William Gouge

William Gouge

 

William Gouge was born in 1575 in Stratford-le-Bow, Middlesex. He was educated at Felsted, St. Paul’s School, Eton College, and King’s College, Cambridge. He then graduated in 1601 with his masters and moved to London shortly after. After spending many years in prison for publishing controversy works under his own name he joined the Westminster Assembly regularly. In 1644, at age seventy he was made chairman of the committee set to draft the Westminster Confessions. Later, in 1647, he was appointed prolocutor of the Provincial Assembly of London.

Of Domesticall Duties was Gouge’s most popular text that was a thorough discussion of family life. The text talked of how the woman of the family was above the children while still being below the husband. This book was very followed during the time period in which it was written (1622). It acted as a sort of conduct book. Gouge had thirteen children. His wife died giving birth to the last child. He had many other writings such as The Whole Armor of God, In God’s Three Arrows: Plague, Famine, Sword , and Commentary on the Whole Epistle to Hebrews.

Gouge was a preacher for 45 years which may be something that seems a little obvious when looking at his writings and even the titles of some things he wrote.

William Gouge died in 1653, he was 78.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gouge

Amelia

Rulondo King

Aemilia Lanyer

 

Aemelia Bassano Lanyer was conceived in 1569 to Baptist Bassano and Margaret Johnson. Aemelia’s folks had a precedent-based marriage; they lived respectively and were thought to be married, yet it was never made official. Baptist Bassano was a Venetian artist who played in the Royal Court of Queen Elizabeth. Even though he kicked the bucket when Aemelia was seven years of age, regardless she invested a lot of energy rubbing elbows with British respectability. When Aemelia’s mom passed when she was 18 years of age, she was at that point understood for her magnificence and knowledge. She soon turned into the special lady of the substantially older Henry Cary, the Lord Chamberlain of Queen Elizabeth. Lanyer’s days at court arrived at an unexpected end in 1592, when she ended up noticeably pregnant via Cary and was successfully expelled from court life. Not long a short time later she wedded Alphonso Lanyer, a court performer, and brought forth a child, Henry. In 1604 he was permitted a roughage and-grain patent by King James I which gave them a persisting pay. In the mid-1600s Lanyer was stirred to express “The Description of Cooke-ham” after a visit with Margaret, the Countess of Cumberland, and her daughter, Lady Anne Clifford, at a country home. Lanyer’s religious verse was affected by Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke, who with her kin translated the scriptural Psalms. While endeavoring to pull in help for her work, Lanyer disseminated her verse aggregation Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum in 1611. Despite the fact that it was examined by different powerful people, the work fails to inspire support, and Lanyer never appropriated again. After the downfall of her life partner in 1613, Lanyer focused her thought on keeping the rights to his patent for her family and recipients. In 1617 Lanyer opened a school in the London suburb of St. Giles in the Fields, however quit instructing when the lease was lost in 1619. Starting at now Lanyer lived with her tyke and, after her marriage in 1623, with his life partner and youths as well. There is no evidence that Lanyer formed afresh. She passed on in March or April 1645 and was secured at St. James, Clerkenwell.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/aemilia-lanyer

http://www.projectcontinua.org/aemilia-lanyer/

Mary Astell

Mary Astell (1666-1731)

Mary Astell was born in Newcastle in the year 1666, to an upper middle class family. Astell grew up in a strict anglican family. Mary Astell did not attend school but instead was taught to read inside the home. Her uncle, a clergyman, was very influential in the education of young Mary Astell. Mary was inspired by her uncles challenging teachings and grew hungry to continue learning. Around the age of 13 Mary’s uncle passed away, leaving her to pursue knowledge on her own. The death of her uncle was just one of many setbacks for Mary Astell, in the previous year her father had also passed away leaving the astell family in poverty. The struggling family then moved to Mary Astell’s aunt’s house in efforts to find refuge from their hard economic times. This series of unfortunate events made it unlikely Mary would be a suitable wife in her social class. Mary later made the decision to move to the Chelsea district of London where she struggled to support herself as a writer.

Mary’s first found recognition as a writer in 1694 when she published, A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, for the Advancement of Their True and Greatest Interest parts 1. This work outlined Marys plan to establish an institution to educate women. Astell strived for equal opportunity for men and women. Mary’s controversial beliefs that women were just as rational as men made her a pioneer in the early women’s movement. In 1700 Mary Published “Some Reflections Upon Marriage.” Here She elaborated on the problems she saw with the institute of marriage. By encouraging women to not rush into a marriage she was influential in instilling independence within young women. Uncommon for her time she insisted marriage be with someone you love and the misery that can come with marriage to the wrong person.

