Renaissance Poets and Their Depiction of Love and the Beauty of Women

Renaissance Poets and Their Depiction of Love and the Beauty of Women

by Zehra Senem Nurel

    The Renaissance period is an age that involves many different styles of art. During the reign of Elizabeth I, art and literature were immensely assorted. Queen Elizabeth herself was deeply interested in theatre and poetry. For that reason, the contemporaries of that age tried to create various types of genres. When it comes to poetry, we can see the two definite types of sonnets: the Italian or Petrarchan sonnet and the English or Shakespearean sonnet. Since both Petrarch and Shakespeare gave new ways to poem writing, the styles are named after them. Thanks to these great poets, the genre of sonnet became highly popular during the Renaissance. The genre of the sonnet that Petrarch made popular during the early Renaissance became even more widespread with Shakespeare’s different meter techniques.  Focusing on the English sonnet, we understand that Shakespeare was actually ahead of his time. I chose to talk about Shakespeare’s sonnets because, among all the sonnets of the Renaissance that I have read, Shakespeare’s works are much more relatable in the sense that he uses plain and understandable language. Compared to his contemporaries such as Sir Philip Sidney or Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare’s language is more truthful and sincere. It can be realized that the standard, conventional depiction of beauty regarding women is hyperbolic almost in every poem of the Renaissance including Sir Philip Sidney’s, Edmund Spenser’s, or Christopher Marlowe’s. However, Shakespeare turned these conventions of the poetic language realm upside down. Because he did not use the clichés of altiloquence. He brought a whole different perspective on approaching the idea of beauty. He advocated staying truthful and genuine in the process of writing poetry. In this essay, I will compare Shakespeare’s sonnets with Sir Philip Sidney’s and Christopher Marlowe’s poems.

    In his sonnet 130, Shakespeare mocks the ornamented language of Renaissance poetry. Even in the very first line, there is a depiction of a loved woman that does not seem to have the typical idealistic beauty.’’ My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun’’(Shakespeare 1609). His lover’s eyes do not have the powerful glances that we are accustomed to seeing in conventional Renaissance poetry. For instance, in Sir Philip Sidney’s Sonnet XX from Astrophel and Stella, there is a strong poetic expression of love: 

        Who, like a thief, hid in dark bush doth lie

        Till bloody bullet get him wrongful prey. 

        So tyrant he no fitter place could spy (Sidney, lines 3-5)

    In these lines, he metaphorically compares cupid to a tyrant that hides in the bush. The bush is a metaphor for Sidney’s lover Penelope’s eyelashes. Sidney uses overstatements along the lines of his contemporaries. On one hand, we have this modest depiction of the lover’s eyes, on the other hand, there is imagery where Sidney compares his lover’s eyes to a lightning grace. ‘’But straight I saw motions of lightning grace‘’ (Sindey, line 12). He uses the Petrarchan conceit: he creates detailed and exaggerated comparisons to describe his love. Unfortunately, these sorts of hyperbole add an unrealistic and insincere tone to the poem. For this particular reason, we are able to say that Shakespeare’s choice of words and portrayal of women’s beauty is more heartfelt than others. Moreover, it is deeply unconventional and satirical. 

    Continuing with Shakespeare's sonnet 130, he tells that neither his mistress’s lips nor cheeks are reddish. Also, her skin is not white as the snow; which we usually expect from the ideal English beauty. Back in the Renaissance period, according to the poetic representations, an ideal woman’s hair would look like wires, she had to have blue eyes, blonde hair, red lips as coral. Yet, to Shakespeare, his mistress does not have any of these features. However, he implies that she is unique. In fact, to Shakespeare, these imperfections make his lover that unique. Otherwise, his loved woman would be similar to all other women that were described in sonnets of his contemporaries. To understand Shakespeare’s attitude and perspective on love and beauty even more clearly, we can take a look at one of his other sonnets: Sonnet 116. In this poem Shakespeare says,

        Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks,

        Within his bending sickle’s compass come (Shakespeare, lines 9-10)

    He tries to imply that love is not dependent on time. We know that ‘’rosy lips and cheeks’’ fade over time, which means that nobody can stay young and beautiful forever. So, if love is dependent on beauty as all poets claim; this means that love fades over time, as well. Nonetheless, Shakespeare does not believe that love has anything to do with physical beauty. It is a state of mind and it is absolutely timeless. His point of view on love is worth appreciating, indeed. I believe that no other poet describes love and its relation to beauty that warm and touching.

