Katherine Philips: Analyzing the Coronation Poem of Charles II (1661)

Source Reference: 27. Katherine Philips, On the Fair Weather just at the Coronation... (1661)

Katherine Philips's Occasional Poem (1661)

This text analyzes Katherine Philips’s poem, “On the Fair Weather just at the Coronation, it having rained immediately before and after.” Composed in 1661, this work is a prime example of occasional poetry—a genre written to commemorate a specific event. It celebrates the Coronation of Charles II, focusing specifically on the Parade of the King on his way to the Royal Palace to be crowned.

Historical Context: The English Restoration

Charles II is the central figure of the Restoration in England, a period spanning 1660 to 1685, during which the monarchy was recovered. England had previously been a Republic since 1649. Following a Civil War lost by the royal forces to the Parliamentary forces, King Charles I was tried and beheaded for high treason—an unprecedented event.

The Commonwealth and Cromwell's Protectorate

The Commonwealth had subsequently been established, with Oliver Cromwell serving as Lord Protector. This Protectorate quickly devolved into a military and religious dictatorship where life was repressed, and all forms of entertainment ceased. Soon after Cromwell’s death and his succession by his son, Charles II was ironically called back from exile by Parliament.

Charles II's Return and the Act of Oblivion

Charles, who had been living in France and the Netherlands with the royal family, arrived in England in 1660. Parliament passed the Act of Indemnity and Oblivion, which absolved those who had supported the previous regime. However, it excluded those who had directly taken part in the regicide, who were subsequently executed. As an exemplary punishment, Oliver Cromwell was disinterred, his body quartered, and burned.

Providential Interpretation of the Coronation Weather

In April 1661, Charles II was crowned and recognized as the legitimate king. In her poem, Katherine Philips praises this momentous event. Apparently, London’s rainy weather stopped exactly during the King’s Coronation ceremony, which she interprets in providential terms. She considers it a sign of God’s pleasure for the Coronation, who created this “bright Parenthesis” (verse 8), allowing a good atmosphere to match the moment.

Symbolism of the Sun and the Storm

Philips emphasizes that the Sun appears because He (the Sun, and by extension God) does not want to miss this occasion, which she describes as “the noblest sight that ever he beheld” (verse 6). Thanks to this divine intervention, everyone is pleased, and Philips expresses the unity of the people, the King, and the heavens (“the firmament”) in verse 10. The return of the storm right after the Coronation is interpreted by the poet as a will of Heaven to compete with the earthly celebration of the event.