Comparison between the Epithalamion and the Prothalamion as wedding songs.

MEG – 01: British Poetry

ASSIGNMENT 2019 - 2020

(Based on Blocks (1 - 9)

                                                                          Max. Marks: 100

Q3. Attempt a comparison between the Epithalamion and the Prothalamion as wedding songs.

Answer. Spencer's Epithalamion and Prothalamion both highlight the theme of marriage. However, the Epithalamion celebrates Spencer's own marriage to Elizabeth Boyle, while the Prothalamion is a nuptial song celebrating the respective marriages of Elizabeth and Katherine Somerset (the daughters of the Earl of Worcester) to Henry Gilford and William Peter.

The Epithalamion celebrates the groom and bride's preparations on the day of their marriage. Both the Epithalamion and Prothalamion highlight the importance of nymphs to the wedding preparations. In the Epithalamion, the nymphs cover the bride's path to the bridal bower with flowers. They protect the sanctity of the woods and the lakes so that the bride will have a perfect wedding day. Likewise, in the Prothalamion, the nymphs gather a profusion of flowers in order to braid Katherine and Elizabeth's bridal crowns. Spencer makes full use of pagan images of fertility in both poems.

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