Question

Compare and contrast the lyric poetry of the Anglo-Saxon period to the Renaissance based on the selections you read in the Anglo-Saxon Period: 449–1066 unit and the Renaissance: 1485–1660 unit. Describe what literary devices were commonly used and what themes were most frequently addressed in both periods

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

The Anglo-Saxon Period refers to the era when England was established by seven Germanic tribes and English was being created as a language.

The poetry of this period was mostly oral, sung by professional poets called ‘Scops’.

These scops generally sang about the tribal chiefs, heroes in the tribe, and about the lives of the people.

The Renaissance Period is considered as the ‘Golden Era of English Literature’ with interest in literary works gaining popularity.

The works of this era covered various ideas such as romanticism, politics, and the everyday lives of people.

The Renaissance Period was the Elizabethan era and marked the beginning of theatre.

Thus, a lot of the literary work of this era included poetry in plays.

People of the Anglo-Saxon era loved riddles and thus, a lot the works involved caesura, alliterations, and kennings.

These usages can be best seen in the poem Beowulf, a classic Anglo-Saxon Poetry.

On the other hand, the commonly used literary devices in the Renaissance period were alliteration, simile, metaphor, and personification.

Some of the best examples of this are seen in the love sonnets written by William Shakespeare.