Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, or Virgil, inherited and redefined classical tradition that poets imitated throughout the Renaissance. His own career path became the template for English poets--namely Spenser and Milton--seeking greatness. In the English tradition, Virgil began his career with pastoral poetry, also called aeclogues. He proceeded to write georgic poetry, and at the height of his career he composed his epic. The Aeneid describes the heroic foundation of Rome by Aeneis, a Trojan represented in the Iliad.
Influence on the English Renaissance:
- Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, translated parts the Aeneid into English. In the process, Howard introduced blank verse into the English language.
- Edmund Spenser's career path resembles Virgil's, especially along the arc from the pastoral Shepheardes Calender to the epic Faerie Queene
- John Milton's career path also resembles Virgil's, especially along the arc from the pastoral elegy Lycidas to the epic Paradise Lost
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