JOHN SKELTON
Oh, let me tell you about John Skelton, the English poet and humanist! Back in the day, he was the tutor to Prince Henry (who later became Henry VIII). After that, he settled in as the rector of Diss, Norfolk, around 1502.
Now, here's the juicy part! In 1512, Skelton started calling himself the royal orator, and it's said that Henry VIII might have given him that title, with the task of handling royal correspondence and writing official poems. Fancy gig, right?
But what made him stand out were his sharp and sometimes shockingly crude satires about the court, clergy, and Cardinal Wolsey. The dude didn't hold back! Some of his famous works include "The Bowge of Court" from 1499, "Speak, Parrot" from 1521, "Colin Clout" from 1522, "Why Come Ye Not to Court?" from around 1522, and a fake funeral song called "Philip Sparrow."
Skelton was quite the innovator too! He created his own verse forms called "Skeletons." They had short lines, strong rhymes (often repeated in several couplets), and a dash of alliteration. He had a unique style, that's for sure!
Literary Career:
Not much is known about John Skelton's early life, but some say he might've hailed from Yorkshire and went to Cambridge. Unfortunately, his earliest works, like translations of Cicero's Familiar Letters and Deguileville's Pèlerinage de la vie humaine, didn't survive. Bummer!
But hey, the guy got some major recognition! He was named poet laureate by Oxford in 1488, then Louvain followed suit shortly after, and finally Cambridge in 1493. Those titles were partly honorary, and they appreciated his grammar skills. Skelton's first poems were occasional pieces, like the one about the "Dolorous Death and Most Lamentable Chance of the Most Honorable Earl of Northumberland" in 1489.
Around 1495, he scored a gig as a tutor to Prince Henry, who later became the famous Henry VIII. Talk about a royal connection! And guess what? He even became a priest in 1498.
Now, this dude wasn't afraid to take on the courtiers. His first satire, "The Bowge of Court," was a wild dream vision slamming the vices of those folks in the royal court. In 1501, he wrote "Speculum principis," which was an adaptation of a Latin version of the Historical Library of Diodorus Siculus. The book was all about preaching virtue and learning for princes. Pretty wise stuff!
In 1504, Skelton landed the gig as the rector of Diss, Norfolk. He had some fun poking fun at local peeps with his satirical poems, and he became famous for his mock dirge, "Philip Sparrow." The story goes that a nun he knew lost her bird to a greedy cat, and Skelton wrote this poem where the nun mourns her feathered friend like it's a Mass for the Dead. But don't worry, it's all in good humor!
Then in 1512, he said goodbye to Diss and moved to Westminster, where he spent the rest of his days. He scored the title of court poet and penned lots of political poems. He might've even written some plays, but we only have one surviving— "Magnificence" from 1516.
Skelton was a hit at Henry VIII's court, dishing out songs like "Mannerly Margery Milk and Ale." One of his standout poems was "The Tunnyng of Eleanor Rummyng," featuring an amusing, wicked old lady.
But oh boy, things got spicy when he went after Cardinal Wolsey with his satirical attacks in the early 1520s. To escape the cardinal's wrath, he sought refuge with the Countess of Surrey. There, he tried to make nice with Wolsey in "The Garland of Laurel" from 1523.
His last big work was an attack on heresy, "A Replication against Certain Young Scholars." Skelton loved his short rhymed verses, and he called them "Skeltonics." Unfortunately, he passed away on June 21, 1529, at Westminster. Quite the clever poet, he was!
Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Sir Thomas Wyatt
Sir Thomas Wyatt, born in 1503 at Allington Castle in Kent, England, had quite the impressive background. His father held a wealthy position as a privy councilor to both Henry VII and Henry VIII. Wyatt went to St. John's College, Cambridge, and tied the knot with Elizabeth Brooke in 1520. Even though they had two kids, their marriage hit some bumps, and they separated soon after. However, they managed to patch things up in 1541.
In 1536, things got rough for Wyatt when he got arrested after five guys were accused of being involved with Anne Boleyn, who was later executed for adultery. Wyatt ended up spending just one month in the Tower, and he quickly regained Henry VIII's favor. From there on, he became a valuable servant to Henry, taking on various roles both in England and abroad. He was known for being a skilled diplomat, and his loyalty to the king was commendable. Quite the impressive guy!
Major Poems
Although Sir Thomas Wyatt's poems were popular among the members of Henry's court, they didn't see the light of print until after he passed away. In 1557, a collection of ninety-six of his songs appeared in "Songs and Sonnets" (Tottel's Miscellany). The rest of his poems, satires, and lyrics remained in manuscript form and were gradually published in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Wyatt is often credited with bringing the sonnet into English alongside the Earl of Surrey. His love poems, inspired by the Petrarchan sonnet style, revolve around courtly love and the heartaches caused by his lovers. Some of his most famous works include "Whoso List to Hunt," "They Flee From Me," "What No, Perdie," "Lux, My Fair Falcon," and "Blame Not My Lute."
