Early Modern England

The backdrop of Milton's "On Shakespeare" is early modern England, which is a period of English history associated with the English Renaissance. The early modern period is typically considered to span the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and include the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I. During the early modern period, English writers started to develop themselves as professional poets and playwrights, and as such the Renaissance is known for its prolific production of art, much of which is still part of the English literary canon. Notable literary figures of the English Renaissance include William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, John Donne, Ben Jonson, and John Milton, among many others.

Ancient Egypt

Milton makes reference to ancient Egypt when he declares that a "star-ypointing pyramid" is an insufficient monument to Shakespeare's life (4). Here, Milton refers to the pyramids built by Egyptians to house their dead pharaohs...