LECTURE 3 - The Renaissance and The Elizabethan Periods-1

The Renaissance and the
Elizabethan Periods
Lecture 3
Salman Hamid Khan
History of English History – I
BS English 2nd Semester
GDC Hayatabad
27/06/2020
Introduction
• Renaissance means re-birth. From about 1500 to 1600 the
world was reborn in many ways. The Renaissance began in
Italy, especially in art and architecture, in the fifteenth century.
As England became the most powerful nation in Europe in the
late sixteenth century, new worlds were discovered and new
ways of seeing and thinking developed.
• The Renaissance was a direct development of Humanism, tracing its date
back to 1453, when Constantinople was overtaken by the Turks. At first the
Greeks who fled the area sought refuge in Italy where they brought their
traditional knowledge with the masterpieces of classical Greece such as
Homer’s, Sophocles’ and Plato’s works along with studies about physics
and medicine.
The “New Learning”, as Humanism was also called, stressed the
importance of human reason through which it was now possible to
interpret Man and Nature, philosophy focused its attention on Man and
Man’s new awareness allowed him to begin considering the idea that he
could, in fact, shape his own life and destiny and that not all had to fit in a
divine design.
The Renaissance in England
• New Learning was delayed in England and the Renaissance movement
developed only in the 16th century. At first the delay was due to the
fact that England lacked aristocratic patrons that were willing to
encourage it, while in Italy there were many patrons who fostered it,
moreover, Henry VII was much more concerned with practical
matters, and later, Henry VIII, although himself a scholar, after the
Reformation, dissolved the monasteries and lost all their treasures of
art and literature.
The Protestant Reformation and the English
Renaissance
• In spite of the importance recognized to the study of Greek and Latin
which were taught in all grammar schools and in the two universities
of Cambridge and Oxford; the English also struggled to be free of
foreign influence, especially of Italian influence which they identified
mainly with Rome and the Catholic Church.
• English Renaissance, on the contrary, was based on Protestant and, in
some aspects, on Puritan cultures therefore it lacked the Italian joyful
brilliance based on pagan serenity, whereas, instead the English
individualism and self-awareness awakened by humanism was more
centered on responsibility rather than on self-assertion and
enjoyment. Another aspect that must also be considered with English
differentiation is that although Latin was considered of great
importance their main effort was to develop a modern English that
could have the same dignity of other European languages thus they
struggled to improve its vocabulary and syntax.
Renaissance Prose
• The themes that became most sought after by the public regarded
reports of journeys to far away and unknown countries, sermons,
romances, guides on business or manners; less and less popular were
kings, knights and lovers belonging to the Medieval Ages. One of the
most popular works of the time which set a fashion among aristocrats
was John Lyly’s (1554-1606) Euphues, a love story full of elaborate
alliterations, very long and complicated sentences and witty plays on
words.
• Yet, the most famous work of the time was William Tyndale’s (ca. 1494-
1538) translation of the Bible where he was able to combine its original
beauty with the plain prose that will be reproduced in the famous King
James’ Bible of 1611.
• It’s also worth of notice, as a prose writer, Thomas More (1478-1535) and
especially for his Utopia whose themes and ideas from a social and political
point of view will prove to be far ahead of his time and will anticipate the
Enlightment movement of the 18th century and 19th century revolutions.
Furthermore, from a literary point of view he will also pave the way for
many other utopian works which range from Swift’s satirical writings
through 19th century idealistic reformers or the nightmarish worlds
prophesised by Orwell and Huxley right down to future science fiction.

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