Chaucer’s influence can be summarized in one sentence: Without him, Shakespeare wouldn’t be Shakespeare. Not only did Chaucer’s "Canterbury Tales" mark the first time English was used for a serious work of literary ambition (English being considered a "common" language for the uneducated at the time when the royal family of England still considered themselves in many ways French and in fact French was the official language of the court), but Chaucer’s technique of using five stresses in a line was a direct ancestor of the iambic pentameter used by Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
Spenser isn’t as much of a household name as Shakespeare, but his influence in the realm of poetry is as epic as his best-known work, "The Faerie Queen." That lengthy (and technically unfinished) poem is actually a pretty blatantly sycophantic attempt to flatter then-Queen Elizabeth I; Spenser wanted desperately to be ennobled, a goal he never achieved, and a poem linking Queen Elizabeth with all the virtues in the world seemed like a good way to go. Along the way, Spenser developed a poetic structure still known as the Spenserian Stanza and a style of sonnet known as the Spenserian Sonnet, both of which have been copied by later poets such as Coleridge and Shakespeare.
Whether or not poetry’s your jam, Spenser looms large all over modern literature
The fact that even people who regard poetry as something to run away from as quickly as possible are familiar with the title of Milton’s most famous work, "Paradise Lost," tells you all you need to know about this late-Renaissance genius.
Milton, who made some poor political decisions in his life and who wrote many of his best-known works after going completely blind, composed "Paradise Lost" in blank verse, one of the earliest and most influential uses of the technique. He also told a traditional religious-themed story (the fall of man) in a startlingly personal way, casting the story of Adam and Eve as a realistic domestic story, and giving all the characters (even God and Satan) clear and unique personalities. These innovations may seem obvious today, but that in itself is a testament to Milton’s influence.
One does not discuss literature without mentioning Shakespeare. His influence simply cannot be overstated. He created many words still in common English usage today (including bedazzled, which might be his greatest achievement), he coined many of the phrases and idioms we still use today (every time you try to break the ice, say a short prayer to Bill), and he codified certain stories and plot devices that have become the invisible vocabulary of every story composed. Heck, they still adapt his plays into films and other media on a yearly basis. There is literally no other writer who has had a bigger influence on the English language, with the possible exception of