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The English Renaissance

Maciovan Rzvan

Draica Rzvan

Colegiul Naional Pedagogic

Regina Maria Deva

Coordinator teacher:

Bonta Alina

May 2017

Content

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1. The English Renaissance

2. Literature

3. William Shakespeare

4. Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare

5. Wars

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 1. The English Renaissance

The English Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement in England dating from the
late 15th to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that is
usually regarded as beginning in Italy in the late 14th century. As in most of the rest of northern
Europe, England saw little of these developments until more than a century later. The beginning
of the English Renaissance is often taken, as a convenience, to be 1485, when the Battle of
Bosworth ended the Wars of the Roses and inaugurated the Tudor Dynasty. Renaissance style and
ideas, however, were slow to penetrate England, and the Elizabethan era in the second half of the
16th century is usually regarded as the height of the English Renaissance.

The English Renaissance is different from the Italian Renaissance in several ways. The dominant
art forms of the English Renaissance were literature and music. Visual arts in the English
Renaissance were much less significant than in the Italian Renaissance. The English period began
far later than the Italian, which was moving into Mannerism and the Baroque by the 1550s or
earlier. In contrast, the English Renaissance can only truly be said to begin, shakily, in the 1520s,
and it continued until perhaps 1620.

We are going to divide this document in two big categories: Literature and War

2. Literature

In a tradition of literature remarkable for its exacting and brilliant achievements, the
Elizabethan and early Stuart periods have been said to represent the most brilliant century of all.
(The reign of Elizabeth I began in 1558 and ended with her death in 1603; she was succeeded by
the Stuart king James VI of Scotland, who took the title James I of England as well. English
literature of his reign as James I, from 1603 to 1625, is properly called Jacobean.) These years
produced a gallery of authors of genius, some of whom have never been surpassed, and conferred
on scores of lesser talents the enviable ability to write with fluency, imagination, and verve. From
one point of view, this sudden renaissance looks radiant, confident, heroicand belated, but all
the more dazzling for its belatedness. Yet, from another point of view, this was a time of unusually
traumatic strain, in which English society underwent massive disruptions that transformed it on

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every front and decisively affected the life of every individual. In the brief, intense moment in
which England assimilated the European Renaissance, the circumstances that made the
assimilation possible were already disintegrating and calling into question the newly won
certainties, as well as the older truths that they were dislodging. This doubleness, of new
possibilities and new doubts simultaneously apprehended, gives the literature its unrivaled
intensity.

England had a strong tradition of literature in the English vernacular, which gradually
increased as English use of the printing press became common by the mid 16th century. By the
time of Elizabethan literature a vigorous literary culture in both drama and poetry included poets
such as Edmund Spenser, whose verse epic The Faerie Queene had a strong influence on English
literature but was eventually overshadowed by the lyrics of William Shakespeare, Thomas Wyatt
and others. Typically, the works of these playwrights and poets circulated in manuscript form for
some time before they were published, and above all the plays of English Renaissance theatre were
the outstanding legacy of the period.

The English theatre scene, which performed both for the court and nobility in private
performances, and a very wide public in the theatres, was the most crowded in Europe, with a host
of other playwrights as well as the giant figures of Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare and Ben
Jonson. Elizabeth herself was a product of Renaissance humanism trained by Roger Ascham, and
wrote occasional poems such as On Monsieurs Departure at critical moments of her life.
Philosophers and intellectuals included Thomas More and Francis Bacon. All the 16th century
Tudor monarchs were highly educated, as was much of the nobility, and Italian literature had a
considerable following, providing the sources for many of Shakespeares plays. English thought
advanced towards modern science with the Baconian Method, a forerunner of the Scientific
Method. The language of the Book of Common Prayer, first published in 1549, and at the end of
the period the authorised Version (King James Version to Americans) of the Bible (1611) had
enduring impacts on the English consciousness.

The major literary figures in the English Renaissance include:

Francis Bacon
Francis Beaumont
George Chapman

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 Thomas Dekker
John Donne
John Fletcher
John Ford
Ben Jonson
Thomas Kyd
Christopher Marlowe
Philip Massinger
Thomas Middleton
Thomas More
Thomas Nashe
William Rowley
William Shakespeare
James Shirley
Philip Sidney
Edmund Spenser
John Webster
Thomas Wyatt
William Tyndale

. 3. William Shakespeare
Shakespeare occupies a position unique in world literature. Other poets, such as Homer
and Dante, and novelists, such as Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens, have transcended national
barriers; but no writers living reputation can compare to that of Shakespeare, whose plays, written
in the late 16th and early 17th centuries for a small repertory theatre, are now performed and read
more often and in more countries than ever before. The prophecy of his great contemporary, the
poet and dramatist Ben Jonson, that Shakespeare was not of an age, but for all time, has been
fulfilled.

