sonnets.
d) Michael Drayton (1563-1631)
Idea’s Mirror (1594): Revises his sequence repeatedly, culminating in the famous “Since there’s no help, come let us kiss and part.”
3. Themes and Conventions
Petrarchan Paradoxes: Ice and fire, war and peace, freedom and captivity.
Unrequited Love: The cruel beloved (e.g., Sidney’s Stella, Spenser’s later joyful resolution).
Time and Immortality: Poetry as defense against mortality (later central to Shakespeare).
4. The Shakespearean Turn (Post-1590)
While Shakespeare’s Sonnets (1609) lie just beyond this period, the groundwork was laid by:
Psychological Complexity: Sidney’s conflicted Astrophil.
Formal Mastery: Spenser’s melodic patterns.
Themes of Art vs. Time: Daniel’s meditations on transience.
5. Legacy
These sonneteers transformed the lyric into a vehicle for both personal expression and Renaissance wit, paving the way for Donne’s metaphysical poetry and the Romantic revival of the form.