The Cavalier Poets by Khalil Norsham (194807)

The Cavalier Poets

During the Post-Renaissance period, there were three separate eras, which were the Caroline Era, the Restoration Period and also the Augustan Age. I found the Caroline Era really interesting, especially when it comes to a group of poets who called themselves the Cavalier Poets. So how did they got their name? What about the characteristics of these poets? And who are the Cavalier Poets? The Cavalier Poets are actually a group of poets who supported King Charles I who was an expert and really love fine arts. They are members of aristrocracy and often linked to Royalist as their main purpose in their poetry was to glorify the king. The Cavalier Poets were totally different from the traditional poet who loves to talk about philosophy and religion. They love to express more on celebratory things or expressing their joy. To them, enjoying life was far more important rather than following moral codes. Most of their poems hold an attitude of "carpe diem" which means "seize the day". Cavalier poetry is straighforward to be compared with other poetry, yet refined. They wrote their poetry in simple words, being more relevant to what they meant in clear terms. They also wrote short, refined verses and the tone of their poems were generally easy-going. The well-known cavalier poets are Richard Lovelace, Robert Herrick, Thomas Carew and not to forget, Sir John Suckling.

The first Cavalier Poet is Sir Robert Herrick. He is the one of the last poets who still preserve few elements of Renaissance poetry. Herrick also was very loyal to Charles I. He was born in Cheapside, London and was the fourth son and seventh child of Nicholas Herrick and Julia Stone. His uncle named after his uncle, Robert Herrick or Heyrick that bought the land of Greyfriars Abbey. Below is an example of one of his poems:

Second is Thomas Carew. His father is Sir Matthew Carew and his mother is Alice. He was was born in West Wickham, London and the third of the eleventh children. He is a trouble maker during this era. He was not always success despite of spending his time as an ambassador for England. Fortunately, he still managed to retain a good reputation as soldier, a statesman and also a poet. Below is an example of one of his poems:

The third one is Richard Lovelace. He served in the military, not only for England but also for France during the war with Spain. He is still one of the best known poets in England's history despite of producing the least amount of work. He wrote down a comedy entitled The Scholars when he was still studying in Oxford. Few months later, he caught himself into a political trouble that was led by Lord Goring Below is an example of one of his poems:

Lastly, the poet that was also one of the Cavalier poets is Sir Johnson Suckling. He is a prominent and a wealthy man. He was born at Whitton, Twickenham, Middlesex. At the age of eighteen, he inherited his father's estate. He appeared at court as early at the age of 20. However, he was an alcoholic and also a gambler. He took his military service with a poetic flair, hence most of his poetry were focused on military imagery. Nevertheless, he gained recognition for that service and was an excellent soldier. Below is an example of one of his poems:

by Khalil Norsham bin Mohd Rafiq (194807)