THE EVOLUTION OF ENGLISH POETRY

Significative developing experiences of English poetry start with the epic poem “Beowulf” written in a language that today is not comprehensible. Indeed Seamus Heaney has translated Beowulf in modern English.
The poem showed the alliterative use of lines with rhyming couplets. Since it was an epic poem it was also a narrative poem or a poem that narrated hero Beowulf’s story. It is to say that it was an oral form of poetry and therefore it had to relied to a lot of sounds elements to be remembered and to be transmitted to posterity.
Consequently first forms of poetry were narrated as you can see with medieval ballads which generally regard tragic love story, the supernatural and conflicts in bonders between England and Scotland.
These ballads were organized into quatrains and it is used an easy language which is easy to understand also for not literate people. In this case too, sooner effects had fundamental importance because ballads are a form of poetry made up to be danced during public festivals. Characters are just sketchy and the narration mixes both narration and dialogue. Tone is generally nostalgic, therefore setting is important since it contributed to create atmosphere and to the mood.
If ballads were ideally directed to common people, in the Medioevo a literal form more educated was represented by poetic form such as the prologue of Canterbury narrations. The religious element has an important role considering that the privileged code of the period was the religious one. Therefore the traditional values are ones widespread by the Church.
During Renaissance, religious characteristics remain but the intelligent reader meets courteous and lyrical poetry, as you can see through the success of sonnets’ collection which are inhabited by women who have the aim and the obligation to elevate men.
Gradually the sonnet goes away from courteous code even if it keeps the same structure, which in England it is at the most the one of Elizabethan code and mainly the one constitutes by three quartiles and rhyming couplets. Since sonnets are lyrical poetry they are focused on intimate and personal life’s aspects, therefore they are about reserve and personal aspects. It will be Shakespeare, through a personal use of parody, the one who will change sonnets’ content.
It is enough to think about the sonnet 130, where his mistress’ eyes does not remind anymore the blue eyes of Dante’s Beatrice but they rather are not like the sun.
Consequently courteous code, which had dominated all the lyrical experiences, shows first signs of changements. This happens because human aspects and human values come to the fore front, human being have replaced God, even if the religious element is not reglected.
Considering Shakespearian drama as well to the Elizabethan one: it is a drama writing in poetry were the privileged lines in iambic pentameter.
Therefore poetry register, which is present in drama, has to follow all the auditorium’s tastes.
Human being problems and questions are the focused element of the drama.
Shakespearian tragedies take on the play human defects their power’s desire (Mc Beth), the difficulty to take decision and acting as a consequence ( Hamlet), jelousy ( Othello) and luxuriate (Antonio and Cleopatra).
Anyway human being refers to religious values respecting the change of being’s philosophy where everybody have to stay in his place.
This is the reason why John Milton’s Satan is a demoniac hero and he is very attractive: “it is better to dominate in the Hell than to be submitted in Heaven”; it is Satan’s Moto which readers usually like because they recognize themself in this characteristic which is typically human. J.M is he most important poet after Shakespeare and he gives voice to puritan element in his epic poem.
Readers appreciate Satan because they recognized themselves in his weaknesses.
An additional significant experience in the development of English poem is given by metaphysical poetry that, as T.S. Elliot said in the 19th century, is able to mix mind emotions and the mixture will be totally lost after metaphysical poetry of which J.D is the most important exponent.
Metaphysical poetry’s news consists on poet’s ability to integrate experiences which are part of different experiences, they extend themselves also to content which are considered distant from the common topic of lyrical poetry.
Earthquakes, geometric aspects and others enter in poetic texts resulting, for 18th century’s readers, particular weird and therefore criticized.
During the 18th century, poetry became mainly non, heroic poetry: lines written to create the aristocracy parody, a social class which was losing importance in factor of the emerge medium social class.
Alexander Pope wrote an heroic poem which is called “The rob of lock” and it is a poem to say about an aristocratic man which have cut a rob from give’s head.
It is easy to understand how epic poetry dignity may be declassed to speak about and easy argumentation.
Naturally poetry is not the 18th century privileged literals gender since in this centre the novel was born.