Question

What is the chronological order of pastoral poets? Shakespeare, Virgil, Hesiod, Marlowe, and Dante,

Answer 1

1) Hesiod (750 BC)

2) Virgil (70 BC - 19 BC)

3) Dante Alighieri (1265 AD - 1321 AD)

4) Christopher Marlowe (1564 AD - 1593 AD)

5) William Shakespeare (1564 AD - 1616 AD)

Although Shakespeare and Marlowe were born in the same year, Marlowe died first and Shakespeare continued his literature production. Some think that Marlowe faked his death and changed his name to Shakespeare.

Pastoral poetry is characterized by idealizing rural life and landscapes, it presents society of shepard untied to concerns of city life.  

Answer 2

The oldest one is Hesiod, having lived as far as 8 centuries BC, then Virgil, followed by Dante, then Marlowe, and finally Shakespeare.