The English Renaissance Period

1428-1625

*The English Renaissance Period

*English Renaissance

*1485: Henry 7- 1st Tudor King*1534: Act of Supremacy- church of England is

established*1549: Book of Common Prayer written*1558: Elizabeth 1 becomes queen*1564: Wm. Shakespeare is born*1599: Globe Theater opens*1603: Elizabeth 1 dies; James 1 becomes king*1611: King James Bible published

*Important People

*Henry VII : rebuilt nation’s treasury and established law and order*Henry VIII: split w/ the Catholic Church*Katharine of Aragon (Mary): divorced*Anne Boleyn (Elizabeth I): beheaded*Jane Seymour (Edward): died naturally*Anne of Cleves: divorced*Catherine Howard: beheaded*Katherine Parr: survived KH8

*The Age of Exploration

*The New World: The Renaissance’s thirst for knowledge prompted a burst of travel by sea*1497: New Foundland- 1st British colony

*Religion

*Questioning: The sense of growing nationalism prompted the Brits to question the authority of the RCC*Martin Luther: Nailed 95 Theses to the

door: Protestant Reformation: Lutheranism*Act of Supremacy: King is in control of the

Church of England

*The Tudors

*Henry VII*Henry VIII*Defied papal authority

*Edward VI*English replaced Latin*Book of Common Prayer

*Mary I “Bloody Mary”*Elizabeth I*Ablest monarch since William the Conqueror

*Mary Stuart

*Stuarts and Puritans

*King James I of England*Persecuted the Puritans

*Literature

*Poetry: changed from narrative poetry to poetic forms (sonnets)*Elizabethan Drama*Tragedies*Dramas*Christopher Marlowe: 1st major dramatist, but

he died early on*William Shakespeare*Elizabeth 1 and James 1 supported the arts, so

it was a good time to be an artist.

*Shakespeare

Write the following phrases and fill in the blanks.1. Neither a ____ or a ____ be.2. All the world’s a _____.3. With the bated _____.4. Break the ______.5. Come full _____.6. Eaten me out of house and ______.7. A foregone _______.8. Laugh yourselves into ______.9. Not ________ an inch.10.Too much of a good ______.

*Classic Unitites

*Time*Place*Action

*Tragedy

*Definitions* A drama that is serious and ends in an unhappy catastrophe

* Essential Elements* Plot (Aristotle said was the most important)* Character (Shakespeare most important)* Thought/ Theme* Dialogue* Staging

* Purposes: To excite fear/ compassion in viewer*Aristotle, the first drama critic, said measure for success of

a tragedy is whether or not the viewer experiences catharsis

*Tragic Hero

1. Noble Stature2. Great, but not perfect- must have a

tragic flaw3. Downfall results from a choice freely

made4. Hero’s punishment exceeds the crime5. Tragic flaw is not fully lost. Hero learns

something before the end, either about himself or about mankind

*Additional Characteristics of a Shakespearean

Tragic Hero

1. Learns what he is or what he stands for2. Tends to become his own antithesis (from

loyal, noble, brave, kind, worthy thane to vicious, ruthless, uncaring murderer)

3. Recovers one or more of his good qualities

*Terms

Hubris: insolence or arrogance resulting from excessive pride

Hamartia: fatal flaw/ tragic flaw, frailty, or error

Catharsis : a cleansing of emotions

*Types of Tragedy (Shakespearean)

1. Revenge2. Domestic3. Romantic4. Political (fall of Princes)5. Tragedy of Ambition

*3 Levels of Justice

1. Divine- karma2. Civil- law/ courts3. Personal- revenge

* Each of these will be present in Macbeth

*Elizabethan Great Chain of Being

* God* Angels* King/ Pope* Knights/ Noblemen* Peasants* Animals* Plants* Earth**** DISORDER*****The Elizabethans believed that if one tried to skip the pre-ordained

place assigned to him/ her, then there would be natural disorder in the world. (ie in Macbeth, 2 horses eat each other after the death of the king)

*Themes

*Uncontrolled/ excessive ambition*Appearance vs. Reality*Good vs. Evil*Natural Order