LITERATURE AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

OF ENGLISH RENAISSANCE

14th-16th

Cetury

Medieval Drama

1534 – Henry the VIII

Act of Supremacy

Anglican Schism

END OF MEDIEVAL DRAMA

1558 – Elizabeth I

English Drama also called ELIZABETHAN DRAMA, flourished at

her court

1642 - Puritans

END OF ELIZABETHAN DRAMA

Theatres were closed down by the Puritans.

1564 - 1616

William

Shakespeare

1564 -1593

Christopher Marlowe

Medieval Drama14th – 16th Century

AIM. Il was used to give illiterate peasants a religious education. It follows that Medieval drama dealt with the Christian code of values and the subjects of the performances were the biblical stories.

Elizabethan Drama1558 - 1642

English drama broke away from the religious roots of the Middle Ages to reflect the humanistic spirit of the new age.

Themes: human being, man (his destiny, his existence, his rule in the universe), English History.

Play’s characters: heroes and heroines taken from the contemporary English society.

Language: it is used the language of feelings, strong emotions and disruptive passions.

Playwrights: University WitsUniversity Wits (1570s-1590s) Group of students of the most famous universities that wrote

plays. The most relevant are Christopher Marlowe and John Lyly.

Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)

Marlowe was the most talented of the University Wits.

Most relevant work: Doctor Faustus The name of the play is also the name of the main character. Doctor Faustus decided to sell his soul the devil because he is unsatisfied. This character was obsessed by ambitions and troubles of the Renaissance’s man. Il is an important work because it emphasize the passage between Middle Ages and Renaissance. How the

man changed.

Characters: Marlow’s characters are titanic, preparing to Shakesperare’s tragic heroes.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

His production was an homage to the queen Elizabeth I and hers laud, but It also contains a reflections on the human nature.

Works: He wrote 34 plays organized into Roman Plays (Tragedy dealing with historical events of ancient Rome), and comedies including some romances.

Characters: Shakespeare’s plays are characterized by the presence of the HERO/HEROINE, he/she who meets a challenge but he/she finally solve problems. She/he is a single/isolated individual character who is in opposition with a social group of universe. But he/she isn’t properly alone because the fate guides him/her.

1. Elizabeth courtIt is the centre of literary and artistic activity.

Courtly life was inspirited by the classical and humanistic values

beauty, order and natural harmony

2. Playhouse

Places

Circular or polygonal in

shape

Stage = rectangular platform called “apron” stage.

Galleries: provide places for spectators of high social classes

Globe Theater, London

Giulia BianchinClasse IVA