Geoffrey Chaucer was an English poet, philosopher, diplomat, author, and bureaucrat and is widely known as the "father of English literature." Chaucer was born in London and his precise date and location is unknown but it is most likely in the early 1340s. He died in October 25, 1400, London. Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" is one of the greatest poetic works in English. It involves a complex dramatic narrative that takes on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St.Thomas Becket.

William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. He was the oldest sibling in his family, following Gilbert, Richard, Edmund, Anne (died at seven), and Joan. John Shakespeare, the father, was a leatherworker. He rose through the ranks and when William was five, became the mayor. Soon afterwards, he stepped back from public life. The mother, Mary Arden, was of the prominent Arden family. William attended Stratford's grammar school. It focused on Latin classics, memorization, writing, and acting. William Shakespeare is famous for "Romeo and Juliet."

John Milton was born in London in 1608. He went to school at St Paul's School and then went to the University of Cambridge. He was very educated in literature, history, theology, philosophy and natural sciences. He is widely considered to be William Shakespeare's closest rival as the greatest author in the history of English literature. His most famous work is Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, L'Allegro, and Il Penseroso.