The Renaissance: Literature, Theater, and Ideology

TEMA 3

TEMA 3 Renaissance 1: The decline of the M.A, divided in: The end of the 100 years war, the peasant revolts and church schism. The beginning of the new period in Europe: technological development like printing press, discovery of America, military development. In England: Tudor dynasty, the break with Rome, union between Wales and England (1536).

Humanism:

Reaction against M.A., the classical as models, critical attitude towards the court, centrality of man -> heliocentrism, ideal renaissance man -> justice, prudence, honor, pledge, foundation of universities, education is central, interest in man history...

The Reformation:

The Catholics vs. Protestants. - Theological issues: Basis of Salvation. - Protestantism: faith + free interpretation of the Bible + good deeds and everyday actions. - Catholicism: Good deeds and everyday actions > faith + Bible should be interpreted by those who know how to.

The Sonnet:

14 lines, 10 syllables each line with iambic pentameter, unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable -> Repeated 5 times. Italian: 8(4+4) + 6(3+3) / ABBA ABBA + CDC CDC.

Petrarchan Version of Courtly Love:

1) The Lady: idealized love object. Set of stereotypes and conventions: - moral beauty: angelic, almighty -> perfection, object of desire. - Physical beauty: parts compared to precious objects, skin, neck, lips, hair... 2) Spiritual vs. physical love: turning-point in the treatment of this conflicts, earthly side is not erased (humanism). 3) Lady is cruel and distant: unrequited love. 4) Lady's absence: pain at a lost + opportunity to express love. 5) Passage of time: destructive, yet not always. 6) Mythological references: not infrequent. 7) Concert: being in love = war, struggle.

Sir Thomas Wyatt:

Wrote poems within the traditional Courtly Love, opened English poetry to external influences, the first one using the English sonnet, Petrarchan themes and stylistic features, irregular rhyme scheme -> reduce Italian sonnet modal vs. Surrey: regular English sonnet model.

Material Conditions Theatre:

Important way to learn, central cultural institution, it was considered as a business, politically relevant, different from medieval theatre. Playwrights; they became quite successful and popular: William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe.

Poetics: Shakespeare Concerns:

1) The subject: - The man and the mask showed in Richard II. The metaphysical expression of wearing a mask assuming a new personality, related with the question of identity. - The conflict roles: shown in the character of Desdemona in Othello. 2) Education: specially shown in Hamlet, he himself is not better than the man he is punishing. 3) Law, Revenge and Justice: shown in The Merchant of Venice. 4) Legitimacy: of Tudor ideology in Richard II. 5) Question of order: - the unity of nation, social order and cosmic order, outcast (the witches in Macbeth).

Tudor Ideology:

Was highly concerned with social order and monarchy. They were strict and traditional and highly conservative about the idea of society; they differed a hierarchical idea of order according to which lower states of society should obey their superiors. The social structure is organized by God -> social differences were part of God's plans.

Comedy:

Begin in troubles and end happily, there were music, songs etc, frequently at the end. Two types: - Romantic: difficulties of young couples in love till the obstacles are removed. - Satiric: later dramatic comedies, they attacked the vices and defects of the society.

Tragedies:

Opposite of comedies; begin merrily and happily and end bad -> Death is the final. Around the irreversible fall of someone great. Causes; external - to hero, fortune or bad luck. - Internal.