In 1709 Mary removed herself from public life but still worked to empower women. She opened a Charity school for girls in chelsea. By designing the curriculum herself she continuously worked to give young girls the tools they needed to become indepent. Until her final days marry worked to empower women and questioned gender inequalities she faced in her time. After a long fight with breast cancer mary died in 1731.

“If all Men are born Free, why are all Women born Slaves?”- Mary Astell

 

Fun Facts About Astell.

  1. In her last days she confined herself to a room with her coffin contemplating god.
  2. She was groundbreaking in negotiating women’s position in society
  3. She is buried in the churchyard of Chelsea Church in London

 

Works cited

 

“Astell, Mary.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. . Encyclopedia.com. 27 Nov. 2017 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

 

Broad, Jacequelin. “Mary Astell (1666-1731).” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Monash University , www.iep.utm.edu/astell/.

Adams , Max. “Mary Astell (1666-1731).” The Ambulist, www.theambulist.co.uk/words-and-musings/heroines-seven-women/mary-astell.

Ben Jonson

Ben Jonson

(1572-1637)

Ben Jonson, born June 11,1572 was a famous dramatist,poet and actor.He was raised in Westminster and attended St. Martin’s parish school and Westminster school. While in school Jonson learned to write prose exercises and how to turn them into poetry so that he could learn to express upoetical ideas in verse. He left Westminster school in 1589 and worked with his stepfather as a bricklayer before fleeing to the military at Flanders. Not long after, Jonson returned to London and became a writer and author where he loved to translate classics. In November 1594 Jonson married Anne Lewis and had later had “at least” two kids.

Ben Jonson, best known for his artistic form and control wrote many plays. His first play The Isle of Dogs (1597), was forbidden because it was said to be offensive and slandering. Jonson also wrote a play called Every Man in His Humor which was published in 1597 as well. After the play was released Jonson was tried with murder because he killed Gabriel Spencer, a fellow actor, in a duel but was released by pleading “benefit of clergy”. He only spent a few weeks in prison before he was released and arrested again for failing to pay an actor. Some of Jonson’s plays included VolphoneThe Staple of News, and A Tale of a Tub . Jonson wrote many other works, but these are just a few.

Ben Jonson became known as England’s first Poet Laureate with a pension from the king and received honorary degrees from Oxford and Cambridge. Most of Jonson’s work came from tension with collaborators and contemporaries. His contemporaries did not get published because some were for small audiences and others were written for theater companies . The contemporaries written for theater companies did not get published because they did not want to release the script.

After the death of the King James, in 1625 Jonson dealt with many mishaps and the new king did not appreciate his writings. Closer to the ending of his life  Jonson began to write information about his personal life and character.  Jonson’s health began to weaken which caused his career to fade away in the early 1600s. In 1628 Jonson was paralyzed and was restricted to his home. On August 6, 1637 Ben Jonson died and was buried at Westminster Abbey with a tombstone that read “O Rare Ben Benson”. Ben Jonson died a legend and was known as one of the most significant dramatist  of the seventieth century.

 

 “True happiness Consists not in the multitude of friends, But in the worth and choice.”-Ben Jonson

Fun Facts about Ben Jonson

  • Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare had a very close relationship, yet there are rumors about his rivalry with Shakespeare.
  • Ben Jonson was known as the most intellectual poet of the age, because there was not a subject too hard for him to master.
  • Ben Jonson was converted to Catholicism.

Work Cited

Greenblatt, Stephen. “The Norton Anthology English Literature.” Volume B. Ninth edition, 2012, Ben Jonson, pg.14441-1443

 

Editors, The FamousPeople.com. “Ben Jonson Biography”. TheFamousPeople, 24 Oct. 2017, https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/ben-jonson-4657.php

 

Halleck, Reuben Post. Halleck’s New English Literature. New York: American Book Company, 1913. Shakespeare Online. 20 Feb. 2011. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/benjonson.html

 

“Ben Jonson.” YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 8 November 2017. http://biography.yourdictionary.com/ben-jonson
“poet Ben Jonson”poets.org Wed 8 November 2017, https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/ben-jonson

 

 

William Shakespeare

 

 

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon Avon, which is located in Warwickshire,England. Although his actual date of birth is not defined, Shakespeare was baptized on April 26 1564 and people typically celebrate his birthday on April 23 which is Saint George’s Day. William was one of eight children to parents John and Mary Shakespeare, and he was the eldest surviving son. There are no public records that show where William received his education, but many speculate that he attended King’s New School in Stratford, located about a quarter-mile from his childhood home. When Shakespeare was eighteen years old he married Anne Hathaway who was twenty six and already pregnant with William’s first child. After his daughter Susana was born in 1583, the couple had twins named Hamet and Judith.

