Platonism in English poetry of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries — Plato — John Shaqi
Platonism in English poetry of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
Plato · en
To the discussion of the latter of these subjects Platonism was able to
offer two conceptions, in which a rational explanation of God’s love as
revealed in the creation could be found; one presenting the highest
reality as beauty, the other as the good. The first conception was
present in its theory of love. In the “Symposium” Plato had taught that
love was a desire of birth in beauty, and that the highest love was a
desire of birth in beauty absolute, the ultimate principle of all
beauty. (“Symposium,” 206, 211–212.) Christianity, on the other hand,
had taught that God is love. By identifying the absolute beauty of Plato
with God, and by applying the Platonic conception of the birth of love
to this Christian conception of God as love, God Himself was understood
as enjoying his own beauty, thus begetting beings like to it in
fairness. In Spenser’s “Hymne of Heavenly Love,” this idea forms the
first division of the poem which treats of the love of God. (ll.
25–122.) At first God is conceived as living in Himself in love.
“Before this worlds great frame, in which al things
Are now containd, found any being place,
Ere flitting Time could wag his eyas wings
About that mightie bound, which doth embrace
The rolling Spheres, and parts their houres by space,
That high eternall powre, which now doth move
In all these things, mov’d in it selfe by love.”
(ll. 25–31.)
Loving itself, this Power brought forth, first the Son.
“It lov’d it selfe, because it selfe was faire;
(For faire is lov’d;) and of it selfe begot
Like to it selfe his eldest sonne and heire,
Eternall, pure, and voide of sinfull blot.”
(ll. 32–35.)
After the creation of the Son God begets the angels in His beauty.
“Yet being pregnant still with powrefull grace,
And full of fruitfull love, that loves to get
Things like himselfe, and to enlarge his race,
His second brood though not in powre so great,
Yet full of beautie, next he did beget
An infinite increase of Angels bright,
All glistring glorious in their Makers light.”
(ll. 53–59.)
After the fall of the angels God finally creates man.
“Such he him made, that he resemble might
Himselfe, as mortall thing immortall could;
Him to be Lord of every living wight,
He made by love out of his owne like mould,
In whom he might his mightie selfe behould:
For love doth love the thing belov’d to see,
That like it selfe in lovely shape may bee.”
(ll. 116–122.)