Background Information on the Renaissance Period

Cavaliers

3. "Sons of Ben"- Johnson's followers; sophisticated aristocrats 4. • Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace, Sir John Suckling 5. o Known as the Cavaliers 6. o Took the side of Charles I in the civil war between Cromwell's "Roundheads" and Royalist cavaliers 7. o Lighthearted, charming, witty poetry 8. o Dealt with themes of love, war, loyalty, and chivalry 9. o Carpe diem philosophy

English Humanist

3. Erasmus made two Friends: artist Hans Holbein the Younger and English writer Sir Thomas More 4. More believed humans could do better in the world 5. More published the book Utopia in 1516 6. • About a perfect society on an imaginary island 7. • There was no poverty or greed- everything was shared 8. Humanists were concerned with classical learning 9. • They wanted to educate sons of nobility to speak and write Latin 10. • Many were encouraged to learn to read and write in English as well 11. Humanists reflected a fact of life- religion was a subject dear to most but agreed by few 12. These humanists writers went on to influence later Christian writers

The Stuarts

1. Elizabeth died 1603, ending the Tudor dynasty a. Succeeded by James VI of Scotland (aka James I)

Info on Renaissance

- Renaissance is marked by a surge of creative energy and the emergence of worldview more modern than medieval - Began when Henry VII took throne and reached full power under the rule of Elizabeth I -Before people were focused on religion and faith. The renaissance focused more on human development and using a person's talents to their fullest potential - Famous people of the Renaissance: Shakespeare, Galileo, Columbus. -Inventions and discoveries made new things that were thought to be impossible, possible - The invention of the compass altered trade and travel - Gutenberg invented the printing press - By 1530 more than half of England's population could read because of the invention of the printing press - The Renaissance flourished during the Elizabethan Era when theater and literature were becoming better than ever before -James I, who ruled after Elizabeth contributed to the period's literary legacy with his commissioning of the new translation of the Bible -Puritan Oliver Cromwell closed theaters that made this period come to an end. - The official conclusion of the Renaissance period in English History was the restoration of the Monarchy in 1660

In religion

1. Elizabeth steered a middle course, reestablishing the Church of England and using it as a buffer between Catholics and Puritans 2. Catholics considered her cousin Mary Stuart, the queen of Scotland, to be the rightful heir to the English throne 3. After enduring years of conspiracies, Elizabeth ordered Mary beheaded in 1587 a. Catholic Spain's Philip II sent a great Armada, or fleet of warships, to challenge the English navy b. Aided by a violent storm, the smaller, more maneuverable English ships defeated the Spanish Armada, making Elizabeth the undisputed leader of a great military power

Shakespearean Drama

1. Elizabethan drama came from three sources: medieval plays, 16th-century interludes, and Greek and Latin classics 1. Latin and Greek Drama: were revived during the renaissance and studied at university centers such as Oxford and Cambridge, modeled for Elizabethan playwrights the characteristics of comedy and tragic 2. Interludes: ridiculed the manners and customs of commoners, Have little to do with the Bible, paving the way for later Elizabethan dramatists to write plays with secular themes 2. Plays focused on human complexities rather than religious themes

Improving Nature

1. Elizabethans had a positive view of nature as intricate, complex, and beautiful. 2. They believed that nature provided raw material to be shaped into works of art. 3. Elizabethan poets created ingenious metaphors, elaborate allegories, and complex analogies, often within the strictures of a popular verse from that came from Italy, the sonnet

Christian Nation

1. England remained a Christian nation, and its literature reflects the beliefs of its people. a. Spiritual and devotional writings are the most popular and influential. 2. The King James Bible likely did more to mold English prose style than any other work. 3. The Church resisted calls to translate the Latin Bible into languages the common people could understand, on the grounds that it would diminish church authority and lead to heresy.

