The Period of the Cavalier Poets (approximately 1620-1660) [part of the late Renaissance] 1

Late Renaissance After Elizabeth I died childless, English society quickly went downhill. In 1642 England erupted in a civil war. Court of King Charles 1 is in place. Those who supported the monarchy were called Cavaliers. Those who supported Parliament were known as Roundheads. 2

King’s Supporters – The Cavaliers A proud King Charles I struggled with Parliament over political and religious authority until in 1642, civil war broke out. The king’s supporters were the Cavaliers, with long hair, plumed hats, and high boots. The Parliamentary forces were the Roundheads with cropped hair, black hats, and sturdy shoes. Their leaders included Oliver Cromwell, a stern general who thought his new model army could bring divine justice to England. After six brutal years, Charles was defeated, captured, and tried by his subjects. Condemned to death, he was beheaded in January 1649. A dead king does not however guarantee a democratic or effective government, impatient with the quarreling Parliamentary factions, Cromwell seized power and served as Lord Protector England until his death in 658. Charles the Second Returned from exile in France and assumed the throne in a restored monarchy. When Charles dies without an heir in 1685, his brother, a catholic convert became James the Second. James also had no male heirs and his daughter, Mary was a staunch Protestant. The uneasy country was willing to have James as king while it waited for Mary, the the aging king had a son. In 1688, nobles, merchants, and other power brokers invited Mary and her husband William to take the throne. James was deposed, and William and Mary succeeded him, and event hailed as the Glorious Revolution. In 1714, George, the Elector of Hanover in Germany became King.

Cavaliers vs. Roundheads Members of the aristocracy Long flowing hair and wigs Elaborate clothes, plumed hats Self-consciously elegant pose Pro-Catholic and anti-Puritan Believed in the divine right of kings Roundheads Social class lower than the aristocracy Short hair Plain dress Direct in manner Puritan with strict religious beliefs Believed in limits to king’s rule Social turmoil and new growth define this period and it literature. The guns of the English Civil War which pitted the king against Parliament echo through the work of the poets. The Industrial and Agricultural revolutions sparked by the use of new machines in production and in farming led to the growth of cities, an increase in urban poverty , and the rise of the middle class. These developments influenced the work of Samuel Pepys, Daniel Defoe, Samuel Johnson, and Joseph Addison each of whom chronicled the life of the middle class or catered to its leisure needs. At the end of the period, political revolutions in American and in France prepared the way for the revolution in literature known as Romanticism.

His Cavalier Give me that man, that dares bestride
The active sea-horse & with pride,
Through that huge field of waters ride:
Who, with his looks too, can appease
The ruffling winds and raging seas,
In the midst of all their outrages.
This a virtuous man can do,
Sail against rocks, and split them too:
Ay! and a world of pikes pass through.
--Sir Robert Herrick--   So…in reading this, how would you characterize the philosophy and spirit and personality of those who would call themselves Cavalier Poets?

Poetry of the Cavaliers Many Cavaliers wrote musical, light-hearted verse that was popular with the royal court. The Cavalier Poets frequently advocated the philosophy of Carpe Diem. This was in juxtaposition to the serious tone of most poetry, such as Milton’s. Many felt that poetry should only be about elevated topics like religion and philosophy. Therefore, it should be more didactic in nature. 6

Ben Jonson – 1572-1637

Ben Jonson Was a bricklayer and eventually joined the army Married Anne Lewis in 1594 Joined a theatrical company in 1597 and was imprisoned on Fleet St. for his involvement in a satire entitled The Isle of Dogs Killed a fellow actor, Gabriel Spence in a duel Pleaded his cased, converted to R. Catholicism and back to Anglicanism a decade later Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed his play Every Man in His Humor with Shakespeare in the cast – at the Globe Theatre

Jonson’s Fame Jonson's enduring reputation rests on the comedies written between 1605 and 1614. The first of these, Volpone, or The Fox (performed in 1605-1606, first published in 1607) is often regarded as his masterpiece. The play, though set in Venice, directs its scrutiny on the rising merchant classes of Jacobean London. The following plays, Epicoene: or, The Silent Woman (1609), The Alchemist (1610), and Bartholomew Fair (1614) are all peopled with dupes and those who deceive them. Jonson's keen sense of his own stature as author is represented by the unprecedented publication of his Works, in folio, in 1616. He was appointed as poet laureate and rewarded a substantial pension in the same year. Jonson was the dean and the leading wit of the group of writers who gathered at the Mermaid Tavern in the Cheapside district of London. The young poets influenced by Jonson were self-styled sons or tribe of Ben, later called the Cavalier poets, a group which included, among others, Robert Herrick, Thomas Carew, Sir John Suckling, and Richard Lovelace.

Robert Herrick Robert Herrick was born in Cheapside, London in 1591 to a prosperous goldsmith. His father committed suicide the next year. He later apprenticed with his uncle. He graduated with a BA and Master of Arts in 1620 and became one of the “sons of Ben,” Cavalier poets mixing in literary circles in London. In 1629, Charles I made him Dean Prior in Exeter where he lived in the seclusion of country life and wrote some of his best work. Robert Herrick-preacher who hated his parish, calling the people there “dull” and “loathed,” taught his pet pig to drink from a mug

Richard Lovelace 1618-1657 He was the model of a courtier. His demeanor was admired by King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria often taking part in military expeditions to Scotland He favored the restoration of Anglican bishops and was imprisoned for his beliefs After King Charles’ capture, he was imprisoned again and wrote the famous Lucasta poems for Lucy Sacherevell who married another thinking he had died in battle He lived on charity and died in poverty in 1658

Young, Lusty Gentlemen Christopher Marlowe- died in a bar brawl, stabbed above the eye Sir Walter Raleigh-one of the first Englishmen bold enough to grow potatoes and smoke tobacco, imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed Andrew Marvell- “the most major of the minor British poets,” saved Milton’s life when Royalist came back into power, rumored to have been poisoned because he hated King Charles II so much 12

Carpe Diem Carpe Diem means “seize the day”. In other words, the philosophy of carpe diem means to live for the moment! Live life to the fullest here and now. The philosophy of carpe diem is not limited to British literature, but it can be found throughout world literature, in movies, and in senior year mottos. 13

The spirit lives on… Now it’s your turn. In groups of 2, 3, or 4, make a big list of where you see the carpe diem motto expressed. Go into pop culture, movies, tv shows, music, billboards, songs. Be specific, yet appropriate. Don’t just say, “Ad campaigns.” Which ones? What do they say? Also, do you think the sentiment is genuine? How can it be used for good or for evil?

Pastoral Poetry As people move into the bigger cities, they begin to romanticize rural life. Pastoral poetry has idealized countryside, often with carefree maidens and shepherds. Think: “pastures” Imagery, diction, and argument used is highly sophisticated, clearly not rural, ‘cause shepherds couldn’t read! This was a noble’s life-of-leisure dream of what such a simple life must be like. Poems are not only “Carpe Diem” in nature, but are nostalgic for simpler, more innocent times or longing for something else They were popular up until the Romantic era, in the early 19th c. 15