Romantic Poets: A Short Note

The period of 1780-1837 is known as the Age of Romanticism. It is known as the age of Romantic Revival too. It is often called the golden period of English poetry. William Wordsworth is called forerunner of this epoch-making period. The following are the important Romantic poets:

1. William Wordsworth: Lyrical Ballads, The Prelude and The Tintern Abbey are his important works. He was a worshipper of Nature. He moralized and spiritualised it. He was fond of humanism, childhood, lyricism and simple style.

2. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Christable and Kubla Khan are his best works. In his works we find supernatural, wonder and horror. He loved the simplicity of poetic diction.

3. P.B. Shelley: He is known for his Queen Mab, Prometheus Unbound, and his Odes. He is an incomparable lyricist and an ardent lover of liberty. He is a passionate believer in Nature and a devoted admirer of Greek Myth, Art and Culture. He dreams of a new world which would be dominated by love and liberty.

4. John Keats: John Keats is popular for his Hyperion, Endymion, Isabella, Lamia, The Eve of St. Agnes and his Odes. His romanticism lies in his cult of beauty and spontaneity. According to him Beauty is Truth and Truth Beauty. He was fond of imagination, Hellenism and Medievalism.

5. Lord Byron: He is remembered for his Don Juan. He is called romantic because of his lyricism. He is an ardent worshipper of liberty.

Thus Romantic School of Poetry is the most important school in the history of English poetry. It changed the current of poetry. The contribution of this school is memorable.