England was introduced the 14 lines verse form, modifying it to better suit the English language

1. From: Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey 2. Popular sonnets at this time were referred to as: Love lyrics. 3. Poets of this time period a. Edmund Spenser b. William Shakespeare c. Amelia Lanier

Martin Luther

1. German monk 2. In response, in 1517, ML wrote out 95 theses, or arguments, against such practices and nailed them to the door of a church 3. The pope condemned him as a heretic 4. ML's criticisms created a sensation, and printed copies were soon in circulation across Europe 5. He wanted the church to reform itself, but other protesters went farther, splitting off from Rome into reformed, Protestant churches

The Church of England

1. Henry VIII had at first remained loyal to Rome, yet he became obsessed with producing a male heir and so sought an annulment from his wife (who had given him only a daughter, Mary 2. The pope refused and Henry broke with Rome and in 1534 declared himself head of the Church of England 3. He divorced Catherine and married her court attendant, Anne Boleyn 4. Henry had six wives, but only had one son- the frail and sickly Edward VI a. Succeeded at the age of 9 but died when he was 15 b. During his reign, a group of radical Protestants believed the church further reform and sought to "purify" it of all Roman practices called the Puritans c. Puritans would increasingly clash with the monarchy 5. After Edward, Catherine's daughter, Mary, took the throne a. To avenge her mother, she brought back Roman Catholicism and persecuted Protestants, which earned her the nickname Bloody Mary b. On her death in 1558, most citizens welcomed the succession of her half-sister, Elizabeth

The King James Bible

1. Henry had broken ties with Rome 2. English translations of the Bible became more prevalent 3. In 1604, James I commissioned 54 biblical scholars to create a new, authorized version a. The new version was based on the original Hebrew, Greek, and Latin 4. The King James Bible has beautiful imagery, graceful simplicity, and measured cadences that made it the principal Protestant Bible in English a. It still is the most important and influential of all English Translations

Marlowe and Jonson

1. Marlowe - The first playwright to exploit the potential of the English language as a dramatic medium 6. After 1649, Puritans closed theaters 7. They did this when they overthrew James's sons Charles - this brought the end of the golden age of drama

Elizabeth I

1. The unwanted daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn 2. One of the ablest monarchs in English history 3. England enjoyed a time of unprecedented prosperity and international prestige 4. Elizabeth was a consummate Politian, exercising absolute authority while remaining sensitive to public opinion and respectful of Parliament 5. She kept England out of costly wars, ended the unpopular Spanish alliance, and encouraged overseas adventures, including Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe and Sir Walter Raleigh's attempt to establish a colony in Virginia

Introduction

1. Writers during the English Renaissance often found their fates married to the shifting winds of political influence 2. As kings and queens rose to power and as varying forms of Christianity became the law of the land, writers were either celebrated for their work orcensured for it

pastoral poems and sonnets

1. creative energy like the world had never seen before 1. poets 2. playwrights 3. artists 2. the Elizabethan court was focused on poetic creativity

the rise of humanism

1. o During Renaissance literature reflected humanism 2. o Humanism= the importance of humans rather than divine, supernatural things 3. o Humanists studied the humanities (art, history, philosophy, literature) 4. They looked to the classics for wisdom and guidance 5. o Christian humanists criticized society 6. Pope Pius II was a Christian humanists 7. They had to reconcile the new ideas with their religious beliefs 8. o In northern Europe Christian humanists led by Erasmus(a Dutch monk) studied ancient Greek and Hebrew 9. They read the bible and other sacred writings as well 10. They had high ideals from reading this and that resulted in them criticizing the Church

members competed with one another to see who could make the best technical poems

1. the audience for these lyrics was the elite artists and the queens social circle 2. Elizabeth I wrote some lyrics 3. She rewarded her favorite poets and courtiers for their great poetic tributes a. Sir Philip Sidney

Metaphysical

11. Jonson's contemporary, John Donne, is representative of a second group of poets called the metaphysical poets. 12. • Metaphysical poets are writers that broke with convention, employing unusual imagery, elaborate metaphors, and irregular meter to produce intense poems characterized by themes: 13. o death, physical love, and religious devotion.

