Within the last decade of the sixteenth century, a number of narrative poems were published, usually referred to as complaints. Besides time of publication, they share formal and thematic concerns and an intertextual awareness indicating intended generic belonging. The principal texts are: Samuel Daniel’s “The Complaint of Rosamond” (1592, augmented in 1594), Thomas Churchyard’s “The Tragedy of Shore’s Wife” (1593), Anthony Chute’s Beauty Dishonoured Written under the Title of Shore’s wife (1593), Thomas Lodge’s “The Tragical Complaint of Elstred” (1593), Shakespeare’s The Rape of Lucrece (1594), Michael Drayton’s Matilda. The Fair and Chaste Daughter of the Lord Robert Fitzwater (1594, …
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Citation: Swärdh, Anna. "Elizabethan Complaints". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 May 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=16298, accessed 23 November 2024.]