Here, I share my Presentation about the Renaissance Age which i presented at the Department of English M.K.B.U.. It was the presentation for MA External Students of M.K. B.U. I tried my best to explain everything through this. It was my first experience to teach at the Department and it was Good. I m satisfied because they liked my teaching through this presentation. You all can see my hardwork through this presentation.

1. THE RENAISSANCE
AGE
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2. THE TERM: ‘RENAISSANCE’
• The Renaissance is a French word means ‘rebirth’, ‘revival’ or ‘reawakening’.
• It is commonly applied to the period of European history following the Middle Ages.
• The start of the “modern world”
• New interest in old stuff, like Greece & Rome
• Changes in thought about art, religion, literature, education
• Began in Italy
• Later spread north to Germany and England
• •The approach here is that the Renaissance began in Italy about 1350 and in the rest of
Europe after 1450 and that it lasted until about 1620.
• During the era known by this name, Europe emerged from the economic stagnation of the
Middle Ages and experienced a time of financial growth. Also, and perhaps most
importantly, the Renaissance was an age in which artistic, social, scientific, and political
thought turned in new directions.
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3. WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
NORTHERN AND ITALIAN RENAISSANCE…?
The Italian Renaissance
• It occurred first
• Focused on the city-states of northern Italy and Rome
• The Italian Renaissance tended to be more worldly
with a great emphasis on secular pursuits, the
humanities, and the arts
• Wealth and power
• Knowledge was the key
• They were interested in human achievement (instead
of religious or spiritual achievement)
• The figures in their artwork looked like Greek or
Roman gods
The Northern Renaissance
• It occurred later
• Involved the regions of Northern Europe
• England
• Spain
• France
• Germanic regions (Holy Roman Empire)
• The Netherlands
• The spread of the Renaissance was delayed in Northern
Europe
• War and political unrest
• Hundred Years’ War
• War of the Roses in Britain
• Plague and famine
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4. BIRTH PLACE OF ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
• The Birthplace of the Renaissance
• The city-states of Northern Italy
• Florence was the center of the Renaissance
• Italy was politically fragmented and the city-states often fought for power and control
• City-states came to be ruled by wealthy and powerful business people (not necessarily
nobility)
• Signori- (despots) and oligarchies (group of individuals) maintained order
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5. THE MEDICI FAMILY OF FLORENCE
• Florence: Major center of trade, banking, cloth production, and the arts
• The Medici family of Florence
• The most powerful family of the Italian Renaissance
• Came to power through business dealings and banking
• Bank of the Vatican and the papacy
• Spent tremendous amounts of money supporting the arts and cultural development
(patrons)
• Medici power often involved corruption and intrigue
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6. THE RENAISSANCE SPREAD TO NORTHERN
EUROPE
• The focus of the Renaissance in Northern Europe was more religious
• Many sought religious reform and a return of the Church to its true mission and spirituality
• Many were highly critical of the worldliness and corruption in the Church and papacy
• Northern Renaissance figures believed that education and literacy were key to social and
religious reform
• Advocated the translation of the scriptures into the vernacular languages
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7. FOUR DIVISIONS OF THE RENAISSANCE AGE
(1500-1660)
Elizabethan Age (1558 to 1603)
Jacobean Age (1603 to 1625)
Caroline Age (1625 to 1649)
The Commonwealth Period (1649 to 1660)
Puritan Age
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8. 1500 to 1660
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9. 1)HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE
ELIZABETHAN AGE
• The War of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars between supporters of the Rival houses of Lancaster
and York, for the throne of England
• They are generally accepted to have been fought in several spasmodic episodes between 1455 and 1485
• The war ended with the victory for the Earl of Richmond, Henry Tudor, the founder of the house of Tudor,
which subsequently ruled England and wales for 117 years
• The Tudors came to power in England with Henry VII
• The Reign of Henry VIII – (1509-1547)
• Henry VIII’s role of rejection of catholic church
• His declaration that the king would be the supreme political ruler of England and its spiritual leader.
• Henry VIII’s contribution to brought the church of England closer to Protestantism.