    In the following lines, Shakespeare talks about his lover’s other ordinary features. According to Shakespeare, her breath does not smell like perfumes, at all. He is, again, definitely avoiding the exaggerated language. For comparison, we can take a look at Christopher Marlowe’s poem Hero and Leander. He resembles the woman’s breath to a honeycomb:

        Many would praise the sweet smell as she past,

        When 'twas the odour which her breath forth cast;

        And there for honey bees have sought in vain. (Marlowe, line 21-23)

    In this line, Marlowe claims that when she speaks, she exudes a honey-like perfume from her breath. This description creates imagery in our minds as if she is a goddess. This imagery makes the reader think that love is something godly and happens only among high-class people. Because it is unlikely that a woman from a lower class such as a villager smells like honeycomb and looks like a goddess. Marlowe’s depiction is not credible and does not fit people from every class. Shakespeare is contesting these kinds of descriptions. He feels that he does not have to praise his love. As long as the love is real, there is no need for resembling the lover to incredible objects and adding unrealistic features. That way, readers from any socio-economic class can relate to it. In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, he continues with his unique arguments on love and beauty: 

        Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? 

        Thou art more lovely and more temperate, 

        Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May (Shakespeare, lines 1-3)

   

    As to Shakespeare, to add romantic aspects to a poem, a poet should not compare the loved one to temporal means such as a day of summer that is mortal and impermanent. He strongly believes that love is infinite. His idea of infinite love passes on to later generations’ poets such as John Keats. In his poem ‘’Bright Star’’, John Keats discusses the immortality of love, just like Shakespeare. 

        Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath, 

        And so live ever—or else swoon to death. (Keats, lines 13-14)

    In these lines, John Keats talks about the eternal love of his. He prefers dying to losing his love. We clearly see the Shakespearean effect in this poem. John Keats changes his mood in the last two lines, this form of writing also resembles the Shakespearean sonnet style. Until the last two lines, he discusses that love is a power that is unceasing and he compares love to a star. Then, he alters his tone and states that if there is no such love as he describes, he prefers death. 

    After all, we can see how much of an impact Shakespeare has in literature both in his own era and after. He does not follow the stereotypes. He, in a way, resents the idea of false comparisons. He shows how the Renaissance poets like to talk about ‘’the ideal woman’’. He believes that love is not measurable and should not be exaggerated with incredible comparisons. In his sonnets, we experience the feeling of humbleness. He is not challenging the ideal beauty but he is challenging the elaborate poetic style. He rejects the style of poetry that his contemporaries use. He breaks the traditions and wittily mocks the typical blazon expressions. Because Shakespeare suggests that love is not something cosmetic and it should not be limited to the provisional beauty of a woman that will fade away eventually.

Works Cited

Keats, John. ‘’Brightstar Would I Were Stedfast As Thou Art’’ Poetry Foundation,

poetryfoundation.org/poems/44468/bright-star-would-i-were-stedfast-as-thou-art Accessed 27 June 2021.

Marlowe, Christopher. Hero and Leander. London, 1598.

Shakespeare, William. ‘’Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day’’ Poetry Foundation

poetryfoundation.org/poems/45087/sonnet-18-shall-i-compare-thee-to-a-summers-day

Accessed 27 June 2021.

Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 116: Let Me Not To The Marriage Of True Minds". No Sweat Shakespeare, nosweatshakespeare.com/sonnets/116 Accessed 26 March 2021.

Sidney, Philip, and Max Putzel. Astrophil and Stella. Garden City, N.Y: Anchor Books, 1967.