English Lit Authors 1300-1500

The Book of the Duchess

- Author Geoffrey Chaucer - Summary: A man lies in bed, reading a book. He falls asleep and has an adventurous dream. When he wakes, he remembers his dream, and decides to write the dream in a poem.

The Legend of Good Women

- Author Geoffrey Chaucer - Summary: A poem that recounts ten stories of virtuous women in nine sections

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

- "Born" April 26, 1564 (baptised) - Died: 23 April 1616) - English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.[1] He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".[2][nb 2] His surviving 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. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.[3]

John Skelton (1460-1529)

- Also known as John Shelton - Born: 1460 -Died: June 21, 1529) - English poet.

House of Fame

- Author Geoffrey Chaucer - A man falls asleep, and dreams he is in a glass building. An eagle guides him through the building, showing him famous people and their works.

The Canterbury Tales

- Author Geoffrey Chaucer - Summary: A collection of stories written in Middle English. The tales (mostly written in verse although some are in prose) are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The prize for this contest is a free meal at the Tabard Inn at Southwark on their return.

Troilus & Criseyde

- Author Geoffrey Chaucer - Summary: Troilus and Criseyde is a poem which re-tells in Middle English the tragic story of the lovers Troilus and Criseyde set against a backdrop of war in the Siege of Troy. - It was composed using rime royale and probably completed during the mid 1380s. - Many Chaucer scholars regard it as the poet's finest work.

Volpone

- Author: Ben Jonson - Summary: Volpone pretends to be on his deathbed, and many men come with beautiful gifts to try and win favor with Volpone so that they may be the heir to his possessions.

The Faerie Queene

- Author: Edmund Spencer - Summary: an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I.

The Defence of Poesy

- Author: Sir Philip Sidney - AKA: The Defence of Poesy - In his essay, Sidney integrates a number of classical and Italian precepts on fiction. 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 work also offers important comments on Edmund Spenser and the Elizabethan stage.

The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia

- Author: Sir Philip Sidney - Long prose work - It is Sidney's most ambitious literary work, by far, and as significant in its own way as his sonnets. The work is a romance that combines pastoral elements with a mood derived from the Hellenistic model of Heliodorus. In the work, that is, a highly idealized version of the shepherd's life adjoins (not always naturally) with stories of jousts, political treachery, kidnappings, battles, and rapes. As published, the narrative follows the Greek model: stories are nested within each other, and different storylines are intertwined.

Astrophel and Stella

- Author: Sir Philip Sidney - Name derives from the two Greek words, 'aster' (star) and 'phil' (lover), and the Latin word 'stella' meaning star. Thus Astrophel is the star lover, and Stella is his star. - Some have suggested that the love represented within the sequence may be a literal one as Sidney evidently connects Astrophel to himself and Stella to Penelope Rich, the wife of a courtier.

El Dorado

- Author: Sir Walter Raleigh - An exaggerated account of his experiences searching for the "City of Gold" in South America.

Hamlet

- Author: William Shakespeare - Summary: Claudius has killed Hamlet's father, the King of Denmark. Not knowing this, Hamlet's mother married Claudius two months later. Hamlet sees the ghost of his father, and he tells him that his uncle, Claudius killed him. The King and Queen think that Hamlet is acting strange because he is in love with Ophelia, whom he can never marry since she is not royal.. So, they put him in a room with Ophelia to find out for sure. But Hamlet was mean to her, so his uncle thinks Hamlet knows he killed his father. Ophelia drowns herself because Hamlet tells her he doesn't love her. Her brother blames Hamlet and challenges him to a duel. At the duel, Claudius puts poison in a glass of wine and on the swords because he wants to kill Hamlet. The Queen drinks the wine by mistake and dies. Hamlet and Ophelia's brother stab one another with the poison swords and they both die, but Hamlet kills the King just before he dies.

Julius Caesar

- Author: William Shakespeare - Summary: Julius Caesar is killed by his best friend, and several men that dislike him...