• Protestantism became the official religion of England
• Elizabeth-I’s 45 years reign was a golden period in English history
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10. • Her reign saw a rise in the concept of Nationalism in England
• Elizabeth-I’s contribution led to a flourishing of arts and literature in the Period
• It began colonisation of the Americas with Walter Raleigh’s excursions to the Atlantic shore and establishment
of the Roanoke colony
• The circumnavigation of the world by Sir Francis Drake between 1577 and 1580
• The victory of England ‘s Royal Navy over the Spanish Armada in 1588 is considered to be a great turning
point in history and Elizabeth’s finest moment
• After the defeat of the Armada, Elizabeth became a beloved symbol of peace, security, and prosperity to her
subjects, and she provided inspiration to scores of English authors.
• Literary Works that did not directly represent her were dedicated to her because authors knew she was a
connoisseur of literature
• England came at the forefront of international trade and the race for colonisation
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11. Henry VII
Edward VI Mary Elizabeth I
Henry VIII
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12. ELIZABETH I: THE LAST TUDOR MONARCH
• Elizabeth I reigned from 1558-1603. She is Considered to be one of the most successful and brilliant
monarchs in history
• She inherited a kingdom torn by fierce religious feuds, so her first task was to restore law and order. She
reestablished the church of England and again rejected the pope’s authority. The pope excommunicated
her.
• Elizabeth was not married at that time of her succession to the throne. She quickly realized that her
strength lay in her independence. Throughout her reign she continued to play one suitor against
another, keeping them all interested and hopeful.
• Her 45-year reign is generally considered one of the most glorious in English history.
• She was very well-educated (fluent in six languages), and had inherited intelligence.
• Elizabeth's reign also saw many brave voyages of discovery, particularly to the Americas. These
expeditions prepared England for an age of colonization and trade expansion, which Elizabeth herself
recognized by establishing the East India Company in 1600.
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14. REFORMATION
• Violent Clashes throughout Europe between Protestant and Catholic leaders and their followers
• A reformer rejected the authority of the Pope and the Italian churchmen conflicts with the papacy had been
brewing for centuries
• The Act of Supremacy(1534) by King Henry VIII
• Elizabeth-I was given the Title and position of the ‘Supreme Governor of the church in England
• Strict rules made by Elizabeth-I for the church
• The act of Uniformity(1559) and the common prayer for all church
• Protestant Reformation Movement headed by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other Protestants
• Bible became the central book by the scholars with the establishment of the Anglican Church
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15. HUMANISM
• The term Humanism (both secular and religious) means Human potential, human progress,
expansion of human knowledge
• During the Renaissance educated people began to embrace an intellectual movement known as
Humanism
• Renaissance scholars of the Classics revived the knowledge of the Greek and Latin Literature and
Culture
• Centrality and Dignity of man and Individualism
• Thomas Linacre, William Grocyn and William Latimer put Greek Studies on a firm footing at Oxford
• Erasmus’s teaching of Greek gave a push to the Growth and Development of Greek studies in
Cambridge
• Books also helped to spread awareness of a new philosophy that emerged when Renaissance
scholars known as humanists returned to the works of ancient writers.
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16. IMPACT ON HUMANISM
Medieval Thought
• Church and King most important
• Man is Sinful
• Hierarchy of people’s worth
• Life’s pleasures must be avoided to please God
• Accept the Human condition
• Accept church doctrine without question
Humanism
• Individual is important
• Man is good with dignity and value
• Dignity and worth of all people
• People can enjoy life and still be good
Christians
• Encouraged human achievement
• Each individual finds the truth for himself
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17. FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE
• Constantinople- capital of the Byzantine empire
• Byzantium (Eastern Roman Empire) refers to the Roman EmpiEstablished in the 4th Century AD
by 1st Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine I
• Empire lasted a millennium
• Most powerful economic, cultural and military centre in Europe
• Byzantine –Ottaman wars since 12th Century
• Fall of Constinople -1453 (Mahomet II defeats Constantine XI) and subsequent loss of all
territories
• Greek texts were brought from Constantinople any copyists multiplied them
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18. FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE
• The Fall of Constantinople gives a great message of humanity to the world
• During this period scholar of Constantinople scatter in Italy, France, Germany, and England
• They sought their shelter and they are loaded with knowledge & manuscript with them
• That time they have translated in local and regional language
• It has been translated in all European Language
• The Fall of Constantinople is the key factor of knowledge to bring spirit of Renaissance
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19. SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND
• Elizabethan England made great advances in the realm of science and technology
• It witnessed scientific discoveries in the fields of medicine, astronomy, cartography and land
surveying.
