Commonwealth and

Restoration Period
 Questions
• I. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

1. What was the historical background of civil war between the royalist and
roundheads /or Why did the civil war happen in this period?
2. What did King James VI (James I) do when he became a new ruler for England?
3. Who is Charles I? What did he do in this period?
4. Who is Oliver Cromwell?
5. What was the major event which marked England as a Commonwealth?
6. Why was this period called as the commonwealth?
7. What Happen with drama in Commonwealth?
8. What did Puritan do with Drama, and Why?
9. What does puritan mean from the text?
10. What happen with Commonwealth after Cromwell died in 1658?
 Questions
• 11. What did Parliament do after Commonwealth collapsed?
12. What was the main event which marked the restoration?
13. Who holds the most of power in restoration period?
14. What was restoration? Or Why was this period called as restoration?
15. Who is King Charles I and King James II?
16. What was the main concern in restoration time?
17. Explain condition of England in Restoration!!
18. Explain Thomas Hobbes's theory of society which described the
society of Briitain afterthe restoration!!
 Questions
II. LITERATURE

19. What Kinds of Literature in this period?

20. What are the major theme/ topics/ or the main problem the authors used in their works in this period?
21. What does "satire" mean?
22. Who are the most famous figures/Writers in this period and their most popular works?
23. What kinds of drama did Authors use?
24. What does "the Comedy of Manner" mean? or Why was this play called as "the Comedy of Manner?
25. Can you distinguish between plays by Dryden & Shadwell and Shakespeare
26. What does "realism" mean from the passage?
27. What was the stage licensing act made for? Or why should the stage licensing act be made for drama in this period?

**WHAT WAS THE MAIN ISSUE IN THIS PERIOD WHICH INFLUENCES AUTHORS 'S WRITING???
(It was religious matter? or Social Problems? or Political Problems? or War? or Educational Problem? or what?)

***WHAT WAS THE FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE (ENGLISH) THEY USED IN THEIR WORKS?
(to influence? to educate? to critize? to lecture? to spread chrystianity? to persuade people for political purposes? or
WHAT??)
 Commonwealth and Restoration Period
I. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
A. THE COMMONWEALTH
- In this chapter, from historical background, we got two terms,
"commonwelath" and "restoration".
- This period was called as The commonwealth because the roundhead (with
Oliver Cromwell, as the leader of commonwealth) won the civil war (war
between Royal and Puritan) and excecuted King Charles I.
- commomwealth also could be called as REPUBLIC.
- This period was also considered as REVOLUTION in England.
- The most powerful in this period was PARLIAMENT.
 Commonwealth and Restoration Period
- the reason of civil war in this period: either King James VI or King Charles I (a son
of King James VI) made controversial Policies; King James VI wanted an absolute
monarch without Parliament; people must follow the teaching of the Church of
England (discrimination in religious freedom).
- the roundhead was the puritan ( the group of people who had a very strict
religious belief)
- in this Period, all theaters (Drama) were closed. Drama was considered as not
suitable for Christianity.
- after Cromwell died (1658), his son Lord Protector became successor of leader of
commonwealth. BUT, his son made commonwealth collapsed. So, to carry this big
problem for them, Parliament must invite Charles II (a son of Charles I) from France
to turn in England as a new King and to assist The Parliament control England.
 Commonwealth and Restoration Period
B. RESTORATION
- The return of King Charles II from France marked a restoration period.
- Restoration Period was the period when the Monarch was restored or authority of Royal was returned
by Parliament.
- BUT, in this Period, Parliament still had the most power or authority to control England.
- After King Charles II died (1685), his son King James II became the successor.
- King James II wanted the glorious or bloodless revolution of 1688. This Policiy reflected that English
people avoided revolution like commonwealth period.

- the SPIRIT of RESTORATION was marked with: avoiding revolution (without war, etc); new middle
class got their wealth grew adn stability; scientific advance; royal society was begun; the bank of
England was begun (1694)

- The society in restoration was marked with: strong state/strong government to prevent revolution; self
interest; the new middle classes.
 Commonwealth and Restoration Period
II. LITERATURE
-some authors used SATIRE as their style to criticize government and moral of society in this period.
- the major themes in their works are religious matter, love, marriage, and manner/moral/values in
society.
- Drama in this period was controlled by Parliament. All Plays must have "The Stage Licensing Act"
which was made by Parliament.

1. Poetry
Poetry in this period talked about: goverment in commonwealth and restoration; loving and war; God
and Satan; Adam and Eve; moral of society.

2. Prose
Prose in this period wrote in the form of Allegory; the set and the form of prose returned to the
medieval form (used religious matter)
 Commonwealth and Restoration Period
Poetry:
- Andrew Marvell: An Horatian Ode upon Cromwell’s Return from
England (1650) (theme: strong government)
- Richard Lovelace: ‘to Lucasta’ (1649) (about leaving his loved one in
order to go to war)
- *John Milton: (influenced by Latin writers); ‘on the morning of Chris’s
Navity (Navity =born); ‘paradise lost’(God and Satan; Adam and Eve)
- *John Dryden: wrote satirical poem; Heoric Stanza (praised Cromwell
on his death); His sacred Majesty (welcomed the return of the king in
1660)
 Commonwealth and Restoration Period
• Prose
- John Bunyan: ‘the Pilgrim’s Progress’ (an allegory) (a religious text; it’s
about the values of Christian faith and stability which are very
important for society)
 Commonwealth and Restoration Period
3. Drama
- Drama in this period was Comedy and Tragedy.
- Dryden: Comedy: Mariage a-la-mode (Fashionable Marriage); Tragedy: All
for Love
- Restoration comedy is also called “Comedy of Manner”
- “Comedy of Manner”: drama which is related to the manner and morals
of men and women who had returned with the King form France
- The new version of the plays of Shakespeare by Dryden and Shadwell.
The new version change the plot of tragedy with happy ending. In this
period, the tragedy plays could be called as heroic tragedy.
 Commonwealth and Restoration Period
- Drama in this period was controlled by Parliament. All Plays must have "The Stage Licensing Act" which
was made by Parliament.
- The Stage Licensing Act in Drama was made to prevent playwright making fun of politicians, religion,
and moral.
- This License was made because The Playwright/ the authors used the "REALISM" in their works.
- In literature, Realism was about how to show reality on stage.
- REALISM can create a bad moral if the themes/the subjects in some literary works talk about sex and
some other bad moral themes for Christianity.
- For example, the Literary works with Realism and with Sex as their subject will show the sex
performance or soem sexual action on the stage.
- For puritan/parliament, this is not suitable for Christianity.

IN THIS PERIOD, ENGLISH LANGUAGE WAS USED TO EXPRESS THEIR OPINION, THEIR CRITICIZE, OR
THEIR FEELING ABOUT REIGN/GOVERNMENT,PARLIAMENT, AND MORAL OF SOCIETY.