historical background of the renaissance.docx

historical background of the renaissance.docx

《historical background of the renaissance.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《historical background of the renaissance.docx（12页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

historicalbackgroundoftherenaissance

I.HistoricalbackgroundoftheRenaissance

1.      HistoricaleventsaffectingthemakingofEnglishliteratureofthetime:

1）     HenryVIIthekingcametothepowerin1485,whichbegananewepochofunificationanddevelopment;

2）     HenryVIII’sbreakwiththeRomeCatholicsin1533,whichpavedthewayforaliberalandrapiddevelopment;

3）     VictoryoverSpainbydefeatingSpanishArmadain1588,whichpavedthewayforEnglishmentosearchtreasureandterritoryallovertheworld;

4）     CharlesI’ssucceedingtothecrownin1625andhisharshtreatmentwiththeparliamentgavebirthtothePuritanRevolution.

2.      EconomicalfactshavingimpactonthedevelopmentofEnglishliteratureofthetime:

1）      Themovement“SheepDevouredMen”;

2）      Withtheexpansionofitsterritoryandendlesstreasurefromthecolonies,Englisheconomyobtainfavorableconditionsandsufficientcapitalandresourcestodevelopitsindustryandtobuildcities.

3.      CulturalfactsaffectingthepracticeofEnglishliterature:

1）      TheEuropeanRenaissanceandthecompromisebetweentheroyalandtheparliamentin1688;

2）      JamesIauthorizedthepublicationofthebible,whichbridgedChristianitywiththecommonpeopleandsetupabasisforastableideology;

3）      ThePuritanRevolutionandtherevolutionarythoughtsofthePuritanspioneeredawayforreformsandrevolution,whichestablishedatraditionforlaterprogressandchanges.

II.CharacteristicsoftheRenaissance

1.      Thewordmeans“rebirth”.ItmeantthereintroductionofthefullculturalheritageofGreeceandRome.TheintellectualwisdomofancientGreeceandRomeencouragedarebirthofhumanspirit,arealizationofhumanpotentialfordevelopmentandcreation.

2.      TheessenceoftheRenaissancespirit:

Humanism.Itistheideathatmanhasapotentialforculture.Peoplewerewonderfulcreaturesthatcouldreasonandcreate.“Manisthemeasureofallthings”,andhehadthecapacitytounderstandtheuniverseandforcesofnature.Hecouldcontrolhisowndestiny.

III.Mainfigures:

EdmundSpenser（1552-1599）,ChristopherMarlowe（1564-1599）,WilliamShakespeare（1564-1616）,FrancisBacon（1561-1626）,andBenJonson（1572-1637）.

1.      EdmundSpenser’smaincontributioncanbeseeninpoetry.Thatiswhysometimesheiscalledas“poet’spoet”.HismasterpieceisTheFaerieQueene（《仙后》），whichwasdedicatedtoQueenElizabeth.HisprominenceliesinhissonnetandstanzawhichwerenamedafterhimasSpenserianSonnetandSpenserianStanza,particularlythelatterwaspractisedbysomefamouspoetsinEnglishliterature,ByronforexampleinhislongpoemChildeHarold’sPilgrimage.

2.      ChristopherMarlowewasageniuswhodiedyoungandhewasoneofthe“UniversityWits”.Hiscontributioniswitnessedindrama,thefamousonesareTamburlaine（1588）,Dr.Faustus（1589）andTheJewofMalta（1590）,probablyfromwhichShakespearegotsomeinspirationsforhiswriting.AnditissaidthatMarlowesuccessfullyemployedBlankverseinhisdrama,whichbecamealmostanestablishedformindramafromthenon.

