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4. The English Renaissance1. The Origination of RenaissanceThe renaissance makes a transition from the medieval to the modern word. Generally，it refers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th centuries. It fist started in Italy，with the flowering of painting，sculpture and literature. The Renaissance，which means re-birth or revival，is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events，such as the rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture，the new discoveries in geography and astrology，the religious reformation and the economic expansion. The Renaissance，therefore，in essence，is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe，to introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie，and to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church.2. Humanism（1）Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance.（2）It sprang from the endeavor to restore a medieval reverence for the antique authors of Greek and Roman Civilization based on the conception that man is measure of all things.（3）Renaissance humanists found in the classics a justification to exalt human nature and came to see that human beings were glorious creatures capable of individual development in the direction of perfection, and that the world they inhabited was theirs not to despise but to question explore and enjoy.（4）By emphasizing the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life, they voiced their beliefs that man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders.（5）Humanism began to take hold in England when the Dutch Scholar Desiderius Erasmus came to teach the classical learning, first at Oxford and then at Cambridge.（6）Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English humanists. Thomas More’s Utopia (1478-1535)3. The Renaissance in EnglandThe Renaissance was slow in reaching England not only because of England’s separation from the Continent but also because of its domestic unrest.（1）Till the region of Henry that the Renaissance came to England. With Henry VIII’s encouragement, the Oxford and Cambridge reformers, scholars and humanists introduced classical literature to England. The bible was revitalized, and the literature, already much read in 15 century, became more popular.（2）The main writer of this period are Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Ben Jonson, PhilipSidney, Christophe Marlowe, Francis Bacon and John Donne.（3）Characteristic:The English Renaissance had no sharp break with the past. Attitudes and feelings which had been Characteristic of the 14 and 15 centuries persisted well down into the era of Humanism and Reformation.4. The Religious reformation of Protestantism（1）It was Martin Luther, a German Protestant, who initiated the Reformation, he believed that every true Christian was his Own priest and was entitled to interpret the Bible forhimself.（2）Reformers from northern Europe vitalized the protestant movement, which was seen as a means to recover the purity of the early Church from the Corruption and superstition ofthe Middle Ages.（3）Henry 8 cut ties with Rome, Common English people welcomed and supported Henry’s decision of breaking away from Rome, and declared himself through the Parliament asthe supreme head of the Church of England. One of the major results was the fact thatthe Bible in English was placed in every church and services were held in Englishinstead of Latin, so that people could understand.（4）In the reign of Edward VI, the reform of the church’s doctrine and teaching was carried out.（5）After Mary ascended the throne, there was a violent swing to Catholicism.（6）By the middle of Elizabeth’s region, Protestantism had been firmly established.（7）Essence of it:The religious reformation was actually a reflection of the class struggle waged by the new rising bourgeoisie against the feudal class and its ideology.5. The literature in the Renaissance1) The background of history and culture.William Caxton，he was the first person who introduced printing into England. Thus，for the first time in history it was possible for a book or and idea to reach the whole nation in a speedy way. With the introduction of printing, an age of translation came into being. With classical culture and the Italian humanistic ideas coming into England, the English Renaissance began flourishing.2) The effect of Italian literature to EnglandThe first period of the English Renaissance was one of imitation and assimilation.Petrarch was regarded as the fountainhead of literature by