An Introduction to the English Renaissance Tutorial

Look at the vocabulary table and match each word with its definition. You may consult a dictionary or online resource.

1. Infamous: well known for having a bad reputation 2. Heresy: a religious belief that contradicts church doctrine 3. regime: administration 4. atheist: a person who does not believe in God

Blank Verse

Christopher Marlowe was best known for his renewal of blank verse. Blank verse is a type of poetry that features unrhymed lines all in the same meter, usually iambic pentameter. Although English writers had used blank verse before, it became the standard during the Renaissance for two main reasons. First, poets like Marlowe and Shakespeare used blank verse very skillfully in their plays. Dialogue sounded natural, but still had a strong meter. Second, blank verse had the tone and feel of classical poetry—a strong influence on writers of the day. Read this excerpt from The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.

Explain why the topic of indulgences is closely related to Luther's criticism of the Catholic Church. Your response should be about one page in length. Use the Internet to research any relevant background information, including the religious practices of the time and the historical context of Martin Luther's debate with the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church.

SAMPLE ANSWER A major impetus for the activities of Reformation thinkers such as Luther was the corruption of the Catholic Church, whose political power had grown enormously through the medieval period. In his Ninety-Five Theses, Luther questions the practices of Catholic Church officials, as well as official and popular claims about the powers of the pope. In particular, Luther believes that some of those claims are not sound in view of fundamental principles of the Christian faith. During the Middle Ages, successive popes declared more and more indulgences. Some of these indulgences were originally for those who supported charitable works undertaken by various groups under the Catholic Church. Church officials called pardoners were empowered to grant the indulgences to those who contributed money for the causes sponsored by the church. Gradually, the practice became corrupt. The Catholic Church came to view indulgences as a major source of money, and pardoners began to misuse their power for personal gain. Indulgences thereby changed from instruments to reward piety to commodities that were sold to believers. Pardoners sought to extort as much money as they could from believers in return for indulgences. Further, pardoners deceived the common people who went to them, claiming that the indulgences included forgiveness for sins and not just exemption from punishment. (According to Christian theology, only God possesses the power to forgive sins. So the pope could only exempt sinners from penance; he could not forgive sins.) Others made even more extravagant claims such as forgiveness for all further sins. Some pardoners also forged indulgences. People also began to believe that copies of letters declaring indulgences from the past, and other physical artifacts, had the miraculous property of ensuring forgiveness for sin. As a devout Christian, Martin Luther viewed sin and forgiveness as extremely important questions. Luther, who was himself a priest, noted how the practice of indulgences had degenerated into a commercial activity far removed from religious observance. He also noted how members of his flock had absorbed the erroneous beliefs that the pardoners spread. He concluded that corrupt church officials such as pardoners ascribed greater power to the pope than was possible within Christian theology. Luther pointed out that it was disrespectful to God to equate an exemption from the pope with God's forgiveness. To summarize, the topic of indulgences was important to Luther's argument because indulgences were a major source of corruption within the church. Pardoners used them to mislead churchgoers on articles of faith and tempted them into sin by offering forgiveness in exchange for money.

Read theses 81 and 82 in Luther's Ninety-Five Theses. Explain thesis 82 in your own words. Use the Internet to research any relevant background information.

SAMPLE ANSWER In Luther's time, there was a large-scale sale of indulgences in Germany to collect money for the construction of a church in Rome. In thesis 82, Luther points out how the practice of selling indulgences is damaging the credibility of the church and detracting from the dignity of the pope's office. Common people were asking why the pope forgave sins for money (a power that church officials selling indulgences ascribed to the pope), but he did not use his powers to free souls that were in Purgatory (a painful state of purification that souls underwent before they could enter heaven).

Relate in your own words what you have learned about the changing relationship between England and the Catholic Church. Use examples from the video you just watched to support your answer.

SAMPLE ANSWER The relationship between the English monarchy and the Catholic Church kept changing during the Renaissance and Reformation. In the medieval period, the Roman Catholic Church wielded more power than the English monarchy. However, things began to change after Henry VIII inherited the British throne. Henry VIII's opposition to the Catholic Church stemmed from the fact that the church refused to grant his divorce. Besides, Henry VIII wanted control of church property in England. Henry VIII split from the Roman Catholic Church and declared himself head of the Church of England. In response to Henry VIII's defiance, the pope excommunicated him. Henry VIII was succeeded by his son Edward VI, who strongly supported Protestant beliefs. He made changes to the laws of the Church of England and made England a completely Protestant country. However, Edward's reign was short-lived. After his death, his sister Mary ascended to the throne. Mary I was staunchly Catholic and worked to undo the shift toward Protestantism in England. Yet another major shift in the relationship between England and the Catholic Church occurred when Mary died and her sister Elizabeth I became the queen. Queen Elizabeth restored Protestantism in England and organized the Church of England by banning Catholic practices.

Explain what Luther meant by the word indulgence. How are indulgences related to the concept of sin? Use the Internet to research any relevant background information, including the religious practices of the time and the historical context of Martin Luther's debate with the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church.

SAMPLE ANSWER The term indulgence is related to the concept of sin, or actions in opposition to God's laws. In Luther's time, when a person did something that was considered a sin, he or she was required to confess the sin to a designated church authority (usually a priest). The person then had to undergo a penance (punishment) that the authority prescribed (depending on the nature of the sin). In the context of the church, an indulgence was a statement by the pope exempting a group of people from specific penances by virtue of good deeds they had performed. Indulgences were often published in written form.

Explain in your own words the meanings of the words rebirth and classical.

SAMPLE ANSWER The word rebirth means being born again, but in the context of the Renaissance, it means the appearance of an idea or practice that becomes prominent after a period of obscurity or disuse. The adjective classical pertains to forms of human expression that developed when the cultures of Greece and Rome were at their height. (For example, ancient Greek and Latin are considered classical languages.)

