ESSAY ON PROTHALAMION BY EDMUND SPENSER

Prothalamion is Spenser's second wedding song; the poem is modelled on his own marriage song called Epithalamion. In this poem he celebrates the occasion of the marriage of the daughters of Earl of Worcester. In this poem the poet attempts to win a patronage and the favour of the Queen.

Prothalamion (1596) was written at a time in his life of disappointment and trouble when Spenser was only a rare visitor to London. Here he is a passive observer than the bridegroom turned poet and hence though as beautiful metrically as his own marriage ode Epithalamion, it naturally does not voice the same ecstasy of passion. We find reference in the poem to the poet's own discontent to the history of Temple as to the achievements of Essex.

According to C. S. Lewis, "interesting as they are in themselves, they do not seem to contribute much to total effect." The poem has two themes—the obvious one of celebrating the ladies going to their betrothal and the personal theme which serves for introduction and passing reference once again towards the end. The tone of the two is in great contrast. The first one is gay, full of colour, beauty and hope of fulfillment; the second sad and tragic. The poet is conscious of the contrast and makes an attempt to suppress the sad not in a gay poem. At one point the poem verges on the elegiac but the poet deliberately steers himself to the opposite shore on consideration of decorum.

It Is a cleverly contrived poem. So far as the poet is concerned the more important theme is the personal one, the statement of neglected merit, the loss of the great patron and the acquiring of a new one in Essex. But this is hidden and artfully introduced. The most powerful lines are those devoted to Essex to whom Spenser devotes about 23 lines. These lines are direct address. The poem is skillfully directed to take in this matter. The train of thought and the plan of poem are so conducted that the passage on Essex is integral and not superimposed. The bridegroom’s play a minor role and are colorless and have only a reflected glory which they take from Essex.

The verse is an adaptation of the Italian canzone of 18 lines with varying rhyme scheme. The last two lines serve as a burden/refrain to the whole poem. The last line is repeated with variation. And the penultimate line slightly varied to suit the meaning. Poem is lyrical throughout and the repetition adds to the lyrical effect. The organization of stanza makes for great variety in the cadence with the mixing of 10 syllabic and 6 syllabic lines. There are fourteen of the former and four of the latter in each stanza. The successful handling of the very complicated arrangement shows the poet's mastery over a new metre.

In Spenser's poetry we get a characteristic blending of mythology and realism. Spenser added a new dignity to English verse by handling it in an exalted manner with a unique style, thought and art.
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