3.      BenJonsonwasanothergeniusduringthattime.HewasovershadowedbyShakespeareinhistorybutvirtuallyenjoyedmuchmorefameamongtheircontemporariesthanthelatteratthattime.SoafterShakespeare,hewasadmiredbyagroupofpoetswhofeltproudofbeingcalledas“SonsofBen”.Jonson’sisprominentforhisachievementsincomedies,particularlyComediesofHumors,therepresentativesofwhichareEveryManInHisHumor（1598）andVolpone,ortheFox（1606）.

4.      Asfortheothertwofigurers,weshalldiscussthemrespectivelylater.

IV.Someliteraryterms（relatedtothisperiod）:

1.      Sonnetisalyricpoemcomprising14rhymingiambicpentameterlines.Therhymeschemesofthesonnetfollowbasicallytwopatterns:

A）TheItaliansonnet（thePetrarchan）comprisesan8-line（octave）oftwoquatrains,rhymedabbaabba,followedbya6-line（sestet）usuallyrhymedcdecdeorcdcdcd.B）TheEnglishsonnet（Shakespearean）comprises3quatrainsandafinalcouplet,rhymingababcdcdefefgg.AnimportantvariantofthisisSpenserianwhichrhymesababbabccdcdee.FamousEnglishsonneteersareSirPhilipSidney,Spenser,Shakespeare,JohnDonne,Milton,Wordsworth,Keats,ElizabethBarrettBrowning,W.H.Auden.

2.      Blankverse:

Blankverseisunrhymedlinesofiambicpentameter.ItisaveryflexibleEnglishverseformwhichcanattainrhetoricalgrandeurwhileechoingthenaturalrhythmsofspeech.ItwasfirstusedbyHenryHoward,EarlofSurrey,andsoonbecameapopularformfornarrativeanddramaticpoetry.Marlowe,Shakespeare,Milton,Wordsworth,Tennyson,StevensandRobertFrostarefondofthisform.

V.WilliamShakespeare（1564-1616）

1.      ShakespeareisanEnglishpoetandplaywrightwhohasareputationasthegreatestofallwritersintheEnglishlanguageandinwesternliterature,aswellasoneoftheworld’spre-eminentdramatists.

2.     Life:

Seethebook.

3.     Majorworks:

1）     Shakespeare’stragediesareoftenregardedasthegreatestaccomplishmentsofthedramatist,whilehisfourtragediesstandoutasthemasterpieces.ThefourgreatesttragediesareHamlet,Othello,KingLearandMacbeth.Hamlet,adramaofmurderandrevenge,revealstheconflictbetweenfeudalismandhumanism.Othello,atragedyofcredulity,depictsaconflictbetweenanuprightmanandapurewomanwithatreacherousvillainandhistricks.KingLear,atragedyofvanity,hypocrisyandflattery,disclosestheseriousstruggleforpropertyandfame.Macbeth,atragedyofwildambition,depictsthestruggleforthecrownamongthenobleandtheroyal.

2）     Shakespeare’sSonnetsrepresentthefinestpoeticcraftsmanshipofElizabethanpoetry.Themajorityofthesonnetsdescribethedevotionofacharactertoayoungmanwhosebeautyandvirtuehepraises.Sonnets127-152involveamistressofthepoet’s,amysteriousandfaithlessdarklady.

A.Loveandfriendshipoccupyacentralpositioninthesonnetsequence.

B.Shakespeareansonnetsareoftenreferredtobytheirfirstlines.Anothercommonpracticeistousenumberstoidentifythem.

VI.TextstudyofHamlet

1.      Anintroduction:

HamletiswithoutquestionthemostfamousplayintheEnglishlanguage.Probablywrittenin1601or1602,thetragedyisamilestoneinShakespeare’sdramaticdevelopment;theplaywrightachievedartisticmaturityinthisworkthroughhisbrilliantdepictionofthehero’sstrugglewithtwoopposingforces:

moralintegrityandtheneedtoavengehisfather’smurder.