William Shakespeare is often considered one of the best English writers to ever exist and his works written in the late sixteenth century and early seventeenth century are still read today. The first sign of William in the theatrical world was in 1592 when Robert Greene called him out of his death bed, but later an friend of Greene apologized. In 1594, he was a key member of the Lord Chamberlains company, known as the King’s Men and the company was socially and financially thriving. In 1599 members of this company branched out and started their own club which they called the Globe. This company took off and public records and proof of investments show that William was doing very well for himself and his family. Shakespeare had written 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and two poems during his career. On April  23 1616 William passed due to natural causes at the young age of 52. One month before, he signed his will leaving his daughters and their husbands with his investments.

Interesting Facts about William

  • His son Hamet died at the age of 11 due to the plague
  • In his will he referred to his wife as his “Second Best Bed”, which may be code for an affair he was having
  • He owned the second largest home in his area during the time Works Cited

Spencer, Terence John Bew, et al. “William Shakespeare.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 19 July 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/William-Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare.” WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, 6 Nov. 2017, www.william-shakespeare.info/.

Henry Howard Biography

A portrait of Henry Howard
Henry Howard, Early of Surrey

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, was born in Hunsdon, Hertfordshire, England in 1517, as the eldest son to Elizabeth Stafford and Thomas Howard, the duke of Norfolk. Being a descendant of kings from both sides of his family and the eldest son of an important duchy, Howard was raised amongst nobility at Windsor Castle, where historians believe he wrote a majority of his poetry. He became childhood friends with Henry VIII’s illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond, who was also present during his stay at Windsor. Throughout his formative years, Howard was described as brave and prideful, stemming from the vast wealth, powerful political family, and sense of noble “obligation” he was born into. Despite his aristocratic upbringing, he was imprisoned multiple times for crimes such as “striking a courtier” and “breaking the windows of sleeping townspeople” (Norton 661). John Barlow remarked that Howard was “the most foolish proud boy that is in England”. After spending time at the French court with the king, Howard served as a the “Lieutenant General of the King on Sea and Land” during Henry VIII’s wars with France.

Henry Howard’s family had many rivals due to their stance in the political landscape of the time. His father and Henry VIII were both members of the old Catholic aristocracy, whose rule was beginning to be challenged by a wave of reformationist Protestant leaders such as Thomas Cromwell and the Seymour family. After returning from his service in France, Howard found the dying king surrounded by such enemies at court. He further angered the Seymours by blocking a marriage between the two families and asserting that the Howards were the rightful successors of Henry VIII. Paranoid and deathly ill, Henry VIII seen these actions as Howard’s attempt to usurp his throne, and ordered for Henry to be executed under the charges of adultery and treason. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London, beheaded in 1547, and buried in a tomb at Framlingham Church in Suffolk, England.

The tomb of Henry Howard at Framlingham Church
The tomb of Henry Howard at Framlingham Church

Henry Howard was one of the most influential poets on the coming centuries following his death. Alongside Sir Thomas Wyatt, Howard is credited with creating the sonnet format that utilized unrhymed iambic pentameter which Shakespeare would go on to immortalize. His translations of Virgil’s Aeneid were also recognized as the first time the blank verse style was used in the English language.