the English writers. For it was Petrarch and his successors who established the language of love and sharply distinguished the love poetry of the Renaissance from its counterparts in the ancient world.Thomas Wyatt and Earl of Surrey began engraving the forms and graces of Italian poetry upon the native stock. While the former introduced the Petrarchan sonnet into England, thelatter brought in bland verse, i.e. the unrhymed iambic pentameter line. Sidney followed with the sestina and terza rima and with various experiments in classic meters. And Marlowe gave new vigor to the blank verse with his “mighty lines.”3) The poetry in Elizabethan period.a. Sonnet: Shakespeare; Edmund Spenserb. Pastoral Convention: Edmund Spenser’s The Shepherd’s Calendarc. Popular lyric：Ben Jonson (To Celia)He is also regarded as a Cavalier poet for his masques were written for court entertainments, as the scripts for music, sometimes interspersed with beautiful little songs like the famous To Celia.. He became the literary king of his time.Cavalier Poet: 保皇派诗人/宫廷诗人Of or relating to a group of 17th-century English poets associated with the court of Charles I. CavalierCavalier Reaction towards Asceticism belonging to Puritanism. Robert Herrick claimed himself as one of the “Sons of Ben Jonson”4) Elizabethan dramThe Elizabethan drama, in its totality, is the real mainstream of the English Renaissance.The most famous dramatists in the Renaissance England are Christopher Marlowe (pioneer), William Shakespeare, and Ben Jonson. Robert Green: George Green, the Pinner of WakefieldInterludes and morality plays thriving in the medieval period continued to be popular down to Shakespeare’s time. But the development of the drama into a sophisticated art form required another influence - the Greek and Roman classics. Lively, vivid native English material was put into the regular form of the Latin comedies of Plautus and Terence. Tragedies were in the style of Seneca. The fusion of classical form with English content brought about the possibility of a mature and artistic drama.They wrote plays with such universal qualities of greatness. By imitating the romances of Italy and Spain, embracing the mysteries of German legend, and combining the fictions of poetic fancy with the facts of daily life, they made a vivid depiction of the sharp conflicts between feudalism and the rising bourgeoisie in a transitional period.5) Renaissance Prose/EssayFrancis Bacon（1561-1626）,the first important English essayist, is best known for his essays which greatly influenced the development of this literary form. He was also the founder of modern science in England. His writings paved the way for the use of scientific method. Thus, he is undoubtedly one of the representatives of the English Renaissance.Essays (58)Of StudiesOf Marriage and Single LifeAdvancement of Learning (1605)New Instrument (1620)6) Renaissance NovelsJohn Lyly’s Eupheus, it gave rise to the term euphuism夸饰文体,6. The main writers1) Translation of Italian and French and some other works: Don Quixote by Cervantes(1547-1616), Chapman’s Homer (Iliad, Odyssey)2) Philip Sidney and Walter Raleigha. Philip SidneyApology for Poetry (essay): He defended for poetry and believed that poetry had asuperiority over philosophy and history.Astrophel and Stella (collection of love sonnets)b. Walter Raleigh (1552-1618)Discovery of GuianaHistory of the World3) Edmund Spenser(1552-1599)a. LifeBorn in London. In 1598 a fierce Irish rebellion forced Spenser to abandon Kilcolman Castle. Spenser never recovered from the shock of this frightful experience. He returned to England heartbroken, and in the following year he died in an inn at Westminster.According to Ben Jonson he died”for want of bread.”He was buried beside his master Chaucer in Westminster Abbey.b. WorksThe Faerie Queene, a great poem of its age.According to Spenser’s own explanation, his principal intention is to present through a”historical poem”the example of a perfect gentleman:”to fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline.”The Faerie Queene is written in a special verse form that consists of eight iambic pentameter lines followed by a ninth line of six iambic feet (an alexandrine), with the rhyme scheme ababbcbcc. This form has since been called the Spenserian Stanza.The Shepherd’s Calendar, a pastoral poem in twelve books.c. Main qualities of Spenser’s poetry● a perfect melody● a rare sense of beauty● a splendid imagination● a lofty moral purity and seriousness● a dedicated idealism●strange forms of speech and obsolete words He is known as” the poets’ poet”.4）Christopher Marlowea. LifeHe was the son of a shoemaker. Tamburlaine is written before he left Cambridge，hewas killed in a quarrel.b. Works（1）Tamburlaine （2）Dr. Faustus（3）The Jew of Malta （4）EdwardⅡ（5）Hero and Leander（6）The passionate Shephered to his love（7）Translate Ovid’moresc. ContributionHe adopted blank verse and made it the principal medium of English drama. He createdthe renaissance hero for English drama and paved way for the plays of the greatestEnglish dramatist Shakespeare.d.