2.      Plotsummary:

seethebook

3.      Analysisofthemaincharacters:

Hamlet:

enigmatic;extremelyphilosophicalandcontemplative;Buteventhoughheisthoughtfultothepointofobsession,Hamletalsobehavesrashlyandimpulsively.Whenhedoesact,itiswithsurprisingswiftnessandlittleornopremeditation;heisextremelymelancholyanddiscontentedwiththestateofaffairsinDenmarkandinhisownfamily—indeed,intheworldatlarge.hisdisgustwithmananddistrustofwomeningeneral

4.     SamplereadingofShakespeare’sdrama----OneexcerptfromHamlet:

Hamlet’s“Tobe,ornottobe”soliloquy（ActThree,SceneOne）

1）     Translationofthesoliloquy:

生存还是毁灭，这是一个值得考虑的问题；默然忍受暴虐的命运矢石交攻，还是拿起武器勇对无涯的苦难，通过抗争把它们根除，这两种行为，哪一种更高贵？

……

2）     WhatisthemainideaofHamlet’ssoliloquy?

Thespeechconveysasenseofworld-wearinessaswellastheauthor’sincisivecommentsonthesocialrealityofhistime.Hamletlivesbetweenactionandresolution.Heissocontemplativethatheexaminesthenatureoftheactiononlytodenyitspossibility.Heconsidersitbetterforpeopletodie,butthensaysnobodyknowswhathappensintheafterlife.

3）     HowdoyouanalyzeHamlet’sargumentintermsofstructure?

ArgumentativeStructure:

questionraisedreasonsgivenandchoicemadechoicerejectedsuspended

Todieornottodie:

Todie:

death---sleep---dream（unreal）;Nottodie:

worldofthedeadunknown;Undecided

VII.Textstudy:

Shakespeare’ssonnet“ShallICompareTheetoaSummer’sDay”

1.      Sonnet18

1.ShallIcomparetheetoasummer’sday?

我怎么能够把你来比作夏天？

2.Thouartmorelovelyandmoretemperate:

你不独比它可爱也它温婉：

3.RoughwindsdoshakethedarlingbudsofMay,

狂风把五月宠爱的嫩蕊作践

4.Andsummer’sleasehathalltooshortadate;

夏天出赁的期限又未免太短；

5.Sometimetoohottheeyeofheavenshines,

天上的眼睛有时照得太酷热，

6.Andoftenishisgoldcomplexiondimm’d;

它那炳耀的金颜又常招掩蔽；

7.Andeveryfairfromfairsometimedeclines,

被机缘或无常的天道所摧折，

8.Bychance,ornature’schangingcourse,untrimm’d

没有芳艳不终于凋残或销毁。

9.Butthyeternalsummershallnotfade,

但是你的长夏永远不会凋落，

10.Norlosepossessionofthatfairthouowest;

也不会损失你这皎洁的红芳，

11.NorshallDeathbragthouwanderestinhisshade,

或死神夸口你在它影里漂泊，

12.Whenineternallinestotimethougrowest:

-

当你在不朽的诗里与时同长。

13.Solongasmencanbreathe,oreyescansee,

这诗将长存，并且赐给你生命。

14.Solonglivesthis,andthisgiveslifetothee.

只要一天有人类，或人有眼睛。

2.      MetericalPattern:

ababcdcdefefgg

3.      Theme:

Themessageisthatinthisworldnobeauty（inNature）canstayexceptpoetryorart;andyourbeautycanonlylastifIwriteitdowninmypoetry.Alsonoticetheloveplay.Apparentlythepoetisaddressingamanofhisheart,thewooingsoundsmorelikeagameplaythananythingrealandsincere.Thelovehereistooconditionaltobegenuine.

4.      Structure:

Proposal（line1-2）;Argument（line3-12）;Conclusion（line13-14）

PartTwoEnglishRenaissance

I.HistoricalbackgroundoftheRenaissance

1.      HistoricaleventsaffectingthemakingofEnglishliteratureofthetime:

1）     HenryVIIthekingcametothepowerin