1. Renaissance Poetry

2. The Renaissance 1485- 1660  French word meaning “rebirth”  Renewed interest in classical learning, the writings of ancient Greece and Rome

3. Italian Renaissance  14 th century – 16 th century  Boccaccio, Petrarch, da Vinci, Michelangelo, etc.  Vatican’s Sistine Chapel done by Michaelangelo  The people are perfectly proportioned, implying people were capable of perfection. Very optimistic view of humanity.

4. English Renaissance  In contrast to Italian Renaissance, English renaissance was more restrained and pious.  Regarded classical learning as a means for better understanding the Bible and leading a moral life. Who does this remind you of?  Humanism: used classical Latin and Greek writings to contemplate humanity and morality. Ex. John Milton

5. Renaissance Poetry  English Renaissance Poetry was characterized by  New poetry that strongly borrowed from old themes or forms  Aristocratic in tone and unconcerned with working people. – why?

6. Sir Thomas Wyatt The Elder (1503-1542) & Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517-1547)  worked for Henry VIII as courtiers  As Henry VIII’s ambassador, Wyatt traveled abroad  Brought love sonnet to England from Italy.  Surrey first used unrhymed iambic pentameter in a translation of parts of Virgil’s Aeneid  Neither of them published their poems, since they were expected to compose songs and verses to entertain the King and not poetry  10 years after Surrey’s death (Wyatt died first), Richard Tottel published Songs and Sonnets - 96 of Wyatt’s poems and 40 of Surrey’s  Tottel changed some of the words around, however, so it is now popularly known as Tottel’s Miscellany

7. Petrarch  Francis Petrarch  What is a petrarchan conceit?  How many lines do they have?  How many syllables? What meter?  What is an octave and a sestet? What is the difference in terms of content?  What is the “turn?”

8. Surrey’s “Love that doth reign” (p. 344)  Translation of a Petrarch sonnet. In that one, the situation is that the poet loves a lady, but will not permit him to declare his love.  This is an “English” sonnet.  What’s the stanza structure and rhyme scheme?

9. Surrey’s “Love that doth reign” (p. 344) 1.What happens in each quatrain? 2.Where is the turn? What is the turn? 3.What is the conceit? What specific parts of the poem show this?

10. Wyatt  Whose list to hunt p. 340  They flee from me p. 341

11. Whose List to Hunt  It’s rumored that Wyatt wrote this about his love for Anne Boleyn. Who was she?  What does he say about his affection for her?  What does noli me tangere mean? What is the historical reference?

12. Whose List to Hunt  What is the rhyme scheme?  According to the speaker, why is he ending his hunt of the hind?  What advice does he give to potential hunters of this hund?  What does he say is written about the hind’s neck?