作品选读（1）Tamburlaine is about an ambitious and pitiless conqueror in the 14 century who rose from a shepherd to a overpowering king. It displayed a high-aspiring mind that wasself-created and carried by love and dream. By depicting a great hero with highambition and sheer brutal force in conquering one enemy after another Marlowevoiced the supreme desire of the man of the Renaissance for infinite power andauthority.（2）Dr. Faustus: based on German legend of magician aspiring for knowledge and finally meeting his tragic end as a result of selling his soul to the Devil. The dominantmoral is human not religious. It celebrates the human passion for knowledge，power and happiness，revels man’s frustration in realizing the high aspiration in ahostile moral order and the confinement to time is the cruelest fact of man’scondition.(3) The Passionate Shepherd to His Love5 ) Shakespeare(1) He wrote altogether 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 long poems. He married Anne Hathaway,Strafford-on-Avon(2) He acted and wrote for the Lord of Chamberlain’s Men, the King’s Men(3) Venus and Adonis, The Rape of Lucrece, the two long narrative poems.(4) a. The first period5 Historical plays:Henry VI, part I, II, III.Richard IIITitus AndronicusFour comedies:The Comedy of ErrorsThe Two Gentlemen of VeronaThe Taming of the ShrewLover’s Labor’s Lostb. The second period5 Historical playsRichard II, Henry V, King JohnHenry IV, part I, II.6 comediesA Midsummer Night’s DreamThe Merchant of VeniceMuch Ado About NothingAs You Like ItTwelfth NightThe Merry Wives of Windsor2 TragediesRomeo and JulietJulius Caesarc. The third periodGreatest Tragedies and dark comediesHamlet; Othello; King Lear; MacbethAntony and Cleopatra;Troilus and CressidaCoriolanusComedies: All’s Well That Ends WellMeasure for Measured. The last Period (principal romantic tragedies)Pericles; Cymbeline; The Winter’s Tales;The TempestLast history play: Henry VIII, The Two Noble Kinsmen(5) 154 sonnets(6) Historical play: Henry IV (I, II) most read, convey national unity and under a mighty and justsovereign is a necessity.(7) In his romantic comedies, Shakespeare takes an optimistic attitude toward love and youth.(8) The Merchant of VeniceAntonio and Bassanio (friends)Portia, heroine, wit and loyaltyShylock, insatiable desire of the Jew(9) The Greatest TragediesHamlet; Othello; King Lear; Macbetha. Hamlet faces dilemma between action and mind.b. Othello’s inner w eaknessc. The old king Lear, unwilling to give up his power, suffer from treachery andinfidelity.d. Macbeth’s lust for power stirs up his ambition and leads him to incessant crimes.e. Hamlet; Claudius, his uncle(10) Four Great Comedies: The Merchant of Venice; Twelfth Night; A Mid Summer Night’sDream; As You Like It(11) Shall Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day6) Ben Jonson (1572-1637)a. LifeSon of a brick-layer, Jonson received a good education, became a remarkable Greek andLatin scholar, then began to write for the London stage, an rose to be one of the leadingdramatists of the day.b. Works(1) Roman Tragedies: Sejanus; Catiline(2) Comedies: Every Man in His Humour; The Alchemist; Bartholomew Fair; Volpone,or the Fox(3)Songs/ Poems: Song of Celia/ To Celia (Drink to me only with thine eyes)c. Song to Celia本·琼森（1572-1637），英国文艺复兴时期重要的剧作家和诗人。
The English Renaissance 1485-1625I. Historical backgroundⅡ. Introduction to RenaissanceWhat is the Renaissance?French word: “rebirth” or “renewal”Began in ItalyReturn to studying ancient texts…GreeceRomeRenaissance marks the transition from the medieval to the modern world. It first started in Italy in the 14th century and gradually spread all over Europe. The word “Renaissance” means rebirth or revival. In essence, it is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe and introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie, and to lift the restriction in all areas placed by the Roman Catholic Church authorities.Two features of renaissance:1.It is a thirsting curiosity for the classical literature. People learned to