• Andreas Vesalius founded the study of modern anatomy and authored De Humanis Corporis Fabrica
(on the workings of the Human Body)
• English astronomer and mathematician, Thomas Harriot was the first man to make a drawing of the
moon by looking through a telescope, in 1609
• Copernicus’ new view of astronomy was further supported by Galileo with his telescope
• This development gave a rude set-back to the old ptolemic cosmology, which changed the whole
mental horizon of Europe
• Galileo, Kepler, Vesalius, Harvey were some of the important scientists of this age, who brought
forth a new scientific method
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20. THE ROLE OF PRINTING PRESS
• An Invention that transformed this historical time period is the printing press
• Early books were written by hand and preserved by monks and Byzantine and Islamic
Scholars
• However, the invention of the printing press in the early 15th Century (early 1400’s)
dramatically changed the way people received information
• No longer were the elite or nobles the only ones to have access to books, newspapers,
journals, etc.
• With the power to have more books comes more reading, thus more enlightenment
Gutenberg Caxton
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21. GUTENBERG
• When Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1445, he forever changed the lives of people
in Europe and, eventually, all over the world.
• Previously, bookmaking entailed copying all the words and illustrations by hand. Often the
copying had been done onto parchment, animal skin that had been scraped until it was clean,
smooth, and thin. The labor that went into creating them made each book very expensive.
Because Gutenberg's press could produce books quickly and with relatively little effort,
bookmaking became much less expensive, allowing more people to buy reading material.
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22. CAXTON
• By 1476 William Caxton had his own printing press up and running in westminister,
England.
• His translation of Raoul Fevre’s Le Receuil des Histories de Troye in 1474 was the first
printed book published in England
• This was followed by the printing of Dictes and sayinges of the philosophers in 1477, the
first book ever printed on English soil .
• Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Gower’s confession Amantis and Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur.
• The Spread of Education and the ideas of the Renaissance, which Started in Italy in the
1400s.
• English as a Language assumed its modern form with the first printed English book in
1476.
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23. 2)HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE JACOBEAN
AGE
• The reign of James I (in Latin, “Jacobus”), 1603-1625, which followed that of Queen Elizabeth
• James I was actually James VI, the ruler of Scotland and the son of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots
• James was Invited to ascend the throne of England after Elizabeth’s death.
• He was a writer: he wrote pamphlets on demonology, tobacco, and other subjects.
• He united the kingdoms of England and Scotland when he became king of England
• As James I of England, he lacked Elizabeth’s ability to resolve critical issues
• James was a Squanderer when Elizabeth had been thrifty
• Parliament challenged royal authority during his rule and claimed the right to advise the king on foreign
affairs and the church
• He, However, tried hard , He was a continued patron of Shakespeare and the arts: he himself wrote several
learned books
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24. 3)HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE
CAROLINE AGE
• The reign of Charles I, 1625-1649
• The name is derived from “Carolus,” the Latin version of “Charles”
• English Civil War fought between the Supporters of the king and the Supporters of the
Parliament
• Charles I was anti puritan in Sentiment
• Parliament opposed Charles because he ruled without parliament for 11 years
King supporters
Cavaliers
Parliament
Supporters
Roundheads
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25. 4)HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE
COMMONWEALTH PERIOD
• This Period known as the Puritan Interregnum
• It extends from the end of the Civil War and the execution of Charles I in 1649 to the
restoration of the Stuart monarchy under Charles II in 1660
• In this period, 1649-1660, England was ruled by Parliament under the Puritan leader
Oliver Cromwell
• Oliver Cromwell ‘s death in 1658 marked the dissolution of the Commonwealth
• The Puritans closed the Public theatres in 1642 for 18 years
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26. LITERATURE & ELIZABETHAN AGE
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27. LITERATURE OF ELIZABETHAN AGE
First English Tragedy
• Gorboduc or The Tragedy of Ferrex and Porrex is
considered to be the first tragedy in English
• English tragic play in Blank verse
• Author: Thomas Norton (first 3 Acts) and Thomas
Sackville (last 2 Acts)
• It first performed in 1561
• The story is based on Geoffrey of Monmouth’s
Historia Regum Britanniae means History of the King
of Britain
• It relates the dispute between Gorboduc’s two sons,
Ferrex and Porrex over the issue of succession
First English Comedy
• Ralph Roister Doister is considered to be the first
English Comedy
• Author: Nicholas Udall who written between 1551
and 1553
• Ralph Roister Doister is the protagonist of this play
and he is a well-to-do, doltish young man who brags
about his bravery, but acts like a coward whenever
he is called to action
• Ralph’s attempts to woo a rich widow Christine
Custance don’t attain success
• It is influenced by classical playwrights Plautus and
Terence
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28. LITERATURE & EARLY TUDOR PERIOD (1485-
1550)
• Writings of Prose Histories (Chronicles), biographies, religious and polemical (i.e. argumentative)
tracts, and poetry.
