| This study examines Renaissance pastoral in order to track the evolution of a new breed of literary shepherd. I draw mostly on texts from Jorge de Montemayor, Sir Philip Sidney, and William Shakespeare. The primary objective of this study is to prove the existence of a second type of shepherd to accompany Virgil's traditional shepherd. This study focuses on the elements of disguise within pastoral texts and the affect of the changing economy on the shepherd, the courtier, and the peasant. In addition to examining literary texts for evidence of fictional changes, this study draws on historical research to examine actual changes to the shepherd due to the developing agricultural and pastoral economy of the Renaissance. This study concludes that the combination of literary and actual changes to the shepherd results in the development of a post-Virgilian shepherd with different faculties than the traditional shepherd. |
