"Lamia” is a significant poem of John Keats, one of the most prominent figures of the Romantic movement in English literature. The poem opens with a vivid introduction to the mythical creature Lamia, a serpent-woman who was once a powerful queen. Keats draws upon Greek mythology, specifically the story of Lamia, a mistress of Zeus,…
William Blake’s famous poem The Tyger, taken from his volume of poems Songs of Experience, presents a child’s experience of and reaction to the sight of the tiger, a mighty and ferocious animal. This song, quite unlike the companion poem, The Lamb, is no address of the child. His song is not addressed to the tiger, but rather…
The term ‘narcissism’ refers to an intense form of self-regard, or attraction to one’s image. The term is derived from Ancient Greek mythology, which tells of a young man called Narcissus so fascinated by his own reflection that he drowns trying to embrace it.
Famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud adopted the term from British sexologist Havelock Ellis…
Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) was an English author and physician. He was born in the parish of St Michael, Cheapside, in London. He was sent to school at Winchester College. He graduated from Oxford in January 1627. Then, he studied medicine at the universities of Padua and Montpellier. Browne completed his studies at Leiden, where…
John Heywood (c.1497- c.1580) was an English author and playwright. He was probably born in London. He married Elizabeth Rastell, niece of Sir Thomas More. From 1519 under Henry VIII, he was a singer and player on the virginals. Later he became the master of an acting group of boy singers. He received periodic grants…
The Legend of Good Women is a collection of stories written in the 1380s by Geoffrey Chaucer. It was composed between 1372 and 1386. It is the third-longest of Chaucer’s works, after The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde. It is difficult to date the poem. It is perhaps the earliest work of Chaucer in which he uses…
Meistergesang is German poetry for singing to melodies. The Meistersinger were mostly burghers of the 14th, 15th, and 16th c. and were organized into guilds on a hierarchical basis. In effect one graduated to the rank of Meister. The meetings were informal occasions and the songs were for the most part religious, didactic, and moral.…
William Wordsworth’s sonnet On the Extinction of the Venice is a touching account of Venice in her days of glory and prosperity as also of wretched fall under Napoleon’s imperialistic lust. The first eight lines- the octave of the sonnet present the first aspect, while the sestet treats the second, and is an emotive expression…
“Ralph Roister Doister” is a comedy play written by Nicholas Udall. It was composed around 1553-1556. It is considered one of the earliest examples of English comedy and is notable for its humorous and lively depiction of characters and situations. The play revolves around the misadventures of the titular character, Ralph Roister Doister, as he…
King James IV of Scotland, born on March 17, 1473, was the son of James III and Margaret of Denmark. He ascended to the throne in 1488, following the death of his father in the Battle of Sauchieburn. His reign marked a period of relative stability and prosperity for Scotland. He was known for his…