UNIT 3:

15th - 17th CENTURY ENGLISH RENAISSANCE

M.A Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung

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 WARMING UP

Look at the picture. Who is this?

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 OBJECTIVES

After the lesson, the student will

• Gain some knowledge about the English Renaissance
• Identify the traits of the three Renaissance periods

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 OVERVIEW

3.1 Renaissance - Historical background

3.2 Early Renaissance (15th century)

3.3 Renaissance peak (16th century)

3.4 Late Renaissance (17th century)

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 3.1. RENAISSANCE – HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The term
Renaissance = Re + naissance
• Re: (Latin) again, back to the original
• Naissance: (Latin) nasci: be born
→ Rebirth

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 3.1. RENAISSANCE – HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Political and social changes

• Feudalism since Norman times: (1st century) declined.
• Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
→ England was “between 2 worlds, one is dead, the other powerless to be born”.
• Economic development, population growth, consciousness of national life.

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 3.1. RENAISSANCE – HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Religious conflict
• Roman Catholic church dominated Great Britain since 2nd century.
▪ Bible written in Latin vulgate → priests interpreted.
• Protestantism appeared in 16th century.
▪ Bible written in English → common people interpreted.
→ Differences in beliefs

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 3.1. RENAISSANCE – HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Scientific development
• Astronomy: Galilei, Bruno, Copernicus.
• Geography: The New World (America) – Columbus; The first circumnavigation of the Earth – Magellan.
• Printing press – Caxton.

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 3.1. RENAISSANCE – HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Three periods:
• Early Renaissance (15th century)
• Renaissance Peak (16th century)
• Late Renaissance (1st half of 17th century)

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 3.2. EARLY RENAISSANCE (15TH CENTURY)

Humanism
• Moral & political views based on actual, worldly existence of Man, his development, life and happiness.
• Pivotal philosophy
• Putting forth the slogan of liberty, equality and fraternity for all people
• First step in the development of humanism.
• Example: Utopia (Thomas Moore) - fictional, satirical.

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 3.2. EARLY RENAISSANCE (15TH CENTURY)

Humanism
Essential principles of Renaissance humanism:
• Emancipating the individual from the intellectual fetters of the Middle Ages
• Restoring the earthly, atheistic world to Man and society
• Denying the prestige of the Church
• Defending freedom of thoughts
• Doing away with class boundaries
• Example: Utopia (Thomas Moore) – an image of an equal, free and
democratic society where there was no exploitation of man by man

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 3.2. EARLY RENAISSANCE (15TH CENTURY)

The introduction of sonnet

• Wyatt & Surrey.
• A poem – a single theme.
• Structure: 14 lines connected metrically by an interlocking scheme.
• Stanzas: Italian Sonnet: An octave (8 lines) + a sestet (6 lines) OR English ( Shakespearean) sonnet: 3
quartrain (4 lines) + a couplet (2 lines).

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 3.2. EARLY RENAISSANCE (15TH CENTURY)

The introduction of sonnet

• Which type of sonnet is this? Read the poem and try to guess how it rhymes?
• Sonnet 18

...
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
…

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 3.2. EARLY RENAISSANCE (15TH CENTURY)

The introduction of sonnet

• Answer: Shakespearean sonnet, The rhyme scheme: ABAB – CDCD – EFEF –GG

...
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? (A)
But thy eternal summer shall not fade (E)
Thou art more lovely and more temperate: (B)
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; (F)
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, (A)
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade, (E)
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: (B)
When in eternal lines to time thou growest: (F)
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, (C)
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, (G)
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; (D)
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. (G)
And every fair from fair sometime declines, (C)
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d; (D)
…

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 3.3. RENAISSANCE PEAK (16TH CENTURY)

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

• 1588: arrival at the theatre.
• Maturity of Renaissance movement.
• Idol of the Age and the idol of all time.

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 3.3. RENAISSANCE PEAK (16TH CENTURY)

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

• William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English poet, playwright & actor,
widely regarded as both the greatest writer in English language and
one of the world’s greatest dramatists of all times.
• Works: 39 plays, 154 sonnets, poems, verses
• Can you name some of his works?

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 3.4. LATE RENAISSANCE (17TH CENTURY)

After Shakespeare’s death, Renaissance in England was on a decline:

• Humanism → Puritanism (bourgeoisie) → English Bourgeoisie revolution.
• Result: Royal power (monarchy) + Parliament.

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 3.4. LATE RENAISSANCE (17TH CENTURY)

John Milton (1608-1674) – the last word of the English Renaissance

• Famous work: Paradise’s lost.
• Characters: God, Satan, Adam, Eva.
• Milton sympathized with Adam and Eva.
• Milton expressed faith in Man.

Milton was the last word of the English Renaissance. In him the splendor of
the Renaissance flamed up into a magnificent sunset, and like the sunset,
was touched by a grave and pensive beauty which was peculiarly its own

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 SUMMARY

The lesson covers some main points:

• The context of English Renaissance.
• Three main periods of English Renaissance.
• Some characteristics and famous artists of the age.

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