A Comparison of 'The Passionate Shepherd to his Love' and 'The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd'

A Comparison of 'The Passionate Shepherd to his Love' and 'The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd'

In Elizabethan times poetry was a very important part of Elizabethan

life. Elizabeth 1st adored plays and poetry and was a major patron,

meaning that in a way she encouraged sponsorship of the writers and

poets of her time, so that they were encourage to perform and write.

These two poems are examples of pastoral poetry, a form of poetry that

deals with the lives of shepherds and shows a contrast between the

innocence and simplicity of rural life, compared with the

artificiality of city and court life. The pastoral dramas first

appeared in the 15th and 16th century. “The Nymph’s Reply to The

Shepherd” is a parody as it is a reply to “The Passionate Shepherd to

his Love” and answers verse by verse, the original poem. It alters it

to make a point about reality and time passing, but is quite humorous.

Sir Walter Ralegh-writer of “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” was

born in 1552 and was the discoverer of tobacco and potatoes. He was a

good friend to her majesty, Elizabeth I who knighted him and appointed

him Captain of the Queen’s Guard. He was then found out to have

married one of Elizabeth’s Maids of Honour and so was locked in the

Tower of London where later on, in 1618, he was beheaded for being a

“traitor”. Christopher Marlowe-writer of “The Passionate Shepherd to

his Love”, was born in the same year as Shakespeare, 1564, and was the

son of a shoemaker. Many believe that he was a rival playwright to

Shakespeare. He (Marlowe) received his Batchelor of Arts in 1584 and

his master’s degree in 1587. Marlowe was thought to be a spy and when

...

... middle of paper ...

...eginning.

In the nymph’s last verse, I feel that she is softening and realises

that she actually wants to live with the shepherd and have all the

things he is promising her but she realises life cannot be like that.

She explains in her last verse that if only they could both be young

for ever and that love got stronger and happiness lasted then she

might live with him. There is a sense of regret in this verse but she

is gently sarcastic too, by imitating the shepherd’s use of

alliteration and his last line.

From studying both these poems, it is clear that throughout there is a

sense of love, but one person is showing their feelings, the shepherd,

and the other is showing how the effect of time changes everything,

the nymph. It is clear that the nymph’s poem is a parody and twists

phrases from the original poem.