author
Stephen Hawes
A court poet in the age of Henry VII, he is best remembered for turning learning, chivalry, and moral ambition into richly allegorical verse. His most famous work, The Passetyme of Pleasure, helped carry medieval poetic traditions into the early Tudor world.
5 Audiobooks
The Example of Vertu The Example of Virtue
by Stephen Hawes
The Pastime of Pleasure: An Allegorical Poem
by Stephen Hawes
The Conuercyon of swerers (The Conversion of Swearers)
by Stephen Hawes
The cõforte of louers The Comfort of Lovers
by Stephen Hawes
About the author
Very little is known for certain about Stephen Hawes, which is part of what makes him intriguing. He was an English poet active in the early 1500s, probably born in Suffolk around 1474, and he is known to have served at the court of King Henry VII as a Groom of the Chamber.
Hawes is most closely associated with The Passetyme of Pleasure, a long allegorical poem that follows the knight Graunde Amour through education, love, and the larger journey of life. The poem draws on medieval traditions, especially the influence of John Lydgate, while also showing an interest in learning and self-improvement that connects it to the changing culture of the early Tudor period.
Although he is not as widely read today as some of his contemporaries, Hawes mattered in his own time and was part of the bridge between late medieval and Renaissance writing in England. For listeners who enjoy dream visions, courtly symbolism, and literary history, his work opens a window onto a fascinating moment of transition in English poetry.