This 1979 study relates Shakespeare's work to the poetry, criticism and life of his age. Drawing upon a considerable body of evidence, it shows how Shakespeare was influenced by medieval thought, by classical sources, by the popular verse and the theatre of his day, and by the Elizabethan use of language.

This anthology includes sonnets from Shakespeare, Sidney, and Spenser; popular poems by Donne ("Go, and catch a falling star"), Jonson ("Drink to me only with thine eyes"), Marlowe ("The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"); more.

This handy but wide-ranging selection of Elizabethan poetry covers all the major poets and most of the important genres cultivated in that age. Sukanta Chaudhuri traces Elizabethan poetry from its beginnings, dividing it by type of verse--pastoral, Elizabethan sonnet, lyrics, the Epyllion, and didactic poetry. Poets represented include Sir Thomas Wyatt, Edmund Spencer, William Shakespeare, Sir Philip Sidney, Christopher Marlowe, and Michael Drayton, among others.