Works Cited:

Greenblatt, S. (2012). The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Co.
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2017, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/henry-howard
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. (2007, January 19). Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. Retrieved October 26, 2017, from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Howard-Earl-of-Surrey

The Life of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517-1547). (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2017, from http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/henrybio.htm


 

Sir Thomas Wyatt

 

Sir Thomas Wyatt

(1503-1542)

Sir Thomas Wyatt was born in 1503 in the Allington Castle, located in Kent, England. He was raised by his mother Anne Skinner and his father Henry Wyatt. Wyatt was a 16th century English politician who attended St. John’s College where he furthered his education in literature. Wyatt is well known for being a lyric poet and also for bringing the sonnet into English literature. Wyatt met his beloved, Elizabeth Brooke at St. John’s College and they eloped in 1520. Wyatt and Elizabeth had two children together but shortly after they eloped they separated and did not make-up until around 1541. Sir Thomas Wyatt was a lot of things, one in being an ambassador to Italy and France for King Henry VIII. As we know, Wyatt was admired for his language skills, however his first duty was to serve King Henry VIII, and keep up with his jewels in 1524. By doing these duties for the king, Wyatt established a role for himself to the king and this is where his role as an ambassador for Rome and France began. At this same time, Wyatt crossed paths with Anne Boleyn, who was soon to be the king’s wife. In a few of Wyatt’s poems especially, “Whoso List to Hunt”, Wyatt seems to be Anne Boleyn’s lover; although we can not accurately determine the state that their relationship reached. Sir Thomas Wyatt was accused of being one of Boleyn’s lovers and was arrested, however only spending one month imprisoned. He restored his relations with King Henry VIII, and is now imprisoned to serving him in offices of England and other rigorous tasks for as long as he lives. Sir Thomas Wyatt  suffered from an illness and was pronounced dead on October 11th 1542.

 

Interesting Facts

  • Wyatt’s cause of death was from a severe fever
  • He earned credit for introducing the sonnet to English literature
  • Ninety-six of his songs were in Songs and Sonnetts, in 1557

“I leave off therefore,
Since in a net I seek to hold the wind.”
-Sir Thomas Wyatt

Works Cited

“Sir Thomas Wyatt, MP.” geni_family_tree, 17 June 2017,       www.geni.com/people/Sir-Thomas-Wyatt-MP/6000000003702860714.

“Sir Thomas Wyatt.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/thomas-wyatt.

“The Death of Sir Thomas Wyatt.” The Tudor Enthusiast, thetudorenthusiast.weebly.com/my-tudor-blog/the-death-of-sir-thomas-wyatt.

“Thomas Wyatt.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 24 Apr. 2014, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/thomas-wyatt.

“Thomas Wyatt > Quotes.” Thomas Wyatt Quotes (Author of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the Complete Poems), www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/623141.Thomas_Wyatt.

Lady Mary Wroth

Lady Mary Wroth

Lady Mary Wroth, born (probably) on October 18, 1587 was the “first Englishwomen to complete a sonnet sequence as well as an original work of prose fiction”. Unlike many female poets of her time Wroth pushed the envelope of secular love poetry and romance. In 1621 she published The Countesse of Mountgomeries Urania which would go on to become one of her most famous literary  works.

Wroth grew up in a prominent English family. Her father, ( Sir Robert Sidney) and her uncle (Sir Philip Sidney) were both well know poets of their time. Mary’s aunt (who was also her godmother) had a major affect on her life as well. Her aunt lived in a country estate where she would invite many patronages of the arts to come and visit which inspired Mary to become a poet herself.

Wroth had a very informal education but it was said that ” “she [was] very forward in her learning, writing, and other exercises she is put to” “. We also assume that in the time of her education she learned French.

Mary eventually married Sir Robert Wroth on September 27, 1604 and the two never really got along. He was not at all interested in the arts and so the two never had any common ground. However he was knighted by James I in 1603 and became in the kings favor, and even though her marriage was unhappy it served as the backdrop to many of her works, and because her husband was in good standing with the king she got to experience life at court often, which also influenced her writing. After ten years of marriage the two finally had a son in February of 1614 named James and soon after his birth Robert Wroth died leaving with her with a large amount of money and an even larger amount of debt, and to make matters worse in the summer of 1616 James, her son died. Her problems only seemed to worsen for she had started an affair with her first cousin the Earl of Pembroke who also happened to be a poet.

Wroth continued to write into her later years which we don’t know much about. We do know that she died between 1651 to 1653 and continued to pay off debt until she died.

 

Bibliography

“Lady Mary Wroth.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-wroth.

“Lady Mary Wroth.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Oct. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Mary_Wroth.

Das, Nandini. “Lady Mary Wroth: Biography.” English Faculty, www.english.cam.ac.uk/wroth/biography.htm.

