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Period: Jan 1, 1460 to Jun 21, 1529
John Skelton
John Skelton, also known as John Shelton (c. 1460 – 21 June 1529), born in Diss, Norfolk, was an English poet. He died at Westminster.
He is said to have been educated at Oxford. He certainly studied at Cambridge.
In the last decade of the century he was appointed tutor to Prince Henry (afterwards Henry VIII).
Author of the poem "Colyn Clout". -
Period: Feb 7, 1478 to Jul 6, 1535
Sir Thomas More
Sir Thomas More was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. More coined the word "utopia" – a name he gave to the ideal and imaginary island nation, the political system of which he described in Utopia, published in 1516. He opposed the King's separation from the Roman Catholic Church and refused to accept him as Supreme Head of the Church of England. The phrase "grasp at straws", -
Period: Jan 1, 1503 to Oct 11, 1542
Sir Thomas Wyat
Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503 – 11 October 1542) was a 16th-century English ambassador and lyrical poet. He is credited with introducing the sonnet into English.
Studied at St John's College, Cambridge.
None of Wyatt's poems was published during his lifetime—the first book to feature his verse, Tottel's Miscellany of 1557, was printed a full fifteen years after his death.
Author of the poem "Certayne Psalmes". -
May 1, 1516
Utopia by Sir Thomas More
Originally in Latin, published in English in 1551. A work of fiction and political philosophy. -
Period: Jan 1, 1552 to
Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser (c. 1552 – 13 January 1599) was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and is considered one of the greatest poets in the English language. As a young boy, he was educated in London at the Merchant Taylors' School and matriculated as a sizar at Pembroke College, Cambridge. -
Period: May 1, 1553 to
John Lyly
John Lyly was an English writer, poet, dramatist, playwright, and politician, best known for his books Euphues, The Anatomy of Wit (1578) and Euphues and His England (1580). Lyly's literary style, originating in his first books, is known as euphuism. Lyly's mannered style is characterized by parallel arrangements and periphrases. -
Period: Nov 30, 1554 to
Sir Philip Sidney
Sir Philip Sidney (30 November 1554 – 17 October 1586) was an English poet, courtier and soldier.
His works include Astrophel and Stella, The Defence of Poesy (also known as The Defence of Poetry or An Apology for Poetry), and The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia. -
Period: Nov 30, 1554 to
Sir Philip Sidney
Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier and soldier, and is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan age. His works include Astrophel and Stella, The Defence of Poesy (also known as The Defence of Poetry or An Apology for Poetry), and The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia. -
Period: Jan 1, 1558 to
Thomas Lodge
Thomas Lodge (c. 1558 – September 1625) was an English dramatist and writer of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.
He was born about 1558 at West Ham, the second son of Sir Thomas Lodge, who was Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1562–1563.
He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and Trinity College, Oxford; taking his BA in 1577 and MA in 1581.
Author of the poem "Rosalynde". -
Period: May 1, 1559 to
George Chapman
George Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets of the 17th century. Chapman is best remembered for his translations of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and the Homeric Batrachomyomachia (parody of the Iliad) -
Period: Jan 22, 1561 to
Sir Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist and author. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon has been called the creator of empiricism. Francis Bacon's philosophy is displayed in the vast and varied writings he left, which might be divided in three branches: scientifical works, religious/literary works, juridicial works -
Period: Jan 1, 1562 to
Samuel Daniel
Samuel Daniel (1562 – 14 October 1619) was an English poet and historian.
In 1579, Daniel was admitted to Magdalen Hall (now known as Hertford College) at Oxford University, where he remained for about three years and afterwards devoted himself to the study of poetry and philosophy. A "Samuel Daniel" is recorded in 1586 as being the servant of Edward Stafford, the Baron of Stafford and the English ambassador in France.
Author of the poem "Defence of Rhyme." -
Period: Apr 26, 1564 to
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 (baptised) – 23 April 1616)[nb 1] was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.
He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".
