The word “Renaissance” is a French word which

means “rebirth”. The term was used to refer to

the rebirth of learning caused by the discovery
of hundreds of Greek and tLatin manuscripts which
had been lost during the Middle Ages . Such texts
made it possible for the artists of the
Renaissance period to create a hole new vision of
themselves
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that
started in Italy and spread all over Europe. It
is considered to be the division between the
Middle Ages and the Modern era. The thinkers of
this period, also called “humanists”,
t
believed that the man should be the subject of
study, and not God, as the Church had taught
during the medieval period. Based on that, they
began to investigate fields such as astronomy,
anatomy, science and many others which had
never been given much attention
Tough it took many years for the “Modern” England to
arise, even when it had established itself, many
aspects of the medieval culture still remained side-by-
side to the new order. Nonetheless, two events in
special stand out as a signal that things were indeed
changing in the British Isles
- The raise of the Tudor Dynasty
- The Printing Press
In 1485, a powerful nobleman named Henry Tudor defeated
the King Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth Field,
bringing to an end a strife between noble families that
last almost a century. Henry Tudor, the King Henry VII
He was declared the new king and given the tittle of
Henry VII. He then established the powerful Tudor
Dynasty, an absolute monarchy which would rule Britain
for over 100 years. It made possible the flowering of
England as a European political power and as a center of
literacy culture.
William Caxton was the person who introduced printing in
England. Before that, the books were writen out in longhand,
what meant a very slow jog. With the printing, it was
possible to produce books in large numbers and in a short
amount of time. That way, more people could learn to read and
write. The oral tradition began to loose power, both in
literature and in the Church affairs.
The new conception that the man had of himself
encouraged the in various art styles: painting,
literature, dance... Leonardo DaVinci and
Michaelangelo were the most notable, for their
accuracy on representing the human anatomy and
applying the laws of perspective to make their works
more realistic
CHARACTERISTICS AND FORMS OF
RENAISSANCE LITERATURE
MARLOWE SHAKESPEARE AND
THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA
Elizabethan Society

In the Elizabethan Times, Drama became the national passion with a wide variety of people from
merchants to peasants vied for a place in the social order and stability in the Elizabethan.
The new Elizabethan introduced a hero who was not ascertained of his fate and was full of
doubts and passions that catapulted drama as the favourite pass time for many.
The use of expansive metaphors in text and performances were so successful lead to the opening
of first public theatre known as ‘The Theatre’ by a carpenter James Burbage.
Elizabethan Theatre Facts
Renaissance Period influenced many properties of the theatre like actors were
attached to companies that performed throughout the country. They enjoyed
aristocratic patronage and survived the lean winter moths easily on such
appreciation.

Lord Admiral’s Men which had Christopher Marlowe on the ranks were the
leading company of the time with Lord Chamberlain’s Men had a budding
William Shakespeare.

The performances were held in open like the public courtyards, inns etc with
lavish entrances behind them and windows. Spaces were craftily used to create
the scenes of heaven and hell etc.
Specifically constructed theatres were still not available. The facial features,
body language and more garments of an actor were cleverly manipulated to
establish drama in his/her personality.
3 Forms of Drama

1.The Tragedy with spectacular and violent deaths of the protagonist. Revenge
became the ultimate pursuit in most tragedies with Romance as the main
objective,

2.History Plays also ended in catastrophe or in triumph with the nation projected
as the hero. Histories valorized patriotism, often of jingoistic nature.

3. Comedy was the third form. The main aim was to make people laugh but they
were not as prominent as the other two genres.
Elizabethan Drama Themes

Anti-Semitism

Revenge Tragedy

Supernatural Elements

Comedy of Humours
Dramatic Devices in Elizabethan Drama

Several devices were used to instil a level of awe and intrigue in the
drama. Asides or private conversations and soliloquy are used to
engage with the audience and became quite popular.

Iambic Pentameter with five two-syllable units or “feet” was the most
popular construction of the age. Use of Blank Verse without the iambic
pentameter was also used profusely in Elizabethan plays. It was usually
restricted to the characters of noble origins and aristocracy.