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The Pastoral Tradition

Marlowe’s poem about a shepherd in love very self-consciously adopts the trappings of the pastoral tradition of poetry. This tradition goes back to Greek and Roman antiquity, when poets from urban centers like Athens and Rome wrote poems that conjured highly idealized images of rural life’s peaceful simplicity. A key element in pastoral poetry is the gently rolling country landscape. This landscape is typically depicted as verdant and fruitful, and its chief inhabitant is the shepherd, who idly tends his flock while singing songs and amorously pursuing beautiful nymphs. 

The idealized pastoral landscape contrasts sharply with the city. Whereas the city is associated with the frustrating complexities of social and political life, the country comes to be seen as a place of leisure, pleasure, and abundant natural wealth. This is a fantasy, of course, but it’s a powerful fantasy that remains alive today. And it remains alive today precisely because of poets like Christopher Marlowe. Pastoral poetry largely fell out of favor following the collapse of the Roman Empire, and it remained dormant through the Middle Ages. However, it experienced a resurgence among Renaissance poets, who took up a renewed interest in all things related to Greco-Roman antiquity.

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