Renaissance period (1500 – 1660)

Renaissance is a French word means rebirth. Renaissance means the Revival of Learning, and it denotes
in its broadest sense the gradual enlightenment of the human mind after the darkness of the Middle
Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the Renaissance
promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy of ancient Greek and roman period , literature and art.
Some of the greatest thinkers, authors, statesmen, scientists and artists in human history thrived during
this era, while global exploration opened up new lands and cultures to European commerce. The
Renaissance is credited with bridging the gap between the Middle Ages and modern-day civilization.it
started as a cultural movement in the late medieval period and later spread to the rest of period. That
era, People had lost the faith in the church and began to put more focus on human beings. The
Renaissance Period in English literature is also called the Elizabethan Period or the Age of Shakespeare.

With the fall of Constantinople in 1453 A.D. by the invasion of the Turks, the Greek scholars who were
residing there, spread all over Europe, and brought with them invaluable Greek manuscripts. The
discovery of these classical models resulted in the Revival of Learning in the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries. The essence of this movement was that ―man discovered himself and the universe‖, and that
―man, so long blinded had suddenly opened his eyes and seen‖. The flood of Greek literature which the
new art of printing carried swiftly to every school in Europe revealed a new world of poetry and
philosophy. Along with the Revival of Learning, new discoveries took place in several other fields.
Vascoda Gama circumnavigated the earth; Columbus discovered America; Copernicus discovered the
Solar System and prepared the way for Galileo. Books were printed, and philosophy, science, and art
were systematized. The middle Ages were past, and the old world had become new.

Background(middle ages)

Basically Europe was recovering from the Dark ages(During the Middle Ages, a period that took place
between the fall of ancient Rome in 476 A.D. and the beginning of the 14th century, Europeans made
few advances in science and art.

Also known as the “Dark Ages,” the era is often branded as a time of war, ignorance, famine
and pandemics such as the Black Death.

Some historians, however, believe that such grim depictions of the Middle Ages were greatly
exaggerated, though many agree that there was relatively little regard for ancient Greek and Roman
philosophies and learning at the time.

Characteristics:

Rise of Hellenism (related to Greek mythology):

Hellenism means a passionate love for everything Greek including Greek mythology.
Diffusion of new learning: the study of classical writers of ancient Rome and Greece were studied with
great interest. These authors changed the outlook of the people. The renaissance paid the attention to
this world and its things.

Rise of humanism: during the 14th century, the philosophy of humanism began to emerge in Italy.
Humanism emphasizes that man is the center of the universe and that all human achievements in art,
literature, and science should be regarded. Instead of relying on the will of god, people began to act
according to capabilities.

Emphasis on individualism: the Greek literature left a deep mark of wordiness and individualism on the
renaissance. Marlowe’s plays like Edward 2, Dr Faustus are the fine example of individualistic characters.

Re-birth of feeling, sympathy and pity, and patriotism.

The Reformation of church during the time of Henry. The effect of reformation can be found in the work
of Spence, Shakespeare, and Milton etc. Spencer presented the best trends of reformation in the Fairy
Queen.

An age of drama The Elizabethan age is the age of Drama during this age drama made a wonderful
jump in to maturity. The university wits like Robert Green, George Peele , Thomas Lodge and the
greatest them Christopher Marlow made the drama a glorious and successful entertainment for the
people. The drama reached at the heights in the hands of Shakespeare and Ben Johnson.

Invention of printing press

Major writers

Renaissance art was characterized by realism and naturalism. Artists strived to depict people and objects
in a true-to-life way.

Renaissance writers wrote in vernacular and about people and life rather than about God and set many
trends that are still used today by modern writers.

They used techniques, such as perspective, shadows and light to add depth to their work. Emotion was
another quality that artists tried to infuse into their pieces.

Type literature

The dominant forms of English literature during the Renaissance were the poem and the drama. Among
the many varieties of poetry one might have found in sixteenth century England were the lyric, the
elegy, the tragedy, and the pastoral.

The use of figurative language is a central characteristic of Renaissance poetry. Poets utilized devices
such as alliteration, simile, personification, and metaphor to express themselves in their work. For
example, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey uses extensive alliteration in his poem
Christopher Marlowe: He was an English playwright and poet. He lived and worked in the late 1500s, a
period when Renaissance drama was blossoming in England. His short life was packed with adventure,
mystery, and violence. His works are Tamburlaine, the massacre at Paris, doctor fastus, the jew of malta,
etc.

 William Shakespeare: William Shakespeare was the greatest writer of the era born in 1564. He was
an actor and a poet but is best known for his plays. He also wrote tragedies and comedies, and
Shakespeare became one of the most well-known playwrights in England. Some plays he is well
known for are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, and Henry V.

 Comedy and tradedy

 John Donne: he was a metaphysical poet and preacher. he had a greater influence on later writers
than John Donne. His intelligence, unique style, sophistication, and poetic skill inspired poets for
generations after him.his works are divine poems, deaths duell, songs and sonnets, the flea, the sun
rising, the good morrow.

 Conclusion

 Renaissance means the revival of learning and it denotes in its broadest sense the gradual
enlightenment of the human mind after the darkness of the Middle Ages. Religion was dominant in
this era so most of the literary work was mainly depicting religious themes.