内容

I. Introduction to Renaissance

1. Definition of Renaissance

2. Features of Renaissance

3. Humanism

II. English Renaissance

1. Introduction to English Renaissance

2. Representative figures in literature

 (1)Thomas More

 (2)Christopher Marlowe

Module 3-Unit 1 Thomas More and Christopher Marlow PPT 图片来源

1. 托马斯 · 莫尔

http://wga.hu

2. 克里斯托弗 · 马洛 1

http://famousauthors.org

3. 克里斯托弗 · 马洛 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Marlowe

4. 牧羊人恋歌

http://celebrating-humanity.wikispaces.com

讲义

I. Introduction to Renaissance

1. Definition of Renaissance

The term Renaissance was first used in 1855 by French historian Jules Michelet. Literally it means rebirth. And it is also called the revival of learning.

Renaissance is a political and cultural epoch. It is commonly applied to the movement or period which marks the transition from the medieval to the modern world in Western Europe . The origin of Renaissance began in Italy in the 14th century and spread to the rest of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. In this period, the feudal society of the Middle Ages (5th century to 15th century) was transformed into a society dominated by central political institutions, with an urban, commercial economy and patronage of education, the arts, and music.

2. Features of Renaissance

First, in politics, it is characterized by Centralization of power, for Renaissance theorists such as Machiavelli think that the central task of government was to maintain security and peace, not preserve liberty and justice.

Second, in religion, it features the church reformation. As a result of Reformation, the Catholic Church was either replaced by Protestantism like in Germany and England or weakened in its dictatorship over men's minds like in Italy and France and Spain .

Third, in geography, it has new discoveries and expansion. The Geographical discoveries opened up colonial expansion and trade routes to other parts of the world. And it brought back gold and silver and other wealth. Most importantly it also broadened men's mental horizons.

The fourth feature of Renaissance lies in the bankruptcy of peasantry. In the middle ages, the peasants in the countryside were terribly exploited for a very long period of time. During the Renaissance period, they weren't obedient to the exploitation. Instead, they rose in uprisings or ran away and flocked to the cities, and became proletariat there. It signaled the bankruptcy of peasantry.

And the next aspect featuring the Renaissance is the emergence of bourgeoisie and proletariat. In the cities the merchants and the master artisans grew both in wealth and power.   And they became the bourgeoisie, and their handicraft gradually turned into manufacture.   Meanwhile the modern proletariat appeared/sprang up among the employed workers in the factories.

And in the field of history, there is also a significant break with tradition. Because Renaissance historians rejected the medieval Christian views of history. Studies such as the Florentine History (1525) of Niccolò Machiavelli revealed a secular view of time and a critical attitude toward sources. This secular view was expressed by many Renaissance thinkers known as humanists.

Last but not least, Humanism, the keynote of Renaissance was another cultural break with medieval tradition; under its ideas scholars valued classical texts on their own terms, not merely justifications of Christianity. The study of ancient literature, history, and moral philosophy was also intended to produce free and educated citizens, rather than priests and monks. Classical manuscripts such as the dialogues of Greek philosopher Plato and the works of the Greek dramatists were rediscovered and critically edited for the first time.

3. Humanism

Humanism emphasizes on the expansion of human capacities miracle. In other words, it believes that man is the measure of all things. Additionally, it attaches great importance to the dignity of human beings and the present life. It is fully convinced that human beings were glorious creatures and man has the right to pursue personal happiness, knowledge and wealth. In a word, as the core of Renaissance, Humanism highlights the greatness of man. This can be clearly seen in the lines of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

“What a piece of work is man; how noble in reason; how infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable; in action how like an angel; in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals.”

人是一件多么了不起的杰作！多么高贵的理性！多么伟大的力量！多么优美的仪表！多么文雅的举动！在行为上多么像一个天使！在智慧上多么像一个天神！宇宙的精华！万物的灵长！ (quotation 1)

II. English Renaissance

1. Introduction to English Renaissance

In England , Renaissance did not begin to show its effect until the reign of Henry VIII. (1509-1547). Under the reign of Henry VIII, England 's separation from the Continent and its domestic unrest contributed to the appearance of Renaissance. Encouraged by Henry VIII, the Oxford reformers, scholars and humanists introduced classical literature to England . Besides, education was revitalized and thus, literature became more popular.

