Sixteenth-Century Poetry

Sixteenth-Century Poetry is an anthology capturing England’s poetic Golden Age during its shift from feudal medievalism to a modern nation-state. Featuring luminaries like Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, John Donne, Sir Thomas Wyatt, and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, the collection showcases brilliant imagery, lyricism, and subtlety that engage the heart, mind, and spirit. Poems explore timeless themes such as love, death, and religious devotion alongside politically resonant topics of the era, revealing a rich variety in style, subject, and mood. This Penguin Popular Classics edition offers an accessible entry into Elizabethan verse, blending celebrated works with lesser-known gems.