SOURCE: “Ralegh's Court Poetry,” in Sir Walter Ralegh: The Renaissance Man and His Roles, Yale University Press, 1973, pp. 57-98.

In the following essay, Greenblatt examines the ways in which Raleigh's poetry was shaped by his relationship with Queen Elizabeth I and his desire to forge a successful career for himself at court.

My Soul the Stage of Fancy's Tragedy

Most of Ralegh’'s poems were intimately linked with his place in the court and, in particular, with his “fantastic courtship” of the queen. As it was considered slightly improper for a gentleman to appear in print, he chose to publish very little. Quite apart from the social stigma, the general public was an undesirable audience, for things that could be safely said in the poems of a favorite to the queen were liable to be grossly misunderstood by readers unfamiliar with the language of the court. Consequently, though...