Amoretti: A sonnet sequence

Edmund Spenser (1552 - 1599)

The Amoretti (meaning little love poems) is a sequence of 89 sonnets written in the tradition of the Petrarchan sonnets, a popular form for poets of the Renaissance period. Spenser’s sequence has been largely neglected in modern times, while those of his contemporaries William Shakespeare and Sir Philip Sidney have been acclaimed. However, because of the artistic skill, along with the emotion and the humor exhibited, these poems deserve a broader hearing, even though they may be somewhat difficult for the present-day reader, partly through Spenser’s love for words and expressions that were already archaic in his time.

Amoretti, written throughout the year 1594 and published the following year, violates at least one of the conventional elements of the Renaissance sonnet sequences. Other poets, including Petrarch and Sidney, chose as the inspiration for their sonnets a woman who was inaccessible to the poet, sometimes even married to someone else. They idealized this woman, seeming to be extravagantly suffering because of their passionate admiration, while in real life they might hardly know the lady and had no real interest in an actual love affair. Spenser, however, dedicated his verses to a woman that he actually loved and sought, Elizabeth Boyle, whom he then married.

Also the sonnet series by other poets were usually despairing of any fruition in regard to the lady, and Spenser certainly does show much frustration himself in his efforts to achieve a closer relationship with his love; but as the series progresses, he gradually sees improvement in the success of his wooing, as his actual wedding nears. The poems feature elaborate imagery, loaded with metaphorical situations, saying much the same thing repeatedly in a wide variety of ways, with much clever creativity, sometimes impressive and sometimes a bit awkward. There is a rich vein of humor running through the whole sequence, often through mock passion, and there is even a bit of sensuality in some of the later sonnets. The better poems are often sharp and crystalline, sparkling in their freshness and originality. (Introduction by Leonard Wilson)

Genre(s): Humorous Fiction, Poetry, Romance

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 Sonnets I, II, III Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:49
Play 02 Sonnets IV, V, VI Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:28
Play 03 Sonnets VII, VIII, IX Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:41
Play 04 Sonnets X, XI, XII Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:38
Play 05 Sonnets XIII, XIV, XV Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:38
Play 06 Sonnets XVI, XVII, XVIII Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:31
Play 07 Sonnets XIX, XX, XXI Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:28
Play 08 Sonnets XXII, XXIII, XXIV Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:37
Play 09 Sonnets XXV, XXVI, XXVII Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:40
Play 10 Sonnets XXVIII, XXIX, XXX Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:31
Play 11 Sonnets XXXI, XXXII, XXXIII Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:25
Play 12 Sonnets XXXIV, XXXV, XXXVI Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:38
Play 13 Sonnets XXXVII, XXXVIII, XXXIX Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:36
Play 14 Sonnets XL, XLI, XLII Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:37
Play 15 Sonnets XLIII, XLIV, XLV Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:38
Play 16 Sonnets XLVI, XLVII, XLVIII Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:35
Play 17 Sonnets XLIX, L, LI Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:39
Play 18 Sonnets LII, LIII, LIV Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:33
Play 19 Sonnets LV, LVI, LVII Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:45
Play 20 Sonnets LVIII, LIX, LX Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:38
Play 21 Sonnets LXI, LXII, LXIII Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:37
Play 22 Sonnets LXIV, LXV, LXVI Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:41
Play 23 Sonnets LXVII, LXVIII, LXIX Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:34
Play 24 Sonnets LXX, LXXI, LXXII Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:34
Play 25 Sonnets LXXIII, LXXIV, LXXV Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:35
Play 26 Sonnets LXXVI, LXXVII, LXXVIII Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:49
Play 27 Sonnets LXXIX, LXXX, LXXXI Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:44
Play 28 Sonnets LXXXII, LXXXIII, LXXXIV Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:38
Play 29 Sonnets LXXXV, LXXXVI, LXXXVII Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:03:34
Play 30 Sonnets LXXXVIII, LXXXIX and concluding poem Leonard Wilson (1930-2024)
00:06:48