Giles Fletcher (also known as Giles Fletcher, The Younger; 1586? – 1623 in Alderton,

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

) was an English cleric and poet chiefly known for his long allegorical poem ''Christ's Victory and Triumph'' (1610).

Life

Fletcher was the younger son of Giles Fletcher the Elder (Ambassador to Russia of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

and brother to Bishop Richard Fletcher of London, chaplain to Queen Elizabeth I), and the brother of the poet

Phineas Fletcher Phineas Fletcher (8 April 1582 – 13 December 1650) was an English poet, elder son of Giles Fletcher, and brother of Giles the Younger. He was born at Cranbrook, Kent, and was baptized on 8 April 1582. Life He was admitted a scholar of E ...

, and cousin of the dramatist John Fletcher. Educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, he remained in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

after his ordination, becoming Reader in Greek Grammar in 1615 and Reader in Greek Language in 1618. In 1619 left to become rector of Alderton in Suffolk. Fletcher enjoyed the patronage of the Puritan philanthropist Anne Townshend at or before 1623.Gaby Mahlberg, ‘Townshend , Anne, Lady Townshend (1573–1622)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Oct 2005; online edn, Jan 200
accessed 11 Oct 2017
/ref> His principal work has the full title ''Christ's Victorie and Triumph, in Heaven, in Earth, over and after Death'', and consists of four

canto The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry. Etymology and equivalent terms The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from th ...

s. The first canto, ''Christ's Victory in Heaven'', represents a dispute in heaven between justice and mercy, using the facts of Christ's life on earth; the second, ''Christ's Victory on Earth'', deals with an allegorical account of Christ's Temptation; the third, ''Christ's Triumph over Death'', covers the Passion; and the fourth, ''Christ's Triumph after Death'', covering the

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

and Ascension, ends with an affectionate eulogy of his brother Phineas as Thyrsilis. The meter is an eight-line stanza in the style of Spenser; the first five lines have the

rhyme scheme A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other. An example of the ABAB rh ...

ABABB, and the stanza concludes with a rhyming triplet. Milton borrowed liberally from ''Christ's Victory and Triumph'' in ''

Paradise Regained ''Paradise Regained'' is an epic poem by English poet John Milton, first published in 1671. The volume in which it appeared also contained the poet's closet drama '' Samson Agonistes''. ''Paradise Regained'' is connected by name to his earlie ...

''.

References

External links

''Christ's victory and triumph in heaven and earth, over and after death''
1899 reprint {{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Giles 1580s births 1623 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 17th-century English poets 17th-century English male writers 17th-century English writers People educated at Westminster School, London People from Suffolk Coastal (district) 16th-century English poets 16th-century English male writers English male poets