Charles II: Charles II’s Restoration era inspires poets to explore surface over substance: “He danced through courts with velvet grace, / while England’s soul lay in disgrace.”; His hedonism becomes metaphor for cultural evasion: “He laughed at piety, loved wine, / and called it peace, and called it fine.”; Poets use his reign to depict art as distraction: “The plays were bold, the music sweet, / but truth was buried, out of reach.”; His return from exile becomes ironic: “He came back crowned, but not restored— / the nation’s spirit, bruised, ignored.”; A poet might write, “He gave us masques, he gave us glee, / but none could say what made us free.”; Charles II teaches poets how to portray the hollowness of restoration: “The throne was filled, the bells were rung— / but who was left to feel the song?”