The Classical

Thomas Carew lived and worked in the era of European history known popularly as the English Renaissance. The word renaissance is French for “rebirth,” implying that this era signifies a new state of being, a return to something that had been lost or abandoned. What did the Renaissance birth anew? The culture of the classical world: of Ancient Greece and Rome particularly. After several centuries that were defined by a cultural focus on Catholic religious practices to the exclusion of much else, as well as violent conflict between a few elite political families, the Renaissance attempted to “return” European culture to an era that was defined by artistic production and creative excellence.

The practice of imitating work from the Classical era was used to legitimize and promote current cultural production. It was often used by authors whose work was unquestionably controversial – like Carew, in writing...