HANA KAPILA NATANIA

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5B

HISTORY OF ENGLISH AND LITERATURE

THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD

The word "Renaissance" comes from the Latin, that is, the word Re means back,
and naitre means birth. Renaissance means rebirth, reawakening or revival. The word
Renaissance can be interpreted as a transitional period between the Middle Age to the Modern
Age marked by the birth of new creations inspired by the ideas and cultures of classical Europe
of ancient Greece and Rome. The influences in development in art, literature, science, and
philosophy in Europe without exception in England especially in English literature. The
Renaissance was also a period of European revival from the dark period after the fall of
Constantinople in 1453, and at that time culture and science in Europe did not develop. The
Renaissance period has different characteristics and contrasts with the previous century in terms
of ways of thinking and has a great influence on the progress of the development of English
literature at that time and subsequent periods.

The Renaissance first appeared in Italy in the 15th century. French 19th-century historian Jules
Michelet extended this idea of a 'renaissance' from the Italian 15th century, the Quattrocento, to a
general cultural renewal in western Europe beginning earlier (Alexander, 76). After the fall of
Constantinople in 1453, Europeans felt a setback, so this period was called the Dark Ages for
Europeans because they were left behind by Asian and African nations. Greek scholars and
philosophers brought manuscripts to Italy. The classic manuscripts were then collected by
Petrarch, who was one of the earliest humanists and then elegantly printed by Aldus Matunius
(1449-1515). The Renaissance spread from 15th-century Italy to France, Spain and beyond. The
Northern Renaissance was, except in the Low Countries, more intellectual than artistic; it was set
back by the Reformation (Alexander, 76). The influence of Renaissance was truly felt in England
when in the last years of the 15th century during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I when the English
scholars who visited Italy at the time came back to England nourished on the Renaissance
humanism until 1603.

The Renaissance movement took over dogmatic church authority and old traditions. The
characteristics of the Renaissance people at that time were rational, humanist, individualistic,
innovative and biased toward secularism; a view that is concerned with worldly matters, not
religion. But it does not mean that they are against religion, because the works of this era even
adorn much church in Europe. The effects of the renaissance began to be felt during the reign of
Henry VIII in reign from 1509 to 1547. This began when Henry VIII was determined to end his
marriage to Catherine of Aragon. This is because Henry VIII, who did not have a son from his
six wives to succeed his throne. He only has one son and two daughters who became King
Edward VI, Queen Mary I, and Queen Elizabeth I. The need for the annulment of his first
marriage, to Catherine of Aragon, brought Henry into direct conflict with the Catholic church,
and with Pope Clement VII (1521–32) in particular (Carter & McRae, 46). His divorce did not
have the blessing of the Pope. Then, King Henry made a big revolutionary religious policy called
“Reformation”, which was the step taken by Henry VIII to end the government of the Catholic
church in England and reform the existing religious system. It has an impact on new ways of
thinking about beliefs, attitudes, and faith in religion. Now, for example, the King as ‘Defender
of the Faith’ was the closest human being to God – a role previously given to the Pope in Rome.
Now, England became Protestant, and the nation’s political and religious identity had to be
redefined (Carter & McRae, 46). This is one of the effects of the Renaissance, people in Europe
tried to put their position as human beings who were free to make their choices. Not part of a
group, therefore individualist attitudes also develop until nowadays.

Literature before the Renaissance had frequently offered ideal patterns for living which
were dominated by the ethos of the church, but after the Reformation, the search for individual
expression and meaning took over (Carter & McRae, 46). This relates to the attitude of
humanism and individuality which influences the writer's willingness to seek the meaning of real
life, as well as what humans can do through their strength and freedom in their lives. Besides, it
also relates to an increase in the writer's willingness to create writings that hang secularism such
as satire in the church. Poetry from the Italian Renaissance such as the sonnets of Petrarch, one
of the first humanists, influenced the poetry of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the Earl of Surrey, and Sir
Philip Sidney, among others (Jameadows). Petrarch wrote the sonnet of love aimed at his idol
ideal woman named Laura. The sonnets were one of the earliest sonnets of the period which
were later translated into English by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. The
sonnet Henry Howard was the first sonnet to introduce the use of rhyme schemes which were
later found in Shakespeare's sonnets. Other extraordinary sonnets of love are Sir Philip Sidney's
works, Astrophel and Stella and also Arcadia, which is romantic prose interspersed with many
poems and songs.

During the Renaissance period, the type of drama performed faded from religious
elements in contrast to the medieval period in which drama performances contained elements of
religious teaching. in the 1550s and 1560s was the beginning of developments in the drama
which resulted in new types of drama namely comedy and tragedy. in this type of drama all
elements such as form structure take precedence. and drama takes precedence or emphasis on the
purpose of entertaining. Both were derived from Latin sources: comedies from the works of
Terence and Plautus, tragedies mostly from Seneca, with echoes from Greek antecedents in both
cases. The medieval miracle and mystery plays, and the kind of court 'interludes' are played for
the monarch, also contributed to the development of Renaissance drama (Carter & McRae, 55).
in addition, there is also the debate drama The Four PP (palmer, pardoner, pothecary, and pedla),
by John Heywood, which originated in the early 1540s which contained realistic comedy. Other
Heywood works include The Play of the Weather (1533) where the main character is Jupiter
(Carter & McRae, 55).

The most prominent prose masterpiece in the form of romance in the 15th century was
Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur". this work perfects the mode of storytelling that was
originally oral. This romance revolves around the king Artur and his satrias. This work has a
very important role in the subsequent development of English literature because it is a source of
material and inspiration for famous poets in the future such as Shakespeare and Tennyson.
moreover, Sir Thomas Elyot (c.1490-1546) served Cardinal Wolsey; at Wolsey’s fall, he wrote
his Governor (1531), dedicated to Henry VIII. Its theme is the necessity for governors, and for
governors to be educated - in classical literature (Alexander, 87).

Literary works in the transitional period are not much different from medieval times.
William Tyndale's translation of the New Testament from Latin Greek to English, which was
very resistant to the people, was William Tyndale. Tyndale aims to make the Bible accessible to
anyone. He was a strong proponent of the view that people should be able to read the Bible in
their language and, accordingly, contributed much to the development of a plain, colloquial
English style (69). but the conflict resulted in the death of Tyndale, who was sentenced to death.
but after that, the Bible translation reappeared namely Coverdale Bible (1535) and Bishop's
Bible (1568). The most important and influential Bible was, however, the King James Bible,
published in 1611, and also known as the Authorized Version (Carter & McRae, 70).

All in all, the Renaissance period is a period that brings a great influence on the change of
mindset of Europeans, especially Britain. the concept of the renaissance ushered in Britain in the
progress of great development, especially in the fields of language and literature. This has
become an opening gate for the development of the English language and literature towards a
more modern era until now.

References

Alexander, Michael. A History of English Literature. 2000. 17 Sept 2019. <https://epdf.pub>

Jameadows. "What were the effects of the Renaissance on English literature?". eNotes Editorial.

14 May 2017. 8 Oct. 2019. https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-effects-

renaissance-english-literature-340122

Carter, Ronald, and John McRae. The Routledge History of Literature in English: Britain and

Ireland. London: Routledge, 2001. 8 Oct. 2019.

http://library.aceondo.net/ebooks/English_Language/the_routledge_history_of_literature_
in_english_britain_and_ireland_Ronald_carter.pdf