This document provides summaries of key figures from the Tudor dynasty in England including Henry VII, Henry VIII, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. It also summarizes William Shakespeare's life and some of his works, including his comedies which typically involve mistaken identities and marriages, and the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet about the doomed romance between the children of two feuding families in Verona.

1. Meet the Tudors

Henry VII

Henry VIII

Mary I

Elizabeth I

2. Henry VII

Henry VII (1457-1509), who
came to the English throne
when the Wars of the Roses
ended, was the first king of the
Tudor dynasty. He tried to
consolidate his position
through: a treaty with France,
giving him recognition; a trade
treaty with the Netherlands,
and the dynastic marriage in
1501 between his son Arthur
and the Spanish princess,
Catherine of Aragon.

3. Henry VIII
Henry VIII (1491-1547) was
Henry VII' s second son.
From an early age he was a
known figure at court, and in
his youth he was a natural
sportsman, which made him
popular both with the
English elite and with the
English public. He was
called the 'Golden Prince'
both for his natural good
looks and for his chivalry
and education.

4. In 1521 he was granted the
title of 'Defender of the
Faith' by the pope in
recognition of his latin
treatise defending the
sacraments. This title has
been maintained by English
monarchs ever since and is
on English coins still today.
After the death of his
brother Arthur, Henry
married his widow,
Catherine of Aragon, by
special dispensation.

5. Mary I
Mary I (1516-58) was born in
1516, the only surviving child of
Henry VIII and Catherine of
Aragon. Rejection by her father
and the cruel treatment of her
mother were to have a fundamental
influence on her life. Her
resentment took on a religious
connotation when Henry also
rejected the pope. She refused to
abandon her own traditional faith,
and when she became queen in
1553, she believed herself to be the
agent of a Counter-Reformation.

6. Elizabeth I

She was twenty-five
and had a strong
personality, a lively
intelligence and a
passionate character.
She had received an
exellent education and
could speak French,
Latin and Italian with
ease, but above all she
was a political genius
of the first order.

7. The sonnet

The Renaissance is considered the 'golden age' of poety
because of the flourishing of love songs and sonnets. The
sonnet was introduced into England by Sir Thomas Wyatt
(1503-42) and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, from Italy,
where it had been experimented with and refined by
Dante and etrarch whose Canzoniere had become the
model for all European Renaissance poets. This
Petrarchan tradition found fertile ground in England
because of the veneration of Queen Elizabeth I, who was
referred to as 'the Faerie Queene'. The most frequent
rhyme schemes are: ABBA ABBA CDE CDE or ABBA
ABBA CDC CDC.

8. William Shakespeare: England's
genius

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE. William
Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon
in April 1564, possibly on 23 April, which is
also said to be the date oh his death. William
was the eldest son and attended the local
grammar school, which gave him a thorough
grounding in the use of language classical
authors. In 1584 he left Stratford and went to
London. It was at that time that he first
experienced the playhouse. He was received
into one of the acting companies at a very
minor level at first, but his admirable wit soon
distinguished him.

9. The Comedian

Shakespeare's comedies follow
a certain set of conventions
including:disguise, frustrated
love, mistaken identity, marital
and romantic
misunderstandings. They end
in multiple marriages, and they
all seem to have in common
the preoccupation with the
journey of young women from
the state of virginity to that of
marriage.

10. Romeo and Juliet: the tragedy of
not knowing

First Act. The first act covers a whole day
and it opens in a street in Verona. This act
is composed of a series of dialogues about
the courtly concept of love, which was
linked to melancholy, holy devotion and
the idealisation of the object of desire. It
ends with the scene of the masque and the
meeting of the main characters, Romeo,
the son of Lord Montague, and Juliet,
Lord Capulet's daughter.

11. Second Act. The second act
concentrates on the
development of the
relationship between
Romeo and Juliet. The
dialogue between the two
lovers deals with the theme
of love in way that departs
from courtly conventions,
especially in Juliet's
language. This act ends
with the secret wedding of
the two lovers in the chapel
by the friendly priest, Friar
Laurence.

12.  Third Act. The pace of events
increases. It is the longest act
and can be divided into two
parts: thet of public events, full
of action and movement, and
the part devoted to private
events. Mercutio, Romeo's
friend, is killed by Tybalt,
Juliet's cousin, during a street
fight. In revenge Romeo kills
Tybalt and is banished from
Verona to Mantua. The act ends
with Romeo and Juliet's
wedding night at the Capulets'
house.

13.  Fourth Act. It is the preparatory act to the final tragedy.
Juliet takes a drug given to her by Friar Laurence. This
potion makes her seem dead. The friar sends a
messenger to Mantua, but before he arrives, Romeo is
told that Juliet is dead and decides to come back to
Verona.

14.  Fifth Act. The fifth act
consists of three scenes. The
first breaks the unity of
place, moving from Verona
to Mantua. In the last scene
Romeo poisons himself after
seeing Juliet apparently dead
in the tomb, while Juliet,
waking from Her trance, sees
Romeo dead and stabs
herself with his dagger.
Unlike most Shakespearean
heroes, Romeo and Juliet
will never know the truth
about their death.