Charles I

James I's son, took throne in 1625 a. Dismissed Parliament in 1629 and continued for 11 years b. Persecuted Puritans c. Many fled the country d. 1637 he tried to impose Anglican practices on the people e. sparked rebellion f. 1640 reconvened Parliament for funds to suppress rebellion g. Parliament stripped some of his power h. this started a civil war

Gunpowder Plot

Plot by Catholics to kill him and blow up Parliament a. Both James and his son Charles I caused opposition in the mainly Puritan House of Commons

The Protestant Reformation

Reign of Henry VIII a. Dissatisfaction with the Roman Catholic Church was spreading in Europe b. Great wealth and power led to corruption i. Cardinals living in luxury to friars traveling the countryside selling "indulgences" to peasants in exchange for forgiveness of their sins

English Civil War

Royalist vs. supporters of Parliament Puritan army defeated the royalist in 1645 • General Oliver Cromwell lead them to victory • King surrenders a year later Parliament established commonwealth • Head: Cromwell Cromwell name "lord protector" for life Puritan-dominated government remained autocratic • Theatres were closed • Most forms of recreations were suspended • Sunday became day of prayer o Walking for pleasure was forbidden 1658: Cromwell dies and his son inherits his title 1660: new parliament invited Charles II to assume the throne His reign ushered the Restoration

James I

Supported Church of England a. Didn't get along with Catholic or Protestant extremists

Renaissance

The humanistic revival of classical art, architecture, literature, and learning that originated in Italy in the 14th century and later spread throughout Europe. The period of this revival, roughly the 14th through the 16th century, marking the transition from medieval to modern times.

The Metaphysical and Cavalier Poets

Two new groups of poets emerged 1. o Inspired by Ben Johnson 2. Playwright and poet 3. Imitated graceful craftsmanship of classical forms 4. Did not like romance of Elizabethan lyrics 5. Loved to argue; his forceful personality won him admirers

Arthur

a. Henry's son b. Henry arranged for him to marry the princess Catherine of Aragon c. This created a political alliance with Spain, England's greatest "New World" rival d. He dies unexpectedly and the pope granted a special dispensation, allowing Arthur's younger brother Henry, the new heir to the throne, to marry Catherine- a marriage that would have lasting consequences

Henry Tudor

a. In 1485, he took the throne as Henry VII b. Shrewd leader who negotiated favorable commercial treaties, built up the nation's merchant fleet, and financed expeditions that established English claims in Americas

Donne

and other metaphysical poets tried to encompass the vastness of the universe and to explore life's complexities and contradictions. 15. • Different than Cavalier poets 16. o Cavalier poets tended to treat limited, human-focused subjects 17. Donne was ridiculed for the philosophical tone of his love poems. 18. • Said that instead of winning over women, he merely succeeded in perplexing them 19. Donne's unique blend of intellect and passion influence many other poets. 20. • From his own time to the 21st century

Shakespeare

contributed 37 plays - comedies, tragedies, and histories 1. Example of a tragedy: Othello, Macbeth 2. Example of a comedy: A Midsummer Night's Dream 3. Histories are about the kings of England

William Tyndale

fled to the continent during the early years of Henry VIII's reign, only to be condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake.

The Tudors

of or relating to the English royal dynasty that held the throne from the accession of Henry VII in 1485 until the death of Elizabeth I in 1603.

Renaissance

rebirth or revival

John Wycliffe

translated the bible by the 14th century latin to english

The Globe

was the most successful of many English theaters 1. The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend and grandson Sir Matthew Brend, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613.

Sir Thomas More and Sir Walter Raleigh

writers who were put to death for falling out of favor with the ruler of the day The kings and queens held different views on everything of importance, but especially religion