It's worth mentioning that, from the beginning of the 16th century, the English Renaissance witnessed the vigorous development of literature, such as the translation of ancient English, Italian and French works, as well as classical works of Greece and Rome; the flowering of sonnets. However, the highest glory of the English renaissance is its drama. Renaissance period was England 's golden age in literature. And during this Golden age, many literary giants appeared, such as Thomas More, William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Philip Sidney, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon and Ben Johnson. Today I will talk about in detail one of the best representatives of the English humanists.

2. Representative figures in literature

(1)Thomas More

Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), is a great English statesman and writer. He is best known for his intelligence and devotion to the Catholic Church. And his religious stance against King Henry VIII put him at odds with his one-time friend King Henry VIII. In the end, the king had More beheaded, for More refused to support Henry's request for a divorce from Catherine of Aragón. By the way, More's devotion to Catholic Church paid off in 1935. That year, he was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.

Utopia

In terms of literary works, he is undoubtedly a prolific writer. But Thomas More was chiefly remembered for his masterpiece— Utopia (written in 1515).  

The book Utopia , is written in the form of a conversation between More and a returned solider. It can be further divided into 2 books. The two books contrast each other.

Book I is more or less a realistic reflection of the English society of More's age. In this part, social evils of the early 16th century England are exposed and attacked. The division between the rich and the poor was quite wide. And those in power practiced unethical and self-serving politics.

In the second book, an ideal society is presented in the form of Utopia . It is more significant. And it is a valuable document of utopian socialism. Besides, it is well linked up with BOOK I. this kind of coherence can be seen in the following example. At the end of the first part, the cause of all the social evils in England is presented. That is the existence of private property. Well, in the second part, More points out that the abolition of private property is the foundation of the ideal society. Therefore, although BOOK I and BOOK II depict totally different pictures to us. They are closely connected to each other in structure as well as in content.

When you read Utopia , you will be exposed to an ideal society. Now will you please close your eyes? I will share something with you in that ideal society.

Limitations of Utopia

In spite of Utopia 's far-reaching significance, it is by no means perfect. There are some limitations about this.

First, the world described in Utopia is ideal world without any sound and solid political, economic and social foundation. Second, he was indifferent to slaves and mercenary soldiers and he showed contempt for physical labor. Third, there are some contradictions in his world outlook of his own ideas and things reflected from the book

Here, I spend some time analyzing the limitations of More's Utopia . The point is that I want you to cultivate the habit of critical thinking. I hope you can become an active language learner instead of accepting everything as it is. As long as you have solid evidence, you can argue with me or make critical comments on the literary works.

(2)Christopher Marlowe

Significance of Christopher Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe is considered as the greatest English dramatist before William Shakespeare. He greatly advanced tragedy as an English dramatic form. He was also the first English playwright to write in blank verse. Blank verse was extensively used in the poems of the Renaissance period. In the 16th century, there was a group of late 16th century English playwrights. They were educated at the universities of Oxford or Cambridge and were called “University Wits”( 大学才子派 ) and Marlow was one of the members.  

Works by Christopher Marlowe

Marlowe is famous for dramas. Now it is known as the Marloesque or one-man type of tragedy, each focuses on one central personality who is destroyed by the lust of power. His plays praised individuality from the medieval ideas, and he confirmed the possibility of human efforts to conquer the world. But their individuality often brings destruction to the world and themselves.

As we have said, Marlow mainly wrote dramas, here are the four dramas that he was famous for.  

1. Tamburlaine ( 《帖木儿大帝》 : in this drama, Marlow explores the ambition for power through military forces. It voiced the supreme desire of the Renaissance for infinite power and authority.   

2. Doctor Faustus( 浮士德博士的悲剧 ): this drama is based on German legend. It is centered on the battle between good and evil in Faustus's mind. It celebrates the human passion for knowledge, power and happiness; also, it reveals the frustrations to realize one's ambition in an hostile social order.