His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays,154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, two epitaphs on a man named John Combe, one epitaph on Elias James, and several other poems. -
Period: Apr 26, 1564 to
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays,[nb 3] 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, two epitaphs on a man named John Combe, one epitaph on Elias James, and several other poems. -
Period: May 1, 1572 to
Thomas Dekker
Thomas Dekker was an English Elizabethan dramatist and pamphleteer, a versatile and prolific writer whose career spanned several decades and brought him into contact with many of the period's most famous dramatists -
Apr 1, 1578
Euphues: The Anatomy of Wyt by John Lyly
A didactic romance. The name Euphues is derived from Greek meaning "graceful, witty". -
Period: Jan 1, 1579 to
John Fletcher
John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright. Following William Shakespeare as house playwright for the King's Men, he was among the most prolific and influential dramatists of his day; both during his lifetime and in the early Restoration, his fame rivalled Shakespeare's. Though his reputation has been eclipsed since, Fletcher remains an important transitional figure between the Elizabethan popular tradition and the popular drama of the Restoration. -
May 1, 1580
Euphues and his England by John Lyly
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May 1, 1580
Astrophel and Stella - Sir Philip Sidney
Likely composed in the 1580s, Philip Sidney's Astrophil and Stella is an English sonnet sequence containing 108 sonnets and 11 songs.
The name derives from the two Greek words, 'aster' (star) and 'phil' (lover), and the Latin word 'stella' meaning star. Thus Astrophil is the star lover, and Stella is his star. -
May 1, 1580
Astrophel and Stella by Sir Philip Sidney
Likely composed in the 1580s, Philip Sidney's Astrophil and Stella is an English sonnet sequence containing 108 sonnets and 11 songs. The name derives from the two Greek words, 'aster' (star) and 'phil' (lover), and the Latin word 'stella' meaning star. -
Period: to
Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont was a dramatist in the English Renaissance theatre, most famous for his collaborations with John Fletcher. -
Rosalynde - Thomas Lodge
Thomas Lodge’s prose romance Rosalynde: Euphues Golden Legacy (first published 1590) is best known today as the major source for Shakespeare’s "As You Like It", but its own success is apparent from its numerous reprintings. -
The Faerie Queen - Edmund Spenser
The Faerie Queene is an incomplete English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. The first half was published in 1590, and a second installment was published in 1596. The Faerie Queene is notable for its form: it was the first work written in Spenserian stanza and is one of the longest poems in the English language. -
An Apology for Poetry by Sir Philip Sidney
Philip Sidney wrote An Apology for Poetry (or, The Defence of Poesy) in approximately 1579, and it was published in 1595, after his death. The essence of his defense is that poetry, by combining the liveliness of history with the ethical focus of philosophy, is more effective than either history or philosophy in rousing its readers to virtue. -
''The Shoemaker's Holiday'' first performed
The Shoemakers' Holiday, or the Gentle Craft is an Elizabethan play written by Thomas Dekker. It was first performed by the Admiral's Men. It falls into the sub-genre of city comedy. It contains the poem The Merry Month of May. -
A Defence of Rhyme - Samuel Daniel
A Defence of Rime was originally printed in 1602. -
''Othello'' written
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare.The work revolves around four central characters: Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army; his wife, Desdemona; his lieutenant, Cassio; and his trusted ensign, Iago. -
''Macbeth'' written
Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare. It is considered one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies. Set in Scotland, the play dramatizes the corroding psychological and political effects produced when its protagonist, the Scottish lord Macbeth, chooses evil as the way to fulfill his ambition for power. He commits regicide to become king and then furthers his moral descent with a reign of murderous terror to stay in power, eventually plunging the country into civil war. -
''The Knight of the Burning Pestle'' first performed
The Knight of the Burning Pestle is a play by Francis Beaumont -
Sonnets - William Shakespeare
Shakespeare's sonnets are a collection of 154 sonnets, dealing with themes such as the passage of time, love, beauty and mortality, first published in a 1609 quarto entitled SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS.: Never before imprinted. (although sonnets 138 and 144 had previously been published in the 1599 miscellany The Passionate Pilgrim). -
''The Maid's Tragedy'' first published
The Maid's Tragedy is a play by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. The play was one of the earliest works in the canon of Fletcher and his collaborators that was acted by the King's Men; Fletcher would spend most of his career as that company's regular playwright. In the King's Men's performances of the play, the part of Melantius was reportedly acted by John Lowin. -
''As You Like It'' first published
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility. As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia and Touchstone the court jester, to find safety and eventually, love, in the Forest of Arden. -
''Hamlet'' written
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet exacts on his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet, Claudius's brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and then succeeding to the throne and taking as his wife Gertrude, the old king's widow and Prince Hamlet's mother. explores themes of tr
