U6 L3 Sonnets: Spenser, Shakespeare, and Donne Flashcards
Who was the successor to Chaucer in the development of English poetry?
Edmund Spenser
Where did Edmund Spenser graduate from?
Cambridge
What did Edmund Spenser do after his graduation from Cambridge?
spent 4 years in household of Earl of Leicester, Philip Sidney’s uncle and favorite courtier of Queen Elizabeth
What was Spenser’s most famous work?
The Faerie Queen
What was the longest poem in the English language?
The Faerie Queen
Who is the ‘Faerie Queen’ in Spenser’s The Faerie Queen?
Gloriana, symbol of Queen Elizabeth, dedicated poem to her
What is the name of Spenser’s sonnet sequence?
Amoretti (Little Loves)
Who was Edmund Spenser’s wife?
Elizabeth Boyle
What does archaic mean?
belonging to an earlier period, antiquated
What language did Spenser write in?
quaint and archaic
In Elizabethan spelling, the letter ‘u’ was used as what letter?
w or v
What did Spenser use to develop Sonnet XXXIV?
simile
What is simile?
- figure of speech
- expresses similarity between two objects with ‘like’ or ‘as’
What is metaphor?
- figure of speech
- not use like/as to compare two objects
What is the Italian sonnet also known as?
Petrarchan sonnet
How does the Spenserian Sonnet differ from the Italian/Petrarchan Sonnet?
- thought is developed through 3 sets of rhyme
- abab bcbc cdcd ee
- last two lines introduce different idea
In Spenser’s Sonnet XXXIV, who guides the ship?
Helice, guiding star
How many sonnets did William Shakespeare write?
154
What are the two groups Shakespeare’s sonnets can be divided into?
S 1-126: addressed to friend, man of noble birth
S 126-152: addressed to unkind “Dark Lady” whom the poet loves
last two don’t belong to either
What are the general themes of Shakespeare’s Sonnets?
friendship and love
How many sentences do Petrarchan sonnets generally have?
two long sentences (one for oct, one for ses)
How many sentences do Shakespearean sonnets have?
3-4, with a period before the final couplet
Is there a ‘perfect sonnet’?
no
In Shakespeare’s Sonnet XVIII, what reasons does the narrator give for why all fair things decline?
nature and chance
In Shakespeare’s Sonnet XVIII, what is the rhyming scheme?
abab cdcd efef gg
In Shakespeare’s Sonnet CXVI, what is it seeking to define?
love
What did John Donne’s early poetry reflect/show?
youthful quest for worldly pleasures
What did John Donne’s later poetry reflect/show?
his search for spiritual satisfaction