Although the amount of factual knowledge available about Shakespeare is surprisingly

large for one of his station in life, many find it a little disappointing, for it is mostly gleaned from
documents of an official character. Dates of baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials; wills,

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conveyances, legal processes, and payments by the courtthese are the dusty details. There are,
however, many contemporary allusions to him as a writer, and these add a reasonable amount of
flesh and blood to the biographical skeleton.

His most famous work , is probably Romeo and Juliet , which is a tragedy written by
William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths
ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during
his lifetime and along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title
characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.

3. Sonnet 130

My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damaskd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

This sonnet compares the speakers lover to a number of other beautiesand never in the
lovers favor. Her eyes are nothing like the sun, her lips are less red than coral; compared to
white snow, her breasts are dun-colored, and her hairs are like black wires on her head. In the
second quatrain, the speaker says he has seen roses separated by color (damasked) into red and

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white, but he sees no such roses in his mistresss cheeks; and he says the breath that reeks from
his mistress is less delightful than perfume. In the third quatrain, he admits that, though he loves
her voice, music hath a far more pleasing sound, and that, though he has never seen a goddess,
his mistressunlike goddesseswalks on the ground. In the couplet, however, the speaker
declares that, by heavn, he thinks his love as rare and valuable As any she belied with false
comparethat is, any love in which false comparisons were invoked to describe the loved ones
beauty.

4. Wars
The Protestant Reformation (1517) began as a reform movement within the Catholic
Church, but ended as a revolution which brought religious pluralism to Europe. Both commercial
interests and intellectual curiosity led to the great voyages of discovery, which in turn led to a
fierce competition among European nations to establish colonies in farflung lands. Both religious
strife and political rivalries were important causes of the wars of this period.

The warfare of this period was affected by developing technologies:

- gunpowder (introduced to Europe in the mid 13th century)

- artillery (chiefly bombards used as siege weapons)

- muskets (a heavy, smoothbore gun fired from the shoulder, invented in the 15th century)

- rifles (guns having a rifled bore, invented in 1520)

In military terms, the period is perhaps best described as pike and shot, describing the
principal arms of the foot soldiers of the time. Tactics developed from the medieval mass to linear
deployments, due partly to the influence of Greek and Roman texts rediscovered and translated
during the period. The inability of the shot of the time to repel cavalry led to interesting battlefield
tactics. This era also covers the rise and fall of the popularity of the pike block.

During this period there were a lot of wars , and we are going to talk about 2 of them , the
most important ones , The Hundred Years' War and The Wars of the Roses

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 The Hundred Years' War (13371453)
-Conflict between the kings of France and England for control of France.

-Underlying Causes:

The English and French kings came into conflict because: The English held lands (the duchy of
Guienne) within France, and the French kings wished to dispossess the English and centralize
power. The French supported Scottish independence, opposing English interests. The growing
French domination of Flanders (hub of the cloth industry) threatened the English wool trade.

Edward III of England provokes the war by laying claim to the French crown. The Capetian
dynastry of France had died out with the passing of Charles IV in 1328. Edward made a claim to
the French throne by right of his mother's inheritance. However, the French courts reject
inheritance through the female line.

Battle of Sluis (1340). The English fleet engages and destroys the French fleet. Afterwards,
Edward assumes the title of King of France.

Battle of Crecy (1346). An outnumbered English army destroys the French cavalry through
superior tactics and use of the longbow. This victory leads to a long but successful siege of the
port of Calais, followed by an 8-year truce.

The Black Plague ravages Europe (1348-9), carried by black rats and fleas. In some areas,
nearly two thirds of the population will die.

The English ravage Languedoc (1354-5), meeting little opposition.

Battle of Poitiers (Maupertuis) (1356). Edward's eldest son, the Black Prince, leads the
army which crushes the French army near Poitiers. The French king and a thousand of his knights
are taken prisoner. Civil war erupts in France.

The Treaty of Bretigny (1360) brings this phase of the war to an end. Edward renounces
his claim to the French throne, but receives Guienne, Ponthieu, and Calais. The French pay a
ransom for the return of King John. The Black Death returns to England and France in 1861.

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 French king John II dies in English captivity (1364). He had been ransomed in return for
the captivity of three sons, but when one of his sons escaped, John was honorbound to return.