Aside from love poetry, Wyatt also wrote three satires, which brought the Italian terza rima into the English language, and a few penitential psalms. Unfortunately, he passed away on October 11, 1542, due to a fever. His legacy as a pioneering poet and master of English verse lives on through his works.
Henry Howard
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, was quite the remarkable figure in English history. Born around 1516 or 1517, he was not just a nobleman and politician but also an influential poet, contributing significantly to the English Renaissance poetry. Unfortunately, he met a tragic fate, becoming the last person to be executed by King Henry VIII.
Surrey had some royal connections too! He was the first cousin of both Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Catherine Howard, who happened to be the second and fifth wives of Henry VIII. When his father, Thomas Howard, became the Duke of Norfolk in 1524, Surrey took on the courtesy title of Earl of Surrey.
His father's powerful position led to Surrey's active involvement in court life during that time. He also served as a soldier in France and Scotland. However, his reckless temperament got him into frequent quarrels, and this eventually led to a confrontation with the aging and embittered King Henry VIII.
Things took a dark turn when he was arrested and put on trial for treason, ultimately ending in his beheading on Tower Hill. It was a tragic end for a man who had played such a significant role in the cultural and political landscape of his time.
Literary Career:
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and his buddy Sir Thomas Wyatt were trailblazers in English poetry. They were the first to write in the sonnet form, which later became famous through Shakespeare's works. Surrey, in particular, pioneered the use of blank verse, the unrhymed iambic pentameter, in his translation of Virgil's Aeneid's second and fourth books.
Because of their fantastic translations of Petrarch's sonnets, they earned the title "Fathers of the English Sonnet." Wyatt brought the sonnet to English literature, and Surrey added the rhyming meter and the division into quatrains, which is now characteristic of the English, Elizabethan, or Shakespearean sonnets.
Beyond love and death themes typical of the early Tudor era, Surrey explored various topics in his short poems, such as life in London, friendship, and youth. Interestingly, he stood out by writing two "Complaint[s] of the absence of her lover being upon the sea" from a woman's perspective, which was rare for his time.
Richard Tottel printed their short poems, along with Wyatt's, in his collection "Songes and Sonettes, Written by the Ryght Honorable Lorde Henry Haward Late Earle of Surrey and Other" in 1557, commonly known as Tottel's Miscellany. Surrey's translation of Books II and IV of the Aeneid, published in 1557 as "Certain Bokes of Virgiles Aenaeis," marked the first use of blank verse in English, which was borrowed from Italian verse. These two poets truly left a lasting impact on English poetry!
Tottel's Miscellany
Tottel's Miscellany, also known as Songes and Sonettes, made history as the first-ever printed English poetry anthology. Published in London by Richard Tottel in 1557, this gem went through multiple editions in the 16th century.
The original edition hit the shelves on June 5, 1557, with the title "Songes and Sonettes Written By the Ryght Honorable Lord Henry Howard, late Earle of Surrey, Thomas Wyatt the Elder, and others." Inside its pages were 271 poems, none of which had been printed before. This anthology became a trailblazer for similar collections that gained popularity by the end of the 16th century. It's considered Tottel's significant contribution to English literature, meant for the delight of common readers. Plus, it was one of the last major appearances of the sonnet form in published works for several decades, until the likes of Philip Sidney's "Astrophel and Stella" (1591) and "The Phoenix Nest" (1593) hit the scene.
Most of the poems in the anthology were written in the 1530s but only saw the light of day when the first edition was published in 1557. Many were released posthumously. There's a total of 54 actual sonnets in the collection, attributed to various authors, including three by Nicholas Grimald, 15 by Surrey, 27 by Wyatt, and nine by unknown writers.
Religious themes played a significant role in the incorporated poetry, covering Catholicism, Protestantism, and the English Reformation. Later editors in the early modern period removed many of these religious references to suit the times.
The anthology mainly features the works of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and Thomas Wyatt, the Elder. These two were heavily influenced by Italian poetry, with Wyatt's meter adapted by Tottel to the conventional English iambic stress. The anthology also includes contributions from Nicholas Grimald, Thomas Norton, Thomas Vaux, John Heywood, Edward Somerset, and other uncertain or unknown authors. Among these unknown authors, it's believed that Geoffrey Chaucer may have written at least one poem titled "To leade a vertuous and honest life." A true treasure trove of English poetry!
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