The Renaissance Period

The Renaissance period is a rebirth of the cultured and artistic sprite of the classical era. It began in Italy in the 14th century, but did not come the England till the 19th century. John Donne and John Milton were two great Renaissance poets who incorporated many of the characteristics of the Renaissance into their Poetry. While Donne’s A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning displays a central characteristic, a use of conceits; Milton’s Paradise Lost …

…make reference to “Aonian mount” which is Mount Helicon, home of the Muses, in Greek mythology. He also refers to Ariosto's Orlando Furioso(1:2) when saying, “Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme”(i:16). Donne and Milton both display the characteristics of the Renaissance in their poetry. However it could be said that Milton’s Paradise Lost is the better example of Renaissance poetry because it shows more of the characteristics and style of the Renaissance.