The 17th Century: Metaphysical Wit and Cavalier Grace
The 17th century was a time of turmoil and transformation in England. The English Civil War (1642–1651) pitted Royalists against Parliamentarians, King against Cromwell. In literature, this tension gave rise to two distinct poetic movements: the intellectual, intricate Metaphysical poets and the refined, courtly Cavalier poets.
The Metaphysical Poets: Wit and Conceits
The Metaphysical poets, led by John Donne, were known for their bold imagery and intellectual depth. They often used conceits—elaborate, unexpected metaphors—to explore love, religion, and mortality. Donne’s The Flea is a classic example, where he compares a flea’s bite to the mingling of lovers’ blood:
“This flea is you and I, and this
Our marriage-bed and marriage-temple is.”
His Holy Sonnets take a more spiritual turn, wrestling with faith and salvation. In Death, Be Not Proud, he challenges the power of death itself:
“Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so.”
Another major figure, Andrew Marvell, blended metaphysical wit with political and pastoral themes. His poem To His Coy Mistress is a famous example of carpe diem (seize the day) poetry, urging a lover to act before time runs out:
“Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.”
The Cavalier Poets: Elegance and Loyalty
On the other side were the Cavalier poets, a group of aristocratic writers loyal to King Charles I. Unlike the Metaphysical poets, they favored simplicity, elegance, and themes of love and honor. Robert Herrick, in To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, echoes Marvell’s carpe diem theme but with a more lyrical touch:
“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying.”
Meanwhile, Richard Lovelace embodied the Cavalier ideal of loyalty to the king. In To Althea, from Prison, written while he was imprisoned for supporting Charles I, he famously declared:
“Stone walls do not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage.”
The Clash of Ideals
These two poetic schools reflected the era’s conflicts—intellectual depth vs. graceful simplicity, Parliament vs. Monarchy, faith vs. reason. But together, they enriched English poetry, leaving us with works that still challenge and inspire.
As England moved into the Restoration period, poetry would take another dramatic turn—toward satire and reason.