The Elizabethan Period

The Britons who lived during the long reign of Elizabeth I are often called Elizabethans. The thinkers, philosophers, and religious leaders of the Elizabethan time had a distinct way of looking at the world. They had a newfound pride in the English language, English history, and English art. Elizabethan thinkers also looked back to classical models for inspiration. They were particularly influenced by the Greek philosopher Aristotle and his view of natural order. Aristotle believed in a structure called a "scale of nature." The scale was like a ladder. Everything in the world existed on its own rung of the ladder where the Creator had placed it. Aristotle also believed the Creator had made the world perfectly, and so every rung of the ladder was full.

Themes, Motifs, and Symbols

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus centers on the conflict between good and evil. The following themes of the story are closely related to this conflict: Free will can be dangerous. Human nature is torn between good and evil. Humans must choose between redemption and damnation. Absolute power causes corruption.

Reading The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus was quite controversial when it was first performed in theaters. The play featured themes of thirst for power and excessive pride, and it depicted Doctor Faustus bargaining with the devil. As you know from this lesson, Elizabethan society was sensitive about religious issues. The presence of evil was a reality in everyday life, and people thought that it was actually possible to make deals with the devil. Though today we might view this play as a fantasy, it would not have been viewed as such by its Elizabethan audience.

Plot

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus was written in the early 1590s, but it is set in the 1580s in Germany and Italy. The story is based on a German legend. However, Marlowe turned it into a modern morality play. Unlike a typical morality play, the story questions and challenges Christian values and morals. The main character, Faustus, desperately wants power—so much so that he makes a bargain with the Devil. The story begins with a prologue that introduces the plot of the story, and tells readers about Faustus's background. We learn that Faustus was born in a humble family, but he showed promise as a scholar and earned a doctorate in divinity at the University of Wittenberg. (The choice of Wittenberg as a location is symbolic: Martin Luther lived in Wittenberg.) To fulfill his need for power and knowledge, Faustus decides to become an expert in the art of black magic—a practice condemned in biblical texts. In his pursuit of black magic, Faustus renounces God and makes a deal with Lucifer (Satan, or chief of the devils), exchanging his soul for twenty-four years of service from Mephastophilis, a servant of Lucifer. Faustus travels in the company of Mephastophilis, spending his powers on questionable or sinful pursuits. An important aspect of the plot is that Faustus receives several warnings by divine intervention, but he does not heed any of them. Toward the end of Faustus's contract with Lucifer, Faustus begins to repent, but his repentance is too late. At the end of the story, his soul is carried away by the devils to hell.

Christopher Marlowe and Faustus

When most people think of Renaissance writers, they think of William Shakespeare. Many people are less aware of his main competitor, Christopher Marlowe. In literary circles, Marlowe is still considered the father of English tragedy. Marlowe, born in 1564, was well educated and led an eventful—if short—life. In 1580, he went to Cambridge University on a scholarship and earned a Master of Arts degree. Much mystery surrounds his life after Cambridge. He was rumored to be a secret agent or spy for Queen Elizabeth I. Others suspected that he was a spy for the English Catholics who were plotting to bring down the Protestant regime. Many believe that he may have been a double agent. To this day, the specifics of this part of his life are unknown. Marlowe was a controversial figure: his writings caused him to win a reputation for having unorthodox religious opinions. Such reputation was considered an offense against the state and against established religion and was punishable. Marlowe's death at the young age of 29 is shrouded in suspicion, and the exact details remain a mystery. The official story is that he was stabbed to death during a quarrel over a dinner bill, but the exact details of the stabbing remain a mystery. Rumors of his double-life as a spy surfaced soon after his death. These rumors grew louder when his alleged murderers were pardoned by the queen soon after their arrest.

Martin Luther

a German priest who published his Ninety-Five Theses, a set of questions challenging the practices of Catholic Church officials on October 31, 1517. Luther also raised questions about the rightful extent of the pope's religious authority. It is believed that Luther nailed his theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther's questions brought him into conflict with the church and the pope, who threatened to excommunicate him. However, the common people of North Germany supported Luther, so he was able to organize his own church in defiance of the Catholic Church. The availability of the printing press, which had been invented recently, helped Luther make many copies of his Ninety-Five Theses and distribute them to a large number of people. Luther's Ninety-Five Theses was immediately translated and soon published all over Europe. The Reformation was under way.

John Wycliffe

an English philosopher who laid the groundwork for the Protestant Reformation. Wycliffe was well-known for disagreeing with the church's teachings. He wanted to limit its power because he felt its authorities were sinful and unfit to preach the word of God. Wycliffe promoted a direct relationship between the people and God. He denounced church officials and declared the rituals of organized religion unnecessary. Tensions boiled over when he defied the church by producing the first handwritten English language Bible.

Humanism

an intellectual movement that focused on those areas that were considered "classic," including rhetoric, grammar, poetry, history, Latin, and Greek. These subjects became known as "the humanities." Humanism teaches the values of reason, scientific inquiry, and human fulfillment in the natural world. At the time of the Renaissance, these ideas went against the teachings of the Catholic Church. One idea of the humanists that differed greatly from Catholic teachings was the concept of individual achievement. Humanists applied the idea of individual achievement to the area of religion, believing that individuals should develop their own relationship with God. Prior to the humanist movement, the Catholic Church taught that individuality was relatively unimportant.

renaissance

rebirth During this time, there were many advances in the fields of literature, the arts, science, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, cartography (mapmaking), and medicine.

"classical" thought

which meant a rebirth of the ideas and thoughts of the ancient Greeks and Romans.