Epithalamion by Edmund Spenser – Summary, Analysis & Critical Appreciation

Epithalamion by Edmund Spenser Epithalamion is an ode written as the finale of Amoretti, commemorates Spenser’s marriage to Elizabeth Boyle, daughter of James Boyle, the relation of Earl of Cork, Richard Boyle, on June 11, 1594. The music begins before sunrise and continues through the wedding ceremony and into the newlywed couple’s consummation night. Throughout … Read more

Holy Thursday (Songs of Experience) – Summary and Analysis

Holy Thursday (Songs of Experience) William Blake’s poem “Holy Thursday” was first published in Songs of Innocence and Experience in 1794. Unlike its companion poem in “Songs of Innocence” (1789), this poem focuses on society as a whole rather than on the London ceremony. Holy Thursday (Text) Is this a holy thing to see, In a rich … Read more

Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence) by William Blake – Summary, Analysis and Critical Appreciation

Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence) William Blake’s poem “Holy Thursday” appears in his 1789 collection of poems Songs of Innocence. (Songs of Experience also contains a Holy Thursday poem that contrasts with this song.) The poem describes a ceremony held on Ascension Day, which in England was then known as Holy Thursday, a name that … Read more

Songs of Innocence and Experience – Summary and Analysis

Songs of Innocence and Experience Summary Songs of Innocence, William Blake’s second collection of poetry, was published in 1789. He published it with illustrated plates of his own design, a feat he accomplished by an engraving and illustrating method of his own conception. Blake’s series of Illuminated Books began with the publishing of Songs of … Read more