Final answer:
Cavalier poetry is characterized by its beautiful, straightforward, and elegant verses, often incorporating conceits and set to music, but it does not exhibit an excessively ornamented style. That feature is contrary to the Cavalier poets' preference for a clear and lucid style.
Step-by-step explanation:
The element that does not characterize Cavalier poetry among the listed options is C. Excessively ornamented style. Cavalier poetry is known for its beautiful, graceful verses that were often set to music and for employing conceits. However, it generally avoided excessively ornamented styles, preferring a more straightforward and elegant manner in line with the Occasional Poetry of the time. Instead of using excessively embellished language, Cavalier poets often strived for a witty and stylistic simplicity that reflected their aristocratic and courtly ideals. Conceits were used, but they were more commonly associated with metaphysical poets, who were contemporaries of the Cavalier poets.
Poetry typically aims to evoke feelings and thoughts through rhythm, meter, and often stanzas and lines. While types of poems vary greatly, from those that use rare and unusual words to those that adhere more to a style consistent with common speech, Cavalier poetry aligns itself with a style that is clear, lucid, and lyrical, often reflecting romantic ideals. An example of the style of clarity and directness prized by Cavalier poets can be found in the ideals of poetic diction as described by Aristotle, who preferred the use of current or proper words combined with some elements that are strange or rare to achieve a level of distinguished clarity without being too esoteric or difficult to understand.