admire theGreek and Latin works as models of literary form.2.It is the keen interest in the activities of humanity.Humanism is the key-note of the Renaissance. It reflected the new outlook of the rising bourgeois class. Humanists emphasize the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life and believe that man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders by removing all the external checks by the exercise of reason. They also expressed their rebellious spirit against the tyranny of feudal rule and ecclesiastical domination.III. English Literature in the Renaissance PeriodDramaLyrical PoetryProse3.1 Poetry in the Renaissance Period1). Thomas Wyatt(1503-1542)He is the first to introduce the sonnet into English literature.2). Philip Sidney (1554-86)Astrophel and Stella3). Edmund Spenser (1552 -1599)Spenser is often referred to as "the poets' poet".Spenser’s fame in English literature is chiefly based upon his masterpiece The Faerie Queene.In 1579, he wrote The Shepherd’s Calendar, a pastoral poem in twelve books, one for each month of the year.Writing Features of “ The Faerie Queene”a. The long poem is written in the form of allegory. It has sweet melody and its lines are very musical.b. Spenser invented a new verse form for this poem. The verse form has been called "Spenserian Stanza" since his day. Each stanza has nine lines, each of the first eight lines is in iambic pentameter form, and the ninth line is an iambic hexameter line. The rhythm scheme is abab bcbcc.3.2 Proses in the Renaissance Period1). Thomas More (1477-1535)Thomas More's UtopiaA book about a perfect societyBelieved men and women live in harmony. No private property, no one is lazy, all people are educated and the justice system is used to end crime instead of executing criminals.Utopia is More's masterpiece, written in the form of a conversation between More and a returned sailor. The name "Utopia" comes from two Greek words meaning "no place". The whole work is divided into two books. Book I of " Utopia" is a picture of contemporary social conditions of England. The author severely criticizes English society and exposes social evils. BookⅡoffers us a good picture of an ideal society called Utopia in some unknown ocean. In this society property is held in common and there is no poverty.2). John Lyly (1553-1606)Lyly was one of "the university wits". He wrote poetry, court comedies and prose romances. As a prose writer, he was famous for his prose romance Euphues.3). Francis Bacon (1561-1626)A) IntroductionFrancis Bacon was the founder of English materialist philosophy and modern science. Bacon's mind was universal in its comprehensiveness; there was nothing in the world of which he could not write. Alexander Pope called him, “the wisest, brightest, and the meanest of mankind”. During the course of his lifetime he distinguished himself as a scholar in several fields and as a scientist, writer, and philosopher. His practical experience of the world also made him a great lawyer and a considerable statesman.B) Bacon's WorksBacon's works may be divided into three groups: the philosophical works; the literary works and the professional works.Advancement of Learning《治学之道》and New Instrument《新工具》were his philosophical works. Bacon's literary works are his essays. The final edition of the Essays 《论说文集》published in 1625 contained 58 pieces. These essays cover a wide variety of subjects, such as love, truth, friendship, parents and children, beauty, studies, riches, youth and age, garden, death and many others. Among these essays, the famous pieces are Of Studies, Of Travel and Of Wisdom. C) Writing Style of Bacon's EssaysBacon's essays are noted for heir clearness, brevity and force of expression. Bacon's chief concern is to express his thought with clearness and in as few words as possible. His sentences are short, pointed, incisive, and often of balanced structure. Many of them have become wise old sayings. Generally Speaking, Bacon's literary style has three prominent qualities: directness, terseness, and forcefulness.3.3 English Drama in the Renaissance Period1). Shakespeare's PredecessorsA) Lyly, Peele, Kyd, and MarloweAfter 1588, the flourishing period of English drama arrived. The summit was Shakespeare's works. Before Shakespeare, a group of university graduates known as "University Wits" wrote excellent plays. They were John Lyly, Robert Greene, George Peele, Christopher Marlowe, and Thomas Kyd.B) Christopher Marlowe(1564-1593) was the greatest playwright before Shakespeare and the most gifted of the "University