4--Renaissance+Shakespeare网络平台

The English Renaissance 1485-1625I. Historical backgroundⅡ. Introduction to RenaissanceWhat is the Renaissance?French word: “rebirth” or “renewal”Began in ItalyReturn to studying ancient texts…GreeceRomeRenaissance marks the transition from the medieval to the modern world. It first started in Italy in the 14th century and gradually spread all over Europe. The word “Renaissance” means rebirth or revival. In essence, it is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe and introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie, and to lift the restriction in all areas placed by the Roman Catholic Church authorities.Two features of renaissance:1.It is a thirsting curiosity for the classical literature. People learned to admire theGreek and Latin works as models of literary form.2.It is the keen interest in the activities of humanity.Humanism is the key-note of the Renaissance. It reflected the new outlook of the rising bourgeois class. Humanists emphasize the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life and believe that man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders by removing all the external checks by the exercise of reason. They also expressed their rebellious spirit against the tyranny of feudal rule and ecclesiastical domination.III. English Literature in the Renaissance PeriodDramaLyrical PoetryProse3.1 Poetry in the Renaissance Period1). Thomas Wyatt(1503-1542)He is the first to introduce the sonnet into English literature.2). Philip Sidney (1554-86)Astrophel and Stella3). Edmund Spenser (1552 -1599)Spenser is often referred to as "the poets' poet".Spenser’s fame in English literature is chiefly based upon his masterpiece The Faerie Queene.In 1579, he wrote The Shepherd’s Calendar, a pastoral poem in twelve books, one for each month of the year.Writing Features of “ The Faerie Queene”a. The long poem is written in the form of allegory. It has sweet melody and its lines are very musical.b. Spenser invented a new verse form for this poem. The verse form has been called "Spenserian Stanza" since his day. Each stanza has nine lines, each of the first eight lines is in iambic pentameter form, and the ninth line is an iambic hexameter line. The rhythm scheme is abab bcbcc.3.2 Proses in the Renaissance Period1). Thomas More (1477-1535)Thomas More's UtopiaA book about a perfect societyBelieved men and women live in harmony. No private property, no one is lazy, all people are educated and the justice system is used to end crime instead of executing criminals.Utopia is More's masterpiece, written in the form of a conversation between More and a returned sailor. The name "Utopia" comes from two Greek words meaning "no place". The whole work is divided into two books. Book I of " Utopia" is a picture of contemporary social conditions of England. The author severely criticizes English society and exposes social evils. BookⅡoffers us a good picture of an ideal society called Utopia in some unknown ocean. In this society property is held in common and there is no poverty.2). John Lyly (1553-1606)Lyly was one of "the university wits". He wrote poetry, court comedies and prose romances. As a prose writer, he was famous for his prose romance Euphues.3). Francis Bacon (1561-1626)A) IntroductionFrancis Bacon was the founder of English materialist philosophy and modern science. Bacon's mind was universal in its comprehensiveness; there was nothing in the world of which he could not write. Alexander Pope called him, “the wisest, brightest, and the meanest of mankind”. During the course of his lifetime he distinguished himself as a scholar in several fields and as a scientist, writer, and philosopher. His practical experience of the world also made him a great lawyer and a considerable statesman.B) Bacon's WorksBacon's works may be divided into three groups: the philosophical works; the literary works and the professional works.Advancement of Learning《治学之道》and New Instrument《新工具》were his philosophical works. Bacon's literary works are his essays. The final edition of the Essays 《论说文集》published in 1625 contained 58 pieces. These essays cover a wide variety of subjects, such as love, truth, friendship, parents and children, beauty, studies, riches, youth and age, garden, death and many others. Among these essays, the famous pieces are Of Studies, Of Travel and Of Wisdom. C) Writing Style of Bacon's EssaysBacon's essays are noted for heir clearness, brevity and force of expression. Bacon's chief concern is to express his thought with clearness and in as few words as possible. His sentences are short, pointed, incisive, and often of balanced structure. Many of them have become wise old sayings. Generally Speaking, Bacon's literary style has three prominent qualities: directness, terseness, and forcefulness.3.3 English Drama in the Renaissance Period1). Shakespeare's PredecessorsA) Lyly, Peele, Kyd, and MarloweAfter 1588, the