Who are the most famous British poets of all time? From the Renaissance movement, led in Britain by Geoffrey Chaucer and his work to modernize the English language, to the fables of J.R.R. Tolkien, who went to the extent of inventing a new language for his master story, the vision of British artists has long been shining its light on the rest of the literary world. In this blog, we shine a light on some of the greatest British poets and their legacy across centuries.
Willian Shakespeare, Father of English Literature
Perhaps the most famous British poet in all of English literature, Shakespeare was a poet, playwright, and actor. He is still regarded today as the world's most eminent dramatist and author of some of the best poetry ever written.
While he is mainly known by the public for his numerous theatre plays, among which “Romeo and Juliet“, the most famous romantic tragedy of all time, has been adapted countless times, both for the theatre, Broadway, and Hollywood.
Shakespeare's plays are still performed today all around the world, and at any given time of the year, it is not surprising to find more than one of his plays being acted on the stage of London's theatres.
What the public might not know as much about are Shakespeare's sonnets and narrative poems. Published in 1609, towards the end of his life, “Shakespeare's 154 sonnets“ were probably never meant to be released and the order they have been printed in most likely did not reflect their actual chronology nor the author's wishes.
"Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend,
Upon thy self thy beauty's legacy?
Nature's bequest gives nothing but doth lend,
And being frank she lends to those are free:
Then beauteous niggard why dost thou abuse,
The bounteous largess given thee to give?
Profitless usurer, why dost thou use
So great a sum of sums yet canst not live?
For having traffic with thys elf alone,
Thou of thy self thy sweet self dost deceive,
Then how when nature calls thee to be gone,
What acceptable audit canst thou leave?
Thy unused beauty must be tombed with thee,
Which used lives th' executor to be."
Willian Shakespeare, The Fair Youth, Sonnet 4
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, The Romantic Poetess
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most renowned female British poets, having a profound influence on notable contemporary writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson.
Born in 1806, Elizabeth Barrett began writing poetry at the early age of six. Her mother collected her poems, which became the most extensive surviving collection of juvenile writing by any English writer, ever.
Barrett suffered poor health for most of her life and possibly had tuberculosis. It did not stop her writing, and she published her first collection of poems at the age of 32 years old.
Her poetry was very well received, and she wrote profusely in the following years. She also actively campaigned against slavery and influenced the reforms of child labour legislation. Her work also caught the attention of another poet, Robert Browning, who, after writing to her, began to court her secretly. Knowing that her father would disapprove, Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning married in secret in 1846 before moving to Italy, where they lived happily for the rest of their lives. This love union fueled prominent themes in romantic poetry and creativity in her writing.
"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,—I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death."
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnets from the Portuguese, Sonnet 43
Sonnets from the Portuguese is frequently taught in high school as part of the love poetry or Victorian poetry units in Ontario and British Columbia.
Robert Burns, The Bard Of Ayrshire
Celebrated as the most significant Scottish English poet of all time, the popularity of Burns throughout all of Scotland and with the Scottish diaspora all over the world made him the subject of a real personality cult during the 19th and 20th centuries.
He popularised the use of the Scots language in literature, though most of his work was written in English. His direct, sincere, and straightforward style approached many serious subjects, such as equalitarianism, anticlericalism, and Scottish nationalism.
Some of his most famous work was inspired by the French Revolution, which unfolded when Burns was about 30 years old. Coming from a family of poor tenant farmers, his point of view is far from being that of the bourgeoisie but is close to the mass of the oppressed. A firm believer that the poor of humankind will one day come to realise their “sense and worth“ and unite against the oppression of the elites, though this part of his work and philosophy is often left aside.
He had a significant influence on many famous British poets and writers, such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Allan Ramsay, Robert Fergusson, and Hugh MacDiarmid, as well as on the future founders of socialism and liberalism. Still today, Burns supper, a national holiday in Scotland, is more celebrated than the actual National Day of St. Andrew's.
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Dylan Thomas, Poetry and Radio
Probably the most famous of Welsh poets, Dylan Thomas became known to the British public through his poetry programs broadcast by BBC Radio.
Born in 1914 in Swansea to a middle-class family, Thomas started writing poetry when he was only 15 years old. Over the following four years, while working as a freelance journalist, he compiled more than 200 poems, which were later published in four books.
His publications in The New English Weekly and The Listener caught the attention of three major writers of the time, T. S. Eliot, Geoffrey Grigson, and Stephen Spender. They helped launch his career as an English poet, and in 1934, when Thomas was only 20 years old, his first poetry book was published under the title “18 Poems.“
The Listener newspaper belongs to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), establishing its connections with the network which would later bring his poems into the homes of millions of Britons.
Find the best online poetry courses here on Superprof.
"And death shall have no dominion.
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.
And death shall have no dominion.
Under the windings of the sea
They lying long shall not die windily;
Twisting on racks when sinews give way,
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;
Faith in their hands shall snap in two,
And the unicorn evils run them through;
Split all ends up they shan’t crack;
And death shall have no dominion.
And death shall have no dominion.
No more may gulls cry at their ears
Or waves break loud on the seashores;
Where blew a flower may a flower no more
Lift its head to the blows of the rain;
Though they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion."
Dylan Thomas, And Death Shall Have No Dominion
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Linguist Poet
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is a British poet mainly known for his books, later adapted to cinema, “The Lord of the Rings“ and “The Hobbit.“ Both these books are amongst the best-selling novels ever written and combined; it is estimated that around 250 million copies were sold, making Tolkien one of the most successful authors of all time.
