Epithalamion is a wedding song, traditionally sung on the threshold of the bedchamber. It was usually "narrated" by a sort of emcee, but Spenser changes it around, to make himself both the bridegroom and the narrator. So, it ceases to be an oration by an outside observer, and it becomes a "passionate lyric utterance" (p. 864). The genre to which Epithalamion belongs goes back centuries to ancient Greek times. It usually involves an "invocation of the Muses, followed by a celebratory description of the procession of the bride, the religious rites, the singing and dancing at the wedding party, the preparations for the wedding ni

Another reason I enjoyed this poem is because of its inner symbolism. Spenser chose to make this poem a work of art, to entwine symbolism, not just in the words, but in the structure itself! So, at the, shall we say, molecular structure of the poem, there is poetry. Only the best poets realize that the words are not always enough. In Epithalamion, Spenser wrote 365 long lines (5 feet or more) that correspond to the number of days in a year. He also wrote twenty-four stanzas, which matches the number of hours in a day. In these stanzas, the first sixteen are about daylight and the sights and sounds that are related to day. The last eight are about the night. This is important because in Ireland, where Spenser was from, at the summer solstice-which is mentioned in this poem as St. Barnaby's Day-there are sixteen hours of daylight before night falls.

In my opinion, this poem was not as interesting literally as The Faerie Queene. I enjoyed the stor

Some common words found in the essay are:
Middle English, Epithalamion Epithalamion, Epithalamion Spenser, Barnaby's Day-there, Faerie Queene, Ireland Spenser, enjoyed symbolism, vivid imagery, enjoyed poem, faerie queene, sixteen daylight, structure poem,
Approximate Word count = 650
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)