Harsh English taxes in Aquitaine lead to a revolt in 1369, prompting Charles V of France
to renew the war.

Battle of La Rochelle (1372). The French defeat the English, aided by a Castilian fleet
which blocks English shipping. In 1371, the Black Death strikes England for the third time.

The French general Bertrand Du Guesclin wins back all but a few seaports. The senility of
King Edward hobbles English resistance. An English raid by John of Gaunt (1373) accomplishes
little. The Treaty of Bruges (1375) brings a temporary halt to the war. A peace is concluded in
1396, as King Richard II of England marries the daughter of Charles VI of France. Louis, duc
d'Orleans, attacks England's French possessions (1406). This leads to his assassination,
precipitating a French civil war between the Burgundians (pro-English) and Orleanists (anti-
English).

The Black Death strikes London again (1407). War resumes in 1415, as Henry V of
England lands in France. The French king is insane, and France is split between rival factions.
Henry allies with the Burgundians, with the objective of unifying England and France under a
single crown.

Battle of Agincourt (1415). An English army (6,000 archers, 1,000 men-at-arms, plus a
few thousand footmen) defeats a French army five times its size. Again, the longbow prevails over
French cavalry. Among the French dead are 3 dukes, 5 counts, 90 barons, and 5,000 knights.

In a three-year campaign, Henry conquers Normandy. The Treaty of Troyes (1420)

recognizes Henry V as heir to the French throne, and arranges his marriage to the French princess.

In 1422, King Henry V dies of dysentery. French king Charles VI also dies. Young Henry
VI is proclaimed king of England and France. The king's uncle, John of Lancaster, resumes the
war against the dauphin (eldest son of the former French king).

Battle of Verneuil (1424). The English defeat a French-Scottish army. The Siege of Orleans
(1828-9). English forces besiege Orleans, the last stronghold of the dauphin. However, a shepherd

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girl comes to Charles VII with the news that heavenly powers have ordered her to deliver the city.
He gives her a small army, and Joan of Arc (Jeanne D'Arc) liberates Orleans.

Battle of Patay (1429). Joan of Arc defeats the English at Patay, but is unsuccessful in her
siege of Paris.

Joan of Arc persuades the dauphin to reject the Treaty of Troyes. He is crowned Charles
VII, King of France.

In 1430, Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians, and given to their allies the English.
Charles VII makes no effort to save her. She is tried by an ecclesiastical court, then burned at the
stake in Rouen (1431).

John of Lancaster dies (1435), depriving England of its best field commander. The
Burgundians switch sides, allying with Charles VII.

The French retake Paris (1436). The English take Harfleur (1440). The French conquer the
English possessions in southwest France (1442), with the exception of Bayonne and Bordeaux.
Charles VII renews the war in 1448, taking Maine. Battle of Formigny (1450). A French triumph,
completing the reconquest of Normandy. Battle of Castillon (1453). John Talbot, the Earl of
Shrewsbury, lands with 3,000 men. The Bordelais rise to his support, but John is killed and his
army defeated at Castillon. The Bordelais surrender to the French. This is the last battle of the
Hundred Years War.

Consequences of the War:

Both England and France gain national identities. The French create their first standing
army (1445), 20 companies of royal cavalry. The creation of professional armies (and the hiring
of mercenaries) prompts further taxation. The superiority of the longbow leads to the demise of
feudalism. The English become anti-French, a situation which continues until WWI. The English
nobility renounce the French language in favor of English. The English, barred from the Continent,
have no choice but to create an overseas empire.

The Wars of the Roses

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 The Wars of the Roses were a series of wars for control of the throne of England fought
between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the House of
Lancaster (associated with a red rose), and the House of York (whose symbol was a white rose).
The conflict lasted through many sporadic episodes between 1455 and 1487; however, there was
fighting before and after this period between the houses. The power struggle ignited around social
and financial troubles following the Hundred Years' War, combined with the mental infirmity and
weak rule of Henry VI which revived interest in Richard, Duke of York's claim to the throne.
Historians disagree about whether the Wars of the Roses were caused by the structural problems
of bastard feudalism or Henry VI's ineffectiveness as king.

Bibliography

The Complete works of Skakespeare, Oxford University Press, 1998.

Dragos Protopopescu, Shakespeare, Viata si opera, Eurosong Book, 1998

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 Sitography

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-sun-sonnet-130

http://people.umass.edu/eng2/per/renaissance.html

http://www.uh.edu/~djudkins/life_in_renaissance_england.htm

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