While Tolkien is most famous for his fantasy writings, most Britons ignore that he was also a talented poet. His work as a linguist made him an expert in manipulating the aesthetics and euphony of words.
He also created two entirely new languages, an exhaustive undertaking that likely explains why his academic research at Oxford University remained so limited. Some of his poems have been included in his fantasy work, and he became one of the most famous poets with “The Lord Of The Rings“, and “All that is gold does not glitter.“
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes, a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."
J.R.R. Tolkien, All that is gold does not glitter
Geoffrey Chaucer, Medieval English Voice
Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the most significant writers of English poetry. His most famous works were “The Book of the Duchess’s Book”, “Parlement of Foules”, “The Legend of Good Women”, “Troilus and Criseyde”, and "The Canterbury Tales.“
His work legitimised the use of Middle English, that is, the language commonly spoken in 14th-century England.
Chaucer also wrote about science and astronomy by writing “Treatise on the Astrolabe,” dedicated to his son Lewis.
In 1374, Chaucer became comptroller of customs for the port of London. In 1386, he was elected Member of Parliament for Kent & also served as a justice of the peace. In 1389, he was appointed Master of Works to the King, responsible for overseeing royal projects of Edward III and Richard II.
The Canterbury Tales are often selected tales that appear in many Grade 12 anthologies; they are usually read in modern English translation.
John Milton, The Poet of Faith and Struggle
British poet born in London on 9 December 1608. Milton is one of the greatest of English literature, poetry and politics. He had a significant impact on later literary generations, especially from the 19th century onwards.
His life was marked by the English Civil War. Milton was a republican and collaborated with Oliver Cromwell.
After the Restoration of the monarchy, he was imprisoned and several of his treatises were banned, although he was eventually released due to his influential connections.
Milton’s best known work is “Paradise Lost,” published after years of work in 1667, divided into ten books. Indeed, this is considered one of the greatest works of world literature of all time.
“Now the bright morning-star, Day’s harbinger,
Comes dancing from the East, and leads with her
The flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose.
Hail, bounteous May, that dost inspire
Mirth, and youth, and warm desire!
Woods and groves are of thy dressing;
Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing.
Thus we salute thee with our early song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.“
John Milton, Song on May Morning
William Wordsworth, inspired by Romanticism
The English Romantic poet was born on 7 April 1770 in Cockermouth. Even if he wrote poetry since childhood, he did not publish any poems until 1793, when “An Evening Walk” and “Descriptive Sketches” appeared. These reflect the influence of the formal style of 18th-century English poetry.
Wordsworth met the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an admirer of his early work, and the two collaborated on a book of poems entitled “Lyrical Ballads”, published in 1798.
This work anticipated the poetic innovations of the 20th century with its new style, vocabulary & themes. His poetry is characterised by the exaltation of nature, simplicity of language & emotional introspection, laying the foundations for Romanticism.
Learn more about the most famous British poets in history and their most relevant works.
“It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,
The holy time is quiet as a Nun
Breathless with adoration; the broad sun
Is sinking down in its tranquility;
The gentleness of heaven broods o'er the Sea;
Listen! the mighty Being is awake,
And doth with his eternal motion make
A sound like thunder—everlastingly.
Dear child! dear Girl! that walkest with me here,
If thou appear untouched by solemn thought,
Thy nature is not therefore less divine:
Thou liest in Abraham's bosom all the year;
And worshipp'st at the Temple's inner shrine,
God being with thee when we know it not.“
William Wordsworth, It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free
Lord Tennyson, The Victorian Storyteller
Alfred Tennyson (also known as Lord Tennyson) was one of the most famous British poets of the Victorian era. In 1830, Tennyson published “Poems, Chiefly Lyrical,” and in 1832, he published a second volume titled simply “Poems.” Even if some reviewers condemned these books as affected and obscure.
In 1842, Tennyson’s two-volume Poems were a tremendous success. In 1850, with the publication of In Memoriam, Tennyson became one of Britain’s most popular English poets.
Tennyson began attending Trinity College, Cambridge University. He would not only win the Chancellor’s Prize, but also strike up a friendship with the poet Arthur Hallam, with whom he would join the secret society known as the Cambridge Apostles.
By mid-century, Tennyson had established himself as the most popular poet of the Victorian era. “In memoriam”, “Poems chiefly lyrical”, “Poems”, “The Demon and the Lady”, “The Princess” and “The Charge of the Light Brigade” are some of the titles that are part of the literary work of this English poet who died in October 1892.
T. S. Eliot, Modern Life in Fragments
Thomas Stearns Eliot (known as T. S. Eliot) was one of the most famous British poets and playwrights of the English language in the 20th century. Eliot was born in the US, but became a British citizen in 1927.
His first great poem is “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, which reveals his classical influence that would be present throughout his poetry, as well as his avant-gardism.
For many, “Prufrock” is one of the greatest modernist poems of British literature. In 1943, his masterpiece, “Four Quartets”, appeared. It consists of four separate poems that are related to each other: “Burnt Norton,“ “East Coker,“ “The Dry Salvages & Little Gidding.“ Over the years, other works followed: “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats“ (1939), which inspired the famous musical “Cats.“ In his later years, his poetry became tinged with deep religious sentiment & mysticism. In 1948, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
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