3. The Jews of Malta

4. Edward the Second

Appreciation of the poem by Marlowe

Apart from the dramas, Marlowe also wrote some poems very beautiful and passionate poems. The Passionate Shepherd to His Love （《深情牧羊人致心爱的人》） 1is one of them. It is the most famous lyric in the Elizabethan age; it shows the tender and romantic side of Marlow's poetry. It expresses naivety and purity of love. At last, let's finish our class by appreciating an excerpt from Marlow's poem The Passionate Shepherd to His Love. Try to imagine you are the Shepherd, you are expressing your love to a girl. You and use your heart to feel the deep emotions in the poems.  

Come live with me, and be my love,

来吧，和我生活在一起，做我的爱人

And we will all the pleasures prove.

在这里我们将快乐无边

That hills and valleys, dales and fields,

这里有俊俏秀丽的山峦

Woods or steepy mountain yields.

还有风光明媚的山谷田园

And we will sit upon the rocks,

在那边我俩坐在山岩上

Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks.

看牧羊人喂养可爱的羔羊

By shallow rivers, to whose falls

在浅浅的小溪旁

Melodious birds sing madrigals.

鸟儿随着潺潺流水把爱情歌唱

The shepherd-swains shall dance and sing,

牧羊少年们在每个五月的早晨，

For they delight each May morning.

将为你纵情误导，高歌如云

If these delights thy mind may move,

假如这些换了能打动你的心，

Then live with me, and be my love.

来吧，和我生活在一起，做我的爱人

资源下载

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扩展学习

English Renaissance

The Renaissance was a European phenomenon. It had its origin in north Italy in the fourteenth century, and spread northward to other European countries—to France, to Germany, to the Low Countries, and lastly to England. It revived the study of Roman and Greek classics and marked the beginning of bourgeois revolution. During the period of English Renaissance England enjoyed stability and prosperity. It became the strong power in the world and the mistress on the seas. The English Renaissance encouraged the Reformation of the Church. English King, Henry VIII, who started the Reformation, declared the break with Rome and became head of the English Church. Thus Catholicism was got rid of in England. Protestantism was established.

The increasing of cloth industry stimulated the greed of the moneyed classes to seize more and more land out of the hand of the peasants. This is known as the Enclosure Movement. As a result of the movement, thousands upon thousands of peasants lost their land and became hired laborers for the merchants.

In the Renaissance Period, scholars and educations who called themselves Humanists began to emphasize the capacities of the human mind and the achievements of human culture, in contrast to the medieval emphasis on God and contempt for the things of this world. So humanism became the keynote of English Renaissance.

English Renaissance is usually divided into three periods:

1) The first period called the beginning of the Renaissance started in 1516 and came into an end in 1578.

2) The second period knows as the flowering time of the Renaissance was from 1578 to 1625.

3) The third period between 1625 and 1660 is the epilogue of the Renaissance.

In the second period, Queen Elizabeth ruled the country. For this reason it is also called Elizabethan Period. William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright of England, lived in the Elizabethan Period. So in the history of English literature, this period is often referred to as the Age of William Shakespeare.

English Literature in the Renaissance Period

English Literature in the Renaissance Period is usually regarded as the highlight in the history of English literature. In the second period of English Renaissance, that is, in Elizabethan Period, English literature developed with a great speed and made a magnificent achievement. The greatest and most distinctive achievement of Elizabethan literature is the drama. Thus appeared a group of excellent dramatists. They are John Lyly, Thomas Lyd, George Peele, Robert Greene, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. Next to the drama is the Lyrical Poetry. Elizabethan Poetry is remarkable for its variety, its freshness, its youthfulness and its romantic feeling. A group of great poets appeared, and a large number of noble poetry was produced. In that period, writing poetry became a fashion. Queen Elizabeth herself was a poet. She suggested subjects and rewarded poets. Her ministers and courtiers obeyed her example and tried to rival each other in shaping beautiful verses. The gentry, as a matter of fact, also followed the example; and after the gentry, all educated people. The universities made themselves particularly busy with poetry. England then became “a nest of singing birds”. The famous poets of that period were Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard, Philip Sydney and Edmond Spenser. Since English Renaissance Period was an age of poetry and drama, and was not an age of prose. There were not so many prose writers. In the beginning period, the great humanist, Thomas More, wrote his famous prose work “Utopia”, which maybe thought of as the first literary masterpiece of the English Renaissance. In Elizabethan Period, Francis Bacon wrote more than fifty excellent essays, which make him one of the best essayists in English literature.