 

John Milton Biography

John Milton Portrait
John Milton Portrait

John Milton

(c. 1608-c. 1674)

John Milton was born on December 9 in London, England to a middle-class family. Milton’s father was banished from his home by his father for reading protestant books in a very Roman Catholic home. Milton too was very religious growing up, inspired to become a priest. He attended Christ’s School in Cambridge. His time spent in school was not pleasant. Being made fun of and called names was a common occurrence for his different skin complexion and odd manners he developed from his home growing up. Originally he planned to become a priest but instead, after school he went home for 6 years where he began to look into different languages and styles of writing. Also during his time at home he wrote a few of his well-known works such as “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity” and “On Shakespeare”. May of 1638 Milton began a 13 month journey to France and Italy. He eventually returned with his wife, Mary Powell, who bore him three daughters. During the civil war, Milton supported Oliver Cromwell in the cause of Puritans. During this he wrote pamphlets about radical politics. After the restoration of Charles II in 1660, Milton was arrested as a defender of the Commonwealth. When he was released he decided to live in seclusion which is where he wrote his most famous work, the epic poem “Paradise Lost” in 1667. Milton started to have more health issues as time went on and eventually passed away on November 8, 1674.

 

John Milton Portait
John Milton Portait

Interesting Facts

  1. John Milton is credited for inventing the word “pandemonium” (original meaning is “all demons” but today we use it mostly as an adjective for chaos or craziness)
  2. While Milton was on his journey to France and Italy, he met the famous astronomer, Galileo, the inventor of the telescope.
  3. In 1652, Milton’s eye sight had completely diminished. So when he was writing “Paradise Lost,” he was completely blind.

 

Works Cited 

“John Milton.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 30 Dec. 2014, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/john-milton.

Milton, John. “On Shakespeare. 1630 by John Milton.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46453/on-shakespeare-1630.

Labriola, Albert C. “John Milton.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 Aug. 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/John-Milton.

On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity: Text, www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/nativity/text.shtml.

“John Milton.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 5 Oct. 2016, www.biography.com/people/john-milton-9409395.

“John Milton.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-milton.

“Five Fascinating Facts about John Milton.” Interesting Literature, 11 May 2017, interestingliterature.com/2016/12/23/five-fascinating-facts-about-john-milton/.

“Little Known Facts About John Milton.” 100 Classics Challenge, 22 Aug. 2013, classicbookreader.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/little-known-facts-about-john-milton/.

John Milton

Portrait: John Milton

John Milton

 Poet, Historian, Writer (c. 1608–c. 1674)

 

John Milton was born in London, England on December 9, 1608 to John Milton Sr. and Sara Jeffery. In 1625, Milton was enrolled in Christ’s College in Cambridge with a desire to become a minister. Even with his lack of friendships, he succeeded academically. Following seven years after being at Cambridge, John decided to go back home to his family. He spent six years unemployed at home studying Greek and Latin authors. In 1638, John decided to travel abroad Europe for 15 months. He spent most of his time in Italy. While he was there he met Galileo, who was possibly under house arrest at that time. After he returned home, Milton served as secretary for foreign languages in Cromwell’s government and he composed official statements defending the Commonwealth. While he was serving Cromwell, Milton steadily lost his eyesight, and by 1651 he was completely blind.  In 1660, Charles II was restored to the throne. After this, Milton was arrested as a defender of the Commonwealth. After he was released, Milton decided to live the rest of his life in secluded and wrote the epic poem Paradise Lost. In 1667, he complete the poem. Finally, John Milton passed away on November 8, 1674, in Buckinghamshire, England from kidney failure.


Fun Facts: 

  • Milton was made fun of in college and his nickname was  “the Lady of Christ’s” because of his manners, pale complexion, and beauty.
  • Since Milton met Galileo, he is referenced to in Paradise Lost.
  • While writing Paradise Lost, he went blind. His daughter had to transcribe the rest of the book for him.
  • Milton was married to 3 different women and living with him was reported to be “not easy.” He had 4 children, 1 son and 3 daughters.

 

Milton Quote
John Milton burial site

 


Works Cited: 

“John Milton.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 5 Oct. 2016, www.biography.com/people/john-milton-9409395. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.

“John Milton.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 30 Dec. 2014, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/john-milton. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.

Greenblatt, Stephen, and Meyer Howard. Abrams. The Norton anthology of English literature Volume B. New York, Norton & Company, 2013.

Labriola, Albert C. “John Milton.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 23 Aug. 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/John-Milton. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.

“Little Known Facts About John Milton.” 100 Classics Challenge, 22 Aug. 2013, classicbookreader.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/little-known-facts-about-john-milton/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.