John Lydgate, ‘the monk of Bury’, a follower and rival of the great Geoffrey Chaucer, is almost unknown today but was the outstanding poet of his generation. His output was immense and included historical epics, satirical and political poems, religious...
More
John Lydgate, ‘the monk of Bury’, a follower and rival of the great Geoffrey Chaucer, is almost unknown today but was the outstanding poet of his generation. His output was immense and included historical epics, satirical and political poems, religious lyrics and prayers. Lydgate used his poetry not merely to entertain but to comment on the moral, spiritual and political issues of the time, often challenging the prevailing attitudes of the nobility in whom he found his patrons. The Siege of Thebes, perhaps his most popular and accessible work and presented in the form of a Canterbury Tale, deals with the tragic and dramatic stories of Oedipus and the war of the Seven against Thebes and was the last original medieval interpretation of the famous classical legend. Now for the first time this important work is made available to the contemporary reader in a modern English verse rendition which effectively captures the spirit of the original. This special illustrated parallel text edition c
Less