• The role of Ralph Holinshed for preparing the histories of England, Scotland and Ireland.
• Holinshed’s Chronicles in 1577
• The role of Prose, Poetry and Drama
• Prose( Non-Fiction): Caxton, Thomas Elyot, Roger Ascham, Thomas Cranmer, etc.
• Bible Translator: Tyndale, Miles Coverdale, John Rogers etc.
• Prose (Fiction): Thomas Malory, Sir Thomas More
• Poetry: William Dunbar, Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard, John Skelton etc.
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29. FEATURES OF POETRY OF EARLY TUDOR
PERIOD
Idealization of women
Classical allusions and European Renaissance references
Individualist, but with some contemporary themes
Upper-class, elite and aristocratic in tone and style
Very formal and courtly, in keeping with their practitioners and audience
Love and loss are the central themes
The focus is almost entirely on the emotional state of the speaker in the poem
In the love lyric, the melancholic lover pleads for his mistress’ attention and the subject of lady’s cruelty
The lady is often portrayed as fickle and this fickleness is the cause of the gentleman’s pain
Constant merging of the poet and lover and the invocation of a close link between the poet’s mood and
the seasons
Many of the poems refer to the act of writing poetry itself and suggest a close link between love and poetry
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30. LITERATURE & THE ELIZABETHAN PERIOD
(1558-1603)
• The Elizabethan Period was noted for several translations of the classics- from Homer
to Plutarch to Montaigne
• The English Literary Renaissance consists of four subsets: The Elizabethan Age, the
Jacobean Age, the Caroline Age and the Commonwealth Period.
• The Elizabethan era saw a great flourishing of literature, especially in the field of drama.
The other major literary style was lyric poetry. Many of the most important dramatists
of the period were also excellent poets.
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31. ELIZABETHAN LYRIC
• Before and during the Elizabethan Age, medieval tradition blended with Renaissance spirit of optimism and
freedom.
• The two poets who introduced novelties into lyric poetry before the Elizabethan Age were Sir Thomas Wyatt
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey.
• Lyric Poetry in Elizabethan Age was identified as relatively short poems about personal, romantic topics or
poems set to the tune of musical instrument
• Characteristics: Fluency, sweetness, and melody
• The contribution of Wyatt and Surrey who influenced by Italian lyrics of Petrarch
• Elizabethan lyric varied in form, theme and expression
• Chief Poets: Spenser, Daniel, Drayton, Browne, and Drummond
Sonnet Song Pastoral Ode Elegy Epithalamion
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32. • Other famous poets of the age include Sir Phillip Sidney, Sir Walter Raleigh and
Christopher Marlowe. Elizabethan prose took several different forms, which in the
time to come will develop into literary genres.
• Sir Thomas North- the translation of Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Grecians and
Romans.
• Hakluyt and Purchas – accounts of the voyages of English seamen and explorers
• Holinshed’s Chronicles – English history
• Beginnings of a novel – ‘University Wits’ – John Lyly, Robert Greene, Thomas Nash
• Francis Bacon – essayist, philosopher and historian
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33. CARPE DIEM AND PASTORAL POETRY
Carpe Diem Poetry
• Carpe Diem is a Latin Phrase which means
“Seize the Day”. Poets in the Renaissance
were pushing for enlightenment and the
concept of fleeting time/life being short
meant more authors were generating
poems with these themes: Live for today.
Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we
die.
Pastoral Poetry
• Pastoral Poetry focuses on the idealized
countryside and the simple life.
• With cities on the rise, there was a desire to
get back to the simplistic things in life.
• Pastoral Poetry idealizes a simple life.
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34. ELIZABETHAN SONNETS
Characteristics of ALL sonnets:
Meter = Iambic Pentameter
Rhyme = Definite, but varies from sonnet to sonnet
14 lines long
 Variations in Sonnets:
Rhyme
Structure (Octave – Sestet VS. Quatrains and a Couplet
The Three Types:
Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet: ( Brought to England by Thomas Wyatt)
Shakespearean Sonnet
Spenserian Sonnet
Italian/
Petrarchan
Sonnet
An Octave
followed by
Sestet
Rhyme Scheme:
abba abba cde
cde
Or
abba abba cdc
cdc
Shakespearean
Sonnet
It made up of 3
quatrains and
ends in a rhymed
couplet
Rhyme Scheme:
abab cdcd efef gg
Spenserian
Sonnet
Three quatrains
and a couplet in
Iambic
Pentameter
Rhyme Scheme:
abab bcbc cdcd
ee
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35. WYATT AND SURREY
Sir Thomas Wyatt
• Translated and imitated Petrarchan Sonnet
• Introduced terza rima of Dante
• Artificial love- theme, lamenting the unkindness of
ladies who very probably never existed
• Wyatt introduced the Petrarchan conceit that
became the most artificial of Elizabethan poetic
conventions, which Shakespeare lampooned in
Sonnet 130, “My mistress’s eyes are nothing like the
sun”
• Wyatt also introduced the Horatian Satire
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
• Wrote mostly English sonnets
• Introduced blank verse from the Italian into English
poetry
• Sonnets addressed to Geraldine
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36. IMPORTANT SONNET SEQUENCES IN ELIZABETHAN AGE
1) Sir Philip Sidney’s Astrophel and Stell
(1591, 108 Sonnets and 11 Songs to Penelope Rich)
2) Edmund Spenser’s Amoretti
(1594, 88 Sonnets and an Epithalamion to Elizabeth Boyle)
3)Samuel Daniel’s Delia
(1592, 50 Sonetts)
4)Michael Drayton’s Idea’s Mirror, later reworked as Idea
(1594, 64 Sonnets to Phoebe), (1619, 73 Sonnets)
5) Fulke Greville’s Caelica
(1633, 109 Sonnets)
6) Shakespeare’s Sonnets
(1609, 154 Sonnets, first 126 addressed to a ‘Fair Youth’ and next addressed to a ‘Dark Lady’
7) Lady Mary Wroth’s Pamphilia to Amphilanthus (The only notable sequence by woman in
the age)
(1621, 48 Sonnets, included in Urania
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37. MAIN POETS OF THE ELIZABETHAN AGE
Edmund
Spenser
Michael
Drayton
Philip
Sidney
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38. EDMUND SPENSER
• Chivalric Humanist
• 1st unofficial Poet Laureate
Works
The
Shepheardes
Calendar
The Faerie
Queene
Epithalamion
Prothalamion
Amoretti
Colin Clouts
Come Home
Againe
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39. WORKS OF EDMUND SPENSER
The Shepheardes Calender
• A group of 12 eclogues(short poems
usually cast as pastoral dialogues) one
for each months, sung by various
shepherds
• Allegory symbolizing the state of
humanity
• Diverse forms and meters
Epithalamion
• In Greece, song in honour of a newly
wed couple
• Spenser’s own marriage with Elizabeth
Boyle
Prothalamion
• To celebrate the marriage of Katherine
and Elizabeth Somerset
Amoretti Colin Clouts Come Home Again
• Sonnet sequence on his courtship of
Elizabeth Boyle
•
• Pastoral allegory
• Spenser’s first London Journey and the
vices inherent in court life.
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40. THE FAERIE QUEEN
1)Red Crosse Knight/Anglican Church
(Holiness)
2) Guyon(Temperance)
3)Britomart (Chastity)
4)Triamond & Campbell (Friendship)
5)Artegall (Justice)
6) Calidor (Courtesy)
Books:
• Long, dense allegory in epic form of Christian values tied to
Arthurian legends
• Only 6 out of 24 completed (Published 1590, 1596)
• Archaic Language
• Spenserian Stanza
• Introductory letter to Walter Raleigh, detailing the plan
• Each book describes adventures of a knight, each standing for a
virtue
• Aristotle is cited as the source of these virtues
• Arthur (Magnificence)
• Gloriana/Faerie Queen (Glory)
• Influences: Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso & Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered
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41. SIR PHILIP SIDNEY
• Chivalric Humanist
• Experimented with Classical metres in English
• Notable literary patron; Spenser’s Shepheard's Calender
• He was a courtier, soldier, poet and was educated
at Oxford.
• He is considered an ideal Englishman.
• He defended of poetry against the puritans in An
Apology for Poetry.
• He was the friend of Spenser and is represented
by him as Sir Calidore in his legend of courtesy in
the Faery Queen.
Works
Astrophel
And
Stella
Arcadia
The Lady
of May
The
Defence of
Poesie
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42. Astrophel and Stella
• 108 sonnet and 11 songs; addressed to
Penelope Devereaux
• Astrophel is the star lover, and Stella is his Star
Arcadia
• First in the Renaissance imitations of Lyly’s
Euphues
• Written for his Sister, Mary Herbert, Countess of
Pembroke
• Complicated tale of adventure in love and war,
artificial, as in the pastoral tradition
• Pamela, the heir to the dukedom of Arcadia
• Richardson took the title of his first novel from
this: New Arcadia
• New Arcadia is Radical revision, incomplete and
longer than Old Arcadia
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43. UNIVERSITY WITS
The Oxford
School
John Lyly
George
Peele
Thomas
Lodge
Thomas
Middleton
The
Cambridge
School
Robert
Greene
Thomas
Nashe
Christopher
Marlowe
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44. UNIVERSITY WITS
• University Wits were a group of late 16th century English playwrights who were educated at
the universities (Oxford or Cambridge). Prominent members of this group: Christopher
Marlowe, Robert Greene, and Thomas Nashe from Cambridge, and John Lyly, Thomas
Lodge, George Peele from Oxford.
• The literary elite of the time - they often ridiculed other playwrights such as Thomas Kyd
and Shakespeare who did not have a university education.
• Some scholars think that Marlowe would have surpassed Shakespeare as an author if had
not been killed in a tavern brawl
• University Wits did make a significant contribution to Elizabethan literature in various
genres
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45. ELIZABETHAN DRAMA
• Tragedy: Aristotle – imitation of a serious probable action (mimesis);
arousing pity and fear in the audience; leads to catharsis (a purifying of
the emotions that is brought about in the audience of a tragic drama
through the evocation of intense fear and pity; emotional release and
purification brought about by an intense emotional experience);
characters: kings and nobles; the main character: of a high social and
moral standing but with a tragic flaw/fault/mistake (misjudgment,
ambition, gullibility, jealousy, indecisiveness) which brings about his
downfall and final demise. Revenge tragedy –especially popular – a
wronged hero plans and executes revenge.
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46. • Comedy: Aristotle – comic figures are average to below average; it deals
with ordinary/common people; only low or ignoble figures can strike us
as ridiculous; the most ridiculous are those who although well-born are
merely pompous or self important instead of truly noble.
• Comedy: a story of the rise in fortune of a sympathetic central character
(those of humble or disadvantageous backgrounds who prove their real
worth).
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47. • The Italian Renaissance had rediscovered the ancient Greek and Roman theatre,
and this was instrumental in the development of the new drama, which was then
beginning to evolve apart from the old mystery and miracle plays of the Middle
Ages. The Italians were particularly inspired by Seneca (a major tragic playwright
and philosopher, the tutor of Nero) and Plautus (its comic clichés, especially that of
the boasting soldier had a powerful influence on the Renaissance and after).
• The first regular English comedy, Ralph Roister Doister by Nicholas Udall, was
written in this tradition.
• Another early comedy was Gammer Gurton’s Needle.
• Lyly’s comedies were an improvement of those early comedies.
