historical-background-of-the-renaissance

I.HistoricalbackgroundoftheRenaissance1.HistoricaleventsaffectingthemakingofEnglishliteratureofthetime:1)HenryVIIthekingcametothepowerin1485,whichbegananewepochofunificationanddevelopment;2)HenryVIII’sbreakwiththeRomeCatholicsin1533,whichpavedthewayforaliberalandrapiddevelopment;3)VictoryoverSpainbydefeatingSpanishArmadain1588,whichpavedthewayforEnglishmentosearchtreasureandterritoryallovertheworld;4)CharlesI’ssucceedingtothecrownin1625andhisharshtreatmentwiththeparliamentgavebirthtothePuritanRevolution.2.EconomicalfactshavingimpactonthedevelopmentofEnglishliteratureofthetime:1)Themovement“SheepDevouredMen”;2)Withtheexpansionofitsterritoryandendlesstreasurefromthecolonies,Englisheconomyobtainfavorableconditionsandsufficientcapitalandresourcestodevelopitsindustryandtobuildcities.3.CulturalfactsaffectingthepracticeofEnglishliterature:1)TheEuropeanRenaissanceandthecompromisebetweentheroyalandtheparliamentin1688;2)JamesIauthorizedthepublicationofthebible,whichbridgedChristianitywiththecommonpeopleandsetupabasisforastableideology;3)ThePuritanRevolutionandtherevolutionarythoughtsofthePuritanspioneeredawayforreformsandrevolution,whichestablishedatraditionforlaterprogressandchanges.II.CharacteristicsoftheRenaissance1.Thewordmeans“rebirth”.ItmeantthereintroductionofthefullculturalheritageofGreeceandRome.TheintellectualwisdomofancientGreeceandRomeencouragedarebirthofhumanspirit,arealizationofhumanpotentialfordevelopmentandcreation.2.TheessenceoftheRenaissancespirit:Humanism.Itistheideathatmanhasapotentialforculture.Peoplewerewonderfulcreaturesthatcouldreasonandcreate.“Manisthemeasureofallthings”,andhehadthecapacitytounderstandtheuniverseandforcesofnature.Hecouldcontrolhisowndestiny.III.Mainfigures:EdmundSpenser(1552-1599),ChristopherMarlowe(1564-1599),WilliamShakespeare(1564-1616),FrancisBacon(1561-1626),andBenJonson(1572-1637).1.EdmundSpenser’smaincontributioncanbeseeninpoetry.Thatiswhysometimesheiscalledas“poet’spoet”.HismasterpieceisTheFaerieQueene(《仙后》)，whichwasdedicatedtoQueenElizabeth.HisprominenceliesinhissonnetandstanzawhichwerenamedafterhimasSpenserianSonnetandSpenserianStanza,particularlythelatterwaspractisedbysomefamouspoetsinEnglishliterature,ByronforexampleinhislongpoemChildeHarold’sPilgrimage.2.ChristopherMarlowewasageniuswhodiedyoungandhewasoneofthe“UniversityWits”.Hiscontributioniswitnessedindrama,thefamousonesareTamburlaine(1588),Dr.Faustus(1589)andTheJewofMalta(1590),probablyfromwhichShakespearegotsomeinspirationsforhiswriting.AnditissaidthatMarlowesuccessfullyemployedBlankverseinhisdrama,whichbecamealmostanestablishedformindramafromthenon.3.BenJonsonwasanothergeniusduringthattime.HewasovershadowedbyShakespeareinhistorybutvirtuallyenjoyedmuchmorefameamongtheircontemporariesthanthelatteratthattime.SoafterShakespeare,hewasadmiredbyagroupofpoetswhofeltproudofbeingcalledas“SonsofBen”.Jonson’sisprominentforhisachievementsincomedies,particularlyComediesofHumors,therepresentativesofwhichareEveryManInHisHumor(1598)andVolpone,ortheFox(1606).4.Asfortheothertwofigurers,weshalldiscussthemrespectivelylater.IV.Someliteraryterms(relatedtothisperiod):1.Sonnetisalyricpoemcomprising14rhymingiambicpentameterlines.Therhymeschemesofthesonnetfollowbasicallytwopatterns:A)TheItaliansonnet(thePetrarchan)comprisesan8-line(octave)oftwoquatrains,rhymedabbaabba,followedbya6-line(sestet)usuallyrhymedcdecdeorcdcdcd.B)TheEnglishsonnet(Shakespearean)comprises3quatrainsandafinalcouplet,rhymingababcdcdefefgg.AnimportantvariantofthisisSpenserianwhichrhymesababbabccdcdee.FamousEnglishsonneteersareSirPhilipSidney,Spenser,Shakespeare,JohnDonne,Milton,Wordsworth,Keats,ElizabethBarrettBrowning,W.H.Auden.2.Blankverse:Blankverseisunrhymedlinesofiambicpentameter.ItisaveryflexibleEnglishverseformwhichcanattainrhetoricalgrandeurwhileechoingthenaturalrhythmsofspeech.ItwasfirstusedbyHenryHoward,EarlofSurrey,andsoonbecameapopularformfornarrativeanddramaticpoetry.Marlowe,Shakespeare,Milton,Wordsworth,Tennyson,StevensandRobertFrostarefondofthisform.V.WilliamShakespeare(1564-1616)1.ShakespeareisanEnglishpoetandplaywrightwhohasareputationasthegreatestofallwritersintheEnglishlanguageandinwesternliterature,aswellasoneoftheworld’spre-eminentdramatists.2.Life:Seethebook.3.Majorworks:1)Shakespeare’stragediesareoftenregardedasthegreatestaccomplishmentsofthedramatist,whilehisfourtragediesstandoutasthemasterpieces.ThefourgreatesttragediesareHamlet,Othello,KingLearandMacbeth.Hamlet,adramaofmurderandrevenge,revealstheconflictbetweenfeudalismandhumanism.Othello,atragedyofcredulity,depictsaconflictbetweenanuprightmanandapurewomanwithatreacherousvillainandhistricks.KingLear,atragedyofvanity,hypocrisyandflattery,disclosestheseriousstruggleforpropertyandfame.Macbeth,atragedyofwildambition,depictsthestruggleforthecrownamongthenobleandtheroyal.2)Shakespeare’sSonnetsrepresentthefinestpoeticcraftsmanshipofElizabethanpoetry.Themajorityofthesonnetsdescribethedevotionofacharactertoayoungmanwhosebeautyandvirtuehepraises.Sonnets127-152involveamistressofthepoet’s,amysteriousa