King Lear

- Author: William Shakespeare - Summary: King Lear has 3 daughters. The older two daughters convince their father that the youngest daughter is bad... So, the King splits his kingdom between the two older girls. Later, King Lear learns that he has been tricked by his daughters: the youngest was the good daughter, and the older two were the "bad" ones.

Othello

- Author: William Shakespeare - Summary: Othello is a highly esteemed general in the service of Venice. Iago is Othello's ambitious friend. Othello promotes the Michael Cassio to the position of personal lieutenant and Iago is deadly jealous. Iago begins an evil and malicious campaign against the hero. Othello elopes with Desdemona but Iago starts to plot against them. Othello becomes jealous and suspicious of Desdemona. He confides in Iago that he plans to poison Desdemona. Plots and murders ensue and Othello returns to the castle to kill his innocent wife. He eventually smothers her to death. Emilia tells Othello the truth about the scheming Iago. Othello wounds Iago, then kills himself. Iago kills Emilia. - Characters: Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, Iago.

Macbeth

- Author: William Shakespeare - Summary: Three witches tell Macbeth that he will be king. He and his wife plan to kill King Duncan, and blame the guards. The plan is successful, and Macbeth becomes King. Duncan's sons, Malcolm & Donalbain run away when they hear their father is dead. The witches tell Macbeth that he is doomed... In the end, Macbeth is beheaded by Macduff. - Characters: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, King Duncan, Malcolm and Donalbain, Banquo, Fleance, Macduff,

Romeo & Juliet

- Author: William Shakespeare - Summary: Young star-crossed lovers marry, and later kill themselves... Ending the feud between their families.

Geoffrey Chaucer (1342-1400)

- Born: 1343 - Died: October 25, 1400 - Known as the Father of English literature - Widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages. - First poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey. - While he achieved fame during his lifetime as an author, philosopher, alchemist and astronomer, composing a scientific treatise on the astrolabe for his ten year-old son Lewis, Chaucer also maintained an active career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier and diplomat. Among his many works, which include The Book of the Duchess, the House of Fame, the Legend of Good Women and Troilus and Criseyde, he is best known today for The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer is a crucial figure in developing the legitimacy of the vernacular, Middle English, at a time when the dominant literary languages in England were French and Latin.

Edmund Spencer (1552-1599)

- Born: 1552 - Died: January 13, 1599 - English poet best known for The Faerie Queene - He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and one of the greatest poets in the English language.

Sir Walter Raleigh (1554-1618)

- Born: 1554 - Died: October 29, 1618 - English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. - He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England. - Searched for the "City of Gold" two times

George Herbert (1593-1633)

- Born: April 3, 1593 - Died: March 1, 1633

Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

- Born: January 22, 1561 - Died: April 9, 1626 - English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, and author. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. - Although his political career ended in disgrace, he remained extremely influential through his works, especially as philosophical advocate and practitioner of the scientific method during the scientific revolution. - Bacon has been called the Creator of Empiricism.

Ben Jonson (1572-1631)

- Born: June 11, 1572 - Died: August 6, 1637 - English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. - Had an unparalleled breadth of influence on Jacobean and Caroline playwrights and poets.

Thomas Nashe (1567-1601)

- Born: November 1567 - Died: 1601 - English Elizabethan pamphleteer, playwright, poet and satirist. - He was the son of the minister William Nashe and his wife Margaret (née Witchingham). - Wrote: Summer's Last Will and Testament

Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586)

- Born: November 30, 1554 - Died: October 17, 1586 - English poet, courtier and soldier - Remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan Age. The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia.

John Donne (1572-1631)

- Born: between January 24 and June 19 of 1572 - Died: March 31, 1631 - English poet, satirist, lawyer and a cleric in the Church of England. - Considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially compared to that of his contemporaries. - Donne's style is characterised by abrupt openings and various paradoxes, ironies and dislocations. - Particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits.