Poetry

A black‑and‑white photograph of early LGBTQ+ activists standing on a city street in front of a large banner reading “GAY PRIDE” with a white triangle symbol beneath it. Several people face the camera, some holding newspapers or pamphlets. One person holds a sign that says “MARY WHITEHOUSE? HANDS OFF GAY NEWS BUY ONE TODAY.” Tall buildings line the street behind them.

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This sex poem sparked outrage in 1970s Britain – but who triumphed in the courtroom?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A detailed engraving shows William Shakespeare with wavy shoulder‑length hair, a mustache and trimmed beard, and an earring in his left ear. He wears a collared shirt and a textured doublet with decorative trim, set against a softly shaded background.

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"Let the sky rain potatoes!": the hidden meanings behind Shakespeare's food obsession. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An engraving of John Milton in 1670. By that time he’d been blind for nearly two decades – but continued to express strong views on religion and the monarchy in his writing (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

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Long road to paradise: the life of John Milton and how he created his masterpiece, Paradise Lost. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Rune stone. (Photo by Getty Images)

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Reading the runes: what we can learn about everyday life in the Viking Age. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Portrait of Scottish poet Robert Burns

Georgian

Robert Burns: 7 facts about the life and work of Scotland's national bard

First World War soldier and poet Siegfried Sassoon In uniform

First World War

Poetry and protestWW1 poet Siegfried Sassoon

First World War

WW1 poets5 famous figures you should know about

During his time in Oxford, Wilde fully embraced ‘aesthetic flair’: growing his hair long; dressing in flamboyant fashions and assuming exaggerated affectations. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Victorian

7 facts you (probably) didn’t know about Oscar Wilde

Mary, Queen of Scots and her ladies-in-waiting. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Tudor

Mary, Queen of Scots: what happened to her ladies-in-waiting?

British former field marshal Douglas Haig, inspects poppies before Armistice Day, October 1922. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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Remembering the First World War: blood, poppies and poetry. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Vera Brittain, who worked as a nurse during the First World War and went on to become one of the leading writers of the interwar years. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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Love, loss and distorted memories. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Bust of Homer c850 BC. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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“We are all Trojans...”: Homer’s poetic legacy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Photo of a remembrance poppy

First World War

Q&AWhere do the red poppies come from?

Photo of a woman putting a finger to her lips

Medieval

Q&AWhy do we say 'mum's the word'?

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Robert Burns: the people’s poet. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.