Which of the following writers was an Elizabethan poet?

Correct option is C

Explanation:
Edmund Spenser (c. 1552–1599) was a major poet of the Elizabethan Age and is best known for his epic poem The Faerie Queene (1590, 1596). This work, written in praise of Queen Elizabeth I, is a rich allegory combining mythology, history, and chivalric themes. Spenser was influential in shaping English poetry, particularly through his invention of the Spenserian stanza, a unique nine-line verse structure.

Information Booster:
Elizabethan Era (1558–1603) – This was a golden age in English literature, marked by the works of Spenser, Shakespeare, and Marlowe.

Spenserian Stanza – Spenser introduced a distinct poetic structure: eight lines of iambic pentameter followed by a ninth line in iambic hexameter (ababbcbcc rhyme scheme).

The Faerie Queene – One of the longest and most ambitious allegorical poems in English, celebrating the virtues of a noble ruler, symbolized by Queen Elizabeth I.

Spenser's work influenced poets like John Milton, Alexander Pope, and John Keats.

Besides The Faerie Queene, Spenser wrote The Shepheardes Calender (1579), which established his reputation as a poet.

Spenser sought favor from Queen Elizabeth I and was rewarded with a pension for his contributions to English literature.

Additional Knowledge:
William Blake – A Romantic poet (1757–1827), known for Songs of Innocence and Experience, The Tyger, and his mystical and visionary themes.
Arthur Symons – A Symbolist and Decadent poet (1865–1945), famous for The Symbolist Movement in Literature, greatly influenced by French poets.
Thomas Hardy – A Victorian and early 20th-century novelist and poet (1840–1928), known for Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure.