Robert Chester (poet)
Encyclopedia
Robert Chester is the mysterious author of the poem Love's Martyr which was published in 1601 as the main poem in a collection which also included much shorter poems by William Shakespeare
, Ben Jonson
, George Chapman
and John Marston
, along with the anonymous "Vatum Chorus" and "Ignoto". Despite attempts to identify Chester no information has ever emerged to indicate with any certainty who he was. Currently all that is known of Chester is his name and the long poem he published. It is also not known why Shakespeare and so many other distinguished poets supplemented the publication of such an obscure person with their own works.
Chester's poem was dedicated to Sir John Salusbury of the Salusbury family
in Wales, and may have been published to celebrate his knighthood in June 1601. Love's Martyr and several of the other poems praise the loving relationship between Sir John and his wife. Shakespeare's poem The Phoenix and the Turtle
is an unexplained exception.
Chester has been identified with a man of that name from Royston
, Cambridgeshire
, and with another individual from Denbighshire
. E. A. J. Honigmann argues that Chester was probably Salusbury's chaplain or secretary, and that he and his patron shared a taste for "mystical verse" which contained obscure acrostic puzzles.
The "turtle" in the title is the turtle dove
, not the shelled reptile
. Chester prefaced his poem with a short dedication addressed to the phoenix and turtle-dove, traditional emblems of devoted love:
The poem is a long allegory, incorporating the story of King Arthur
, in which the relationship between the birds is explored, and its symbolism articulated.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
, George Chapman
George Chapman
George Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
and John Marston
John Marston
John Marston was an English poet, playwright and satirist during the late Elizabethan and Jacobean periods...
, along with the anonymous "Vatum Chorus" and "Ignoto". Despite attempts to identify Chester no information has ever emerged to indicate with any certainty who he was. Currently all that is known of Chester is his name and the long poem he published. It is also not known why Shakespeare and so many other distinguished poets supplemented the publication of such an obscure person with their own works.
Chester's poem was dedicated to Sir John Salusbury of the Salusbury family
Salusbury Family
The Salusbury family is an Anglo-Welsh family notable for their social prominence, wealth, literary contributions and philanthropy. The family started a bank, Salusbury and Co., which later shut down during the Great Depression.-Rise to prominence:...
in Wales, and may have been published to celebrate his knighthood in June 1601. Love's Martyr and several of the other poems praise the loving relationship between Sir John and his wife. Shakespeare's poem The Phoenix and the Turtle
The Phoenix and the Turtle
The Phoenix and the Turtle is an allegorical poem about the death of ideal love by William Shakespeare. It is widely considered to be one of his most obscure works and has led to many conflicting interpretations. It has also been called "the first great published metaphysical poem". The title "The...
is an unexplained exception.
Chester has been identified with a man of that name from Royston
Royston
Royston is the name of several places:* Royston, South Yorkshire, England* Royston, British Columbia, Canada* Royston, Hertfordshire England** Royston Town F.C., an English football club* Royston, Glasgow, a district of Glasgow, Scotland...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, and with another individual from Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
. E. A. J. Honigmann argues that Chester was probably Salusbury's chaplain or secretary, and that he and his patron shared a taste for "mystical verse" which contained obscure acrostic puzzles.
The poem
The full title of Chester's book explains the content:- Love's Martyr: or Rosalins Complaint. Allegorically shadowing the truth of Loue, in the constant Fate of the Phoenix and Turtle. A Poeme enterlaced with much varietie and raritie; now first translated out of the venerable Italian Torquato Caeliano, by Robert Chester. With the true legend of famous King Arthur the last of the nine Worthies, being the first Essay of a new Brytish Poet: collected out of diuerse Authenticall Records. To these are added some new compositions of seuerall moderne Writers whose names are subscribed to their seuerall workes, vpon the first subiect viz. the Phoenix and Turtle.
The "turtle" in the title is the turtle dove
Turtle Dove
The European Turtle Dove , also known as Turtle Dove, is a member of the bird family Columbidae, which includes the doves and pigeons.-Distribution & Status:...
, not the shelled reptile
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
. Chester prefaced his poem with a short dedication addressed to the phoenix and turtle-dove, traditional emblems of devoted love:
- Phoenix of beautie, beauteous, Bird of any
- To thee I do entitle all my labour,
- More precious in mine eye by far then many
- That feedst all earthly sences with thy savour:
- Accept my home-writ praises of thy loue,
- And kind acceptance of thy Turtle-doue
The poem is a long allegory, incorporating the story of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, in which the relationship between the birds is explored, and its symbolism articulated.