Chapter Five

1. Chapter Five The English Renaissance 1. Historical background 2. The enclosure movement 3. Humanism 4. The flourishing of drama

2. England enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity during the reign of Queen Elizerbeth (1558 - 1603). The Queen maintained a balance of power between the feudal lords the Protestants the rising burghers the Catholics In 1588 English navy defeated the Spanish Armada. strengthened the power of the monarch and accelerated the awakening of national consciousness England became a naval power.

3. The reason of the enclosure movement 1. the rising of the burgher class 2. the discovery of the new sea routes 3. the wool trade The result of the enclosure movement the capitalist class two opposite classes the labouring class

4. Renaissance Time: began in the 14th century ended in the 17th century Place : began in Italy spread in France, Spain, the Netherlands, England Origin: from a French word Meaning: rebirth Ideal: humanism

5. In the 15th and 16th centuries, scholars in western European countries had a keen interest in the Greek and Latin culture. That is, the art and science of ancient Greece and Rome were being born again after long years of neglect. Its ideal is humanism.

6. Humanism ----humanist scholars took great interest in the welfare of human beings ---- man should be given full freedom to enrich their intellectual and emotional life ----in religion demand the reformation of the church ----in art and literature, praise man and the pursuit of happiness in this life

7. ----shattered the shackles of spiritual bondage of man’s mind by the Roman Catholic Church ----opened his eyes to a “brave new world” in front of him

8. Edmund Spenser (1552? ----- 1599) Born: in a rather poor family --- clothmaker Education: The Merchant Taylor’s school the greatest Humanistic schools classic language literary masterpiece B.A. in 1573 Cambridge M.A.in 1576 to be a sizar

9. Experience: His works: The Shephearde’s Calender The Faerie Queene A View of the Present State of Ireland Amoretti Epithalamion Prothalamion Four Hymnes

10. The Shephearde’s Calender • The first important work • A pastoral poem in 12 parts • It is written in the tradition of Virgil’s verse dialogues in a rural setting with shepherds and shepherdesses who adopt classical, French, or English peasants names. • Theme: love, poetry, and religion • Lyrical poetry

11. The Faerie Queene * Major achievement * Unfinished allegorical romance * original plan: 12 books *story: the advantures of 12 knights despatched by the Faerie Queene, Gloria * Gloria ----- Glory and Queen Elizabeth * result: six books * Six virtues: Truth, Temperance, Friendship, Justice, Chastity, and Coutesy

12. The Knight: the Red Cross, or Holiness the true religion of the Anglican Church to destroy a dragon his companion Glorious Queen of Faerie Una Her beauty is too dazzling to the ordinary eye, so she concealed it behind a veil. Her parents were imprisoned by dragon in a tower of brass. They traveled together and many events took place. Fought and won *The Red Cross knight is happily united with Una by marriage, but shorly after, he has to leave her and report his success to the Faerie Queene.

13. The Spenserian stanza is a group of eight lines of iambic pentameter followed by a six-stress iambic line, with a rhyme scheme ababbcbcc. a stressed and an unstressed foot

14. In the last thirty years of the 16th century there was a flourishing of drama. nothing like it since never seen before Reasons: 1. Cities and towns grew rapidly in the 16th century. 2. There was no other means of entertainment. The first: in 1576 “The Theatre” famous actor James Burbage Shakespeare

15. The structure of the Elizabethan theatre 1. The Globe was a circular wooden structure with a stage like an apron stretching out in the center. 2. The stage had two storeys, with an inner room at the back of the first storey. 3. An opening at the top of the theatre, rain and snow would come in. 4. There were no seats and the majority of the audience would stand around the stage. 5. Around the circular wall there were “galleries” with seats where the wealthy people went. 6. A few wealthy and influential people could be provided with a seat on the stage.

16. * not performed by professionals, nor by guilds The first modern drama * in the case of the miracle plays *written by a school master * performed by choir boys before 1556 *Ralph Royster Doyster * comedy The tragedies The Roman dramatist Seneca performed in Cambridge by students translate into English Students began to follow His influence reached the public University Wits

17. University Wits in 16th century a number of university students began to write plays after the model of Roman dramatist and they were the predecessors to Shakespeare. Robert Greene, Thomas Kyd and Christopher Marlowe Robert Greene Educated at Cambridge and Oxford James IV Thomas Kyd The earliest specimen of revenge plays of “blood and thunder” drama in England

18. Christopher Marlowe(1564 --- 1593) Born: in Canterbury Family: son of shoemaker Education: at Cambridge Social position: the most prominent of University Wits Writing time: from 1587 to 1592 Death: be murdered Blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter, used in his dramas and it was the chief verse form used by Shakespeare.

19. His works: Tamburlaine the Great (1587) his first play The story is about Timur the Tartar. ruthlessly cruel rebels, triumphs a shepherd the Persian king like a tempest seated on the carriage driven by the captive king plan to attack the Ming Emperor Represents the Renaissance desire for infinite power and authority. rave against the gods

20. The tragic History of Doctor Faustus (1592) the Renaissance desire for infinite knowledge tired theology, philosophy, medicine, law Dr. Faustus turns magic books signs a contract with the devil sells his soul to the devil satisfy his demand for 24 years The end: surrender of his soul to the devil His limitation: his plot construction is loose and his characters are merely embodiments of ideas.