flourishing period of English drama arrived. The summit was Shakespeare's works. Before Shakespeare, a group of university graduates known as "University Wits" wrote excellent plays. They were John Lyly, Robert Greene, George Peele, Christopher Marlowe, and Thomas Kyd.B) Christopher Marlowe(1564-1593) was the greatest playwright before Shakespeare and the most gifted of the "University Wits".Marlowe's best plays include Tamburlaine the Great, The Jew of Malta and Doctor Faustus.The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is Marlowe' s masterpiece. The tragedy of Doctor Faustus is symbolic of a humanist in the age of Renaissance.C) Marlowe's Literary AchievementMarlowe was the greatest of the pioneers of English drama. He reformed the English drama and perfected the language and verse of dramatic works. It is Marlowe who first made blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) the principal instrument of English drama. His blank verse is a living thing; it is vigorous, fluid and precise. It translates thoughts and emotions into rhythmical speech with happy exactness, thus interpreting the restlessly moving and questing spirit of the Renaissance. Marlowe's dramatic achievement lies chiefly in his epical and at times lyrical verse. His works paved the way for the plays of the greatest English dramatist – Shakespeare - whose achievements were the monument of the English Renaissance.2). Shakespeare’s contemporary and successorBen Jonson(1572-1637) was a forerunner of classicism in English literature and the Poet Laureate of James I. He is chiefly remembered for his comedies V olpone, or the Fox,The Alchemist.William Shakespeare (1564-1616)I LifeII Literary careerFour Periods of His Dramatic CareerIII His great ComediesA Midsummer Night's Dream，The Merchant of Venice，As You Like It，Twelfth Night are Shakespeare’s great comedies.In these plays he portrayed the young people who had just freed themselves from the feudal fetters. He sang of their youth, their love and ideal of happiness. The heroes and heroines were sons and daughters of the Renaissance. They trust not in God or King but in themselves.Shakespeare put women characters at a prominent place in his comedies. He showed great respect for the dignity, honesty, wit, courage, determination and resourcefulness of women. The young heroines in Shakespeare's comedies are independent in character and very frank. They are no longer controlled by their parents or husbands. They are of a new type. They are witty, bold, loving, laughing and faithful. They are happy and make others happy. They carry their destinies in their own hands. Shakespeare's comedies are imbued with bourgeois ideas and show progressivesignificance.IV His great TragediesHamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth are Shakespeare's great tragedies. They are associated with a period of gloom and sorrow in his life. During this period, England witnessed a general unrest, and social contradictions became very sharp. All of these plays express a profound dissatisfaction with life. They show the struggle and conflicts between good and evil of the tune, between justice and injustice. In these plays, the writer Shakespeare condemns the dark and evil society.V Historical PlaysShakespeare's historical plays are political plays. The principal idea of these plays is the necessity for national unity under one sovereign.Shakespeare's historical plays reflect the historical events of two centuries from RichardⅡ to Henry VIII. They show the horrors of civil war, the necessity for national unity, the responsibilities of efficient ruler, and the importance of legitimate succession to the throne.In Shakespeare’s historical plays there is only one ideal king Henry V, though his real prototype differs little from the other kings. Among Shakespeare's 10 historical plays, Henry IV and Henry V are two remarkable plays. Henry V is the continuation of Henry IV. The two plays deal with the events of the 15th century and give the picture of a troubled reign.VI Shakespeare's Poetical WorksVenus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece are two long narrative poems written by Shakespeare:VII Features of Shakespeare's Dramatic Works1. Shakespeare is one of the founders of realism in the world literature. He described the decaying of the feudal society and the rising of the bourgeois spirit.2. Shakespeare borrowed his plots from old stories of Greek and Roman, Italian and English3. Shakespeare’s dramatic works are very elastic. The action develops freely, without being hindered by the classical rules of three unities (i.e. unities of time, place, and action)4. Shakespeare was skilled in many poetic forms: the Song, the sonnet, the couplet, and the dramatic blank verse.5. Shakespeare was a great master of English language. In his drama, he used about 16,000 words. Many of his new coinages and turns of expression have become everyday usage in English life.。