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48. • However, the Italian tragedies embraced a principle contrary to Seneca's ethics:
showing blood and violence on the stage. In Seneca's plays such scenes were only
acted by the characters. But the English playwrights were intrigued by Italian model:
a conspicuous community of Italian actors had settled in London and Giovanni
Florio had brought much of the Italian language and culture to England. It is also
true that the Elizabethan Era was a very violent age and that the high incidence of
political assassinations in Renaissance Italy (embodied by Niccolò Machiavelli's The
Prince) did little to calm fears of popish plots. As a result, representing that kind of
violence on the stage was probably more cathartic for the Elizabethan spectator.
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49. • The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd is one of those violent tragedies, and its plot is
in some ways like Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It became known as an example of a
‘revenge tragedy’ where the hero has to avenge the death of a close relative.
• The first great dramatist of the time was Christopher Marlowe. Some of his
tragedies, such as Tamburlaine the Great and The Jew of Malta, are also violent and
bloody. But others, like Dr. Faustus and Edward the Second, set an example for other
Elizabethan dramatists in the use of powerful blank verse and the development of
characters to heighten the sense of tragedy. Shakespeare in particular was
influenced by Marlowe in writing the historical plays.
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50. ENGLISH RENAISSANCE THEATRE
• Renaissance theatre derived from medieval theatre traditions, such as the mystery
plays that formed a part of religious festivals in England and other parts of Europe
during the Middle Ages. The mystery plays were complex retellings of legends
based on biblical themes, originally performed in churches but later becoming more
linked to the secular celebrations that grew up around religious festivals. Other
sources include the morality plays and the "University drama" that attempted to
recreate Greek tragedy.
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51. • Companies of players attached to households of leading noblemen and
performing seasonally in various locations existed before the reign of
Elizabeth I. These became the foundation for the professional players
that performed on the Elizabethan stage. The tours of these players
gradually replaced the performances of the mystery and morality plays
by local players, and a 1572 law eliminated the remaining companies
lacking formal patronage by labeling them vagabonds. The performance
of masques at court by courtiers and other amateurs came to be
replaced by the professional companies with noble patrons, who grew
in number and quality during Elizabeth's reign.
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52. GENRES OF ENGLISH RENAISSANCE
THEATRE
• History play (Marlowe – Shakespeare)
• Tragedy (revenge tragedy – Kyd, Marlowe, Shakespeare)
• Comedy (city comedy – B.Jonson)
• Romance (Shakespeare)
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53. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
• The Importance of Shakespeare:
• In a world where the quality of the art form called "writing“ is so often said to be
rapidly diminishing, it is important for scholars of English literature to retain some
studies of the true classics, such as Shakespeare. A well-rounded education logically
must have a strong foundation in both modern and classical literature, the latter of
which an indepth study of Shakespearean works would more than satisfy. Not only
was Shakespeare so well accomplished in his writing skills that he has become an
undeniably significant point in the history of literature, but a majority of his works
were written on such basic human themes that they will endure for all time and must
not be allowed to slip into the tragic oblivion of old age.
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54. • William Shakespeare has become an important landmark in English literature. To see why
this is so crucial for students to study, let us consider an analogy. One must be familiar with
the conditions and circumstances of colonial America and pre-Revolutionary times if s/he is
to understand the rationale behind many of the provisions of the Constitution, a two-
hundred-year-old document still alive and highly significant today.
• In much the same way, one must be familiar with the early days of English literature in
order to comprehend the foundation beneath much of more modern literature’s basis.
Shakespeare’s modern influence is still seen clearly in many ways. For example, the success
of Shakespeare’s works helped to set the precedent for the evolution of modern dramas
and plays. He is also credited with being one of the first writers to use any modern prose in
his writings; in fact, the growth of the popularity of prose in Shakespeare’s time is clearly
shown as he used prose progressively more throughout his career.
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55. • Furthermore, there can be no doubt that Shakespeare was a master of the artistry of the
English language. He wrote with such fluidity of thought, word, rhythm, and sound that the
work is presented in a complex manner, but is not unintelligible, even for the inexperienced
reader.
• There can therefore be no doubt that substantial knowledge of the works of William
Shakespeare is necessary for any education of English literature to be considered complete
and well rounded.
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56. MAJOR WRITERS OF RENAISSANCE AGE
• Christopher Marlow
• William Shakespeare
• Ben Jonson
• Francis Bacon
• John Donne
• John Milton
• John Banyan
• Edmund Spenser
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