Drayton, Michael (1563-1631), was an English poet who experimented with many literary forms. Drayton wrote a number of love sonnets, though he concentrated on English patriotic themes in his works.
Drayton was born in Warwickshire and settled in London about 1591 to pursue a literary career. His first works included the sonnets Idea, the Shepherd’s Garland (1593) and Idea’s Mirror (1594). Drayton’s major work was his long poem Poly-Olbion (1612-1622), a geographical and historical survey of England’s counties. It was influenced by Edmund Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie Queene. Drayton’s poem Nymphidia (1627) pays homage to Geoffrey Chaucer, Spenser, and William Shakespeare in a mythological setting. Drayton died on Dec. 2, 1631.
See also Since There’s No Help.
