Who were Cavalier Poets l Origin of Cavalier - Cavalier Poets - Characteristics of Cavalier Poetry - Cavaliers Poets and the Sons of Ben - Difference between Cavalier Poets and The Roundheads - BS English Subject introduction of Literature History of English Literature Semester 1 Punjab University

Outlines of Cavalier Poets

• Who were Cavalier Poets

• Origin of Cavalier

• Cavalier Poets

• Characteristics of Cavalier Poetry

• Cavaliers Poets and the Sons of Ben

• Difference between Cavalier Poets and The Roundheads

Origin of Cavalier 

It was during the English Civil War that Cavalier was originally used, by the Roundheads, to insult the wealthy royal supporters of King Charles and his son, King Charles the second of England.

The word "Cavalier" refers to a literary trend that blossomed between 1625 and 1649. Thomas Carew,  Robert Herrick, Sir John Suckling, and Richard Lovelace were the main authors of Cavalier (1618-1657). The Cavaliers were characteristically educated, cheerful and polite. Their works usually celebrate everyday and sometimes banal elements of everyday life.
 

Cavaliers Poets as Sons of Ben or The Tribe of Ben
Sometimes the poets of Cavaliers, known as the "Tribe of Ben or the Sons of Ben, realizing their obligation to Ben Jonson, also had a major influence on John Donne's works of Cavaliers. Petrarch obviously informed Lovelace and Carew. The Cavalier were royalists from the political point of view who supported Charles I in the civil war while Roundheads were the supporter of Cromwell. Three of the writers, John Suckling, Richard Lovelace, and Thomas Carew had been battling for King Charles I of England. Herrick wasn't a courtier but a priest from Anglica. The interpretations of ancient Latin forms by Jonson had a significant impact on his work.

In general, the Cavaliers' light-hearted poetry and play have not favored contemporary critics who prefer more serious work.

The difference between Cavalier Poets and The Roundheads

The Roundheads joined the House of Parliament in England. Many people living in New England associated with the Roundheads — those who fought for Oliver Cromwell and against the crown.

Carew, Suckling, Robert, and Lovelace are the major poets of Cavalier. While Cavaliers was wearing fantastic clothing and long hair. On the other side, the Roundheads were pure and wore large, conical caps, white ties, and dark clothing.

Characteristics of Cavalier Poetry 
Following are the Characteristics;

 

Cavalier Poetry 

Cavalier's poetry in its topic is distinct from conventional poetry. Instead of dealing with topics such as religion, philosophy, and the arts, cavalier poetry seeks to convey the pleasure of celebrating things much more lively than those of their ancestors' conventional works. 

Purpose of Cavalier  Poetry 

Their aims were frequently to favor the king (especially Charles I), and cavalier writers spoke against the roundheads who favored the Parliament's revolt against the crown. Most of the works of the cavalier were metaphorical and/or classical. 

Cavelier Poets Influence 

They were influenced by the poetic abilities of  Horace, Cicero, and Ovid's wisdom. They were able to create poetry through the use of these resources that pleased King Charles I. The Cavalier poets struggled to create literature where enjoyment and morality flourished. 

Status of Cavelier Poets 

They were wealthy and pleasant in comparison to the ancients. In cavalier poetry, there are definitely common characteristics in most poems "celebrating beauty, love, nature, sensuality, drinking, good company, honor and social life."

Cavalier Poets and Monarch 
Cavalier poets undoubtedly wrote in support of the monarch for the promotion of loyalist ideals, but their themes went deeper. The poets of Cavalier wrote in order to promote the day and the possibilities offered to them and their parents. They wanted to reveal themselves in society and to become the best they can within the limits of that culture. 

Themes of Cavalier Poetry

For Cavalier authors, this encouragement of enjoying life to the full meant acquiring financial riches and having sex with women. These topics led to the poetry's victorious and vexing tone and attitude. Platonic love also was another feature of cavalier poetry, where the male would show a lady his heavenly Love, where she would be adoring herself as a wonderful creature. As such, praise of women's qualities was often heard as if they were heavenly.

Civil war and the Cavalier Poets
The poetry of Cavalier is intimately connected to the Royalist cause since their poetry was mostly intended to praise the monarch. This often groupes cavalier poetry into a political genre of poetry. While the majority of the poetry produced by these cavalier poets in one way advocates the monarchy, not all the authors we label cavalier poets today realized they were categorized in their lives. Cavalier's poetry started to be identified as a genre with the start of the English Civil War in 1642 when individuals started to write for the monarch. However, writers like Thomas Carew and Sir John Suckling died before the war started but still are classed as rider poets for their poetry's political character. When the struggle between the king and the rebellious parliament started, the poetry's substance was considerably more focused on defending royalist values. These men were seen by many to write in a nostalgic tone, in that their work supported the philosophical and, ultimately, literal monarchy ideas and practices.

Conclusion 
The reign of Charles I was celebrated among the cavalier poets. In particular, Jonson valued common sense, responsibility, restraint, ownership, and elegant ideas. These concepts belonged not to the ancients, but to the courtyard and England. Although the cavalier accepted the traditional methods of thinking, they also infused their own views and ideas into their poetry. That applied their works to the period in which they wrote and also depicted the grandeur of the monarchy and of Charles.