Wits".Marlowe's best plays include Tamburlaine the Great, The Jew of Malta and Doctor Faustus.The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is Marlowe' s masterpiece. The tragedy of Doctor Faustus is symbolic of a humanist in the age of Renaissance.C) Marlowe's Literary AchievementMarlowe was the greatest of the pioneers of English drama. He reformed the English drama and perfected the language and verse of dramatic works. It is Marlowe who first made blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) the principal instrument of English drama. His blank verse is a living thing; it is vigorous, fluid and precise. It translates thoughts and emotions into rhythmical speech with happy exactness, thus interpreting the restlessly moving and questing spirit of the Renaissance. Marlowe's dramatic achievement lies chiefly in his epical and at times lyrical verse. His works paved the way for the plays of the greatest English dramatist – Shakespeare - whose achievements were the monument of the English Renaissance.2). Shakespeare’s contemporary and successorBen Jonson(1572-1637) was a forerunner of classicism in English literature and the Poet Laureate of James I. He is chiefly remembered for his comedies V olpone, or the Fox,The Alchemist.William Shakespeare (1564-1616)I LifeII Literary careerFour Periods of His Dramatic CareerIII His great ComediesA Midsummer Night's Dream，The Merchant of Venice，As You Like It，Twelfth Night are Shakespeare’s great comedies.In these plays he portrayed the young people who had just freed themselves from the feudal fetters. He sang of their youth, their love and ideal of happiness. The heroes and heroines were sons and daughters of the Renaissance. They trust not in God or King but in themselves.Shakespeare put women characters at a prominent place in his comedies. He showed great respect for the dignity, honesty, wit, courage, determination and resourcefulness of women. The young heroines in Shakespeare's comedies are independent in character and very frank. They are no longer controlled by their parents or husbands. They are of a new type. They are witty, bold, loving, laughing and faithful. They are happy and make others happy. They carry their destinies in their own hands. Shakespeare's comedies are imbued with bourgeois ideas and show progressivesignificance.IV His great TragediesHamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth are Shakespeare's great tragedies. They are associated with a period of gloom and sorrow in his life. During this period, England witnessed a general unrest, and social contradictions became very sharp. All of these plays express a profound dissatisfaction with life. They show the struggle and conflicts between good and evil of the tune, between justice and injustice. In these plays, the writer Shakespeare condemns the dark and evil society.V Historical PlaysShakespeare's historical plays are political plays. The principal idea of these plays is the necessity for national unity under one sovereign.Shakespeare's historical plays reflect the historical events of two centuries from RichardⅡ to Henry VIII. They show the horrors of civil war, the necessity for national unity, the responsibilities of efficient ruler, and the importance of legitimate succession to the throne.In Shakespeare’s historical plays there is only one ideal king Henry V, though his real prototype differs little from the other kings. Among Shakespeare's 10 historical plays, Henry IV and Henry V are two remarkable plays. Henry V is the continuation of Henry IV. The two plays deal with the events of the 15th century and give the picture of a troubled reign.VI Shakespeare's Poetical WorksVenus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece are two long narrative poems written by Shakespeare:VII Features of Shakespeare's Dramatic Works1. Shakespeare is one of the founders of realism in the world literature. He described the decaying of the feudal society and the rising of the bourgeois spirit.2. Shakespeare borrowed his plots from old stories of Greek and Roman, Italian and English3. Shakespeare’s dramatic works are very elastic. The action develops freely, without being hindered by the classical rules of three unities (i.e. unities of time, place, and action)4. Shakespeare was skilled in many poetic forms: the Song, the sonnet, the couplet, and the dramatic blank verse.5. Shakespeare was a great master of English language. In his drama, he used about 16,000 words. Many of his new coinages and turns of expression have become everyday usage in English life.。
