Renaissance education, dialectic, social mobility, sixteenth century, social hierarchy, gentlemen, noblemen, courtiers

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Renaissance education in dialectic all contributed towards the formation of a society in which verse conversations flourished. Whether conducted between friends or rivals there is a competitive aspect to answer-poetry, and this is perhaps its most pronounced characteristic, and symptomatic of the rise of social mobility during the sixteenth century. Thus answer-poets’ tendency to stress how well they fit into their rightful place in the social hierarchy, while simultaneously representing their rivals as less well-adjusted individuals, undeserving of their rank. Their ambition works within the constraints of a world in which they must present themselves as advocates of a stable social hierarchy, while simultaneously seeking preferment and social advancement, and protecting their social status by safeguarding their reputations as gentlemen, noblemen or courtiers.

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