American Literature Reviewer

The Renaissance/ Elizabethan Period Literature
MAJOR WRITERS OF THE ELIZABETHAN

The Renaissance PERIOD OF
LITERATURE
Elizabeth I was Queen of England and Ireland from 17th
November 1558 to 24th March 1603. She's regarded 1. Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-42)
as one of the greatest monarchs of England. Born 7th
September 1533, Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry ● Born in Allington, educated in Cambridge.
VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. ● He was knighted in 1537.
● Served two years an ambassador to
What was Elizabeth I like? Charles V.
● Was called “drunk deep of Italian poetry”
● Elizabeth proved to be a different ruler.
● Elizabeth was a very clever, quick-witted ruler and 2. Sir Philip Sidney (1554-86)
is famed for her great skills of persuasion.
● Elizabeth is a pride for every woman, especially ● He was a courtier, soldier, poet and was educated at
during renaissance. Oxford.
● She is a true Queen and thought of her country’s ● He is considered an ideal Englishman.
welfare first before herself. ● He defended of poetry against the puritans in An
● Elizabeth brought England to its Golden Age. Apologie for Poetrie.
● He was the friend of Spenser and is represented by
● The Spanish Armada him as Sir Calidore in his legend of courtesy in the
● Elizabeth the First Famous Tilbury Speech – Speech in Faery Queene.
front of the soldiers
3. Christopher Marlowe
GOLDEN AGE OF ENGLAND
● Born in Canterbury, educated at Cambridge.
● Historian John Guy (1988)- argues that England ● Most suggestive figures of English Renaissance and
was economically healthier, more expansive, and the greatest of Shakespeare's predecessors.
more optimistic under the Tudors than at any time in a ● Became connected with a company of actors for whom
thousand years. This "golden age" represented the top of he wrote plays.
the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of ● He has written poetry and translated some of the
poetry, music and literature. poems of Lucan and Ovid.
● It was an age of exploration and expansion abroad, 4. Sir Walter Raleigh (1554-1618)
while back at home, the Protestant Reformation
became more acceptable to the people, most certainly ● Born in Devon, educated at Oxford and studied in
after the Spanish Armada was repulsed. It was also the London.
end of the period when England was a separate realm ● Chief prose works are The Discovery of Guiana,
before its royal union with Scotland. History of the world etc.
● He is a mixture of poet, scholar and adventurer.
LITERARY BACKGROUND ● He is the restless spirit of the Elizabethan
age personified.
● The reign of Queen Elizabeth lasted from 1558 until
her death in 1603, during which time the arts in 5. William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
England thrived. Fine arts received support and
encouragement from the Queen that was unparalleled Born at Stratford, went to a grammar school where he
by any other English monarch; and as a result, the learnt “small Latin and less Greek”. Ø Four periods
authors and works of this time period came to be known of his plays are:
as Elizabethan.
● She was an avid reader and often held theatre 1. Period of apprenticeship and experiment.
performances in her court, particularly from her own 2. Period of the great comedies and chronicle plays.
company of actors, known as The Queen's Players. 3. Period of great tragedies and somber comedies.
Literature, in particular, flourished under the reign 4. Period of later comedies or dramatic romances
of Elizabeth, with many influential authors developing
their personal styles during this time. An English playwright, poet, and actor William
Shakespeare (1564-1616) is generally acknowledged
to be the greatest of English writers and one of the - Comedies
most extraordinary creators in human history. - Tragedies
- Histories
His entire life was committed to the public theatre, - Tragicomedies
and he seems to have written nondramatic poetry
only when enforced closings of the theatre made writing
plays impractical.
Though no personal documents survive from

Shakespeare's school years, his literary work shows the
mark of the excellent if grueling education offered at the
Stratford grammar school (some reminiscences of
Stratford school days may have lent amusing touches to
scenes in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
PUBLISHING
● Reputable publisher Thomas Thorpe published

Shakespeare’s sonnets
● They are entitled by the order in which they were
published, for example, sonnet 130 is the 130th sonnet
that appeared in the original publishing.
WHAT IS A SONNET?
A typical sonnet is a poem consisting of fourteen lines

with some sort of rhyme scheme. Although there are
some unconventional sonnets, the three known sonnet
forms include:
● Italian/Petrarchan Sonnets
● Spenserian Sonnets
● English/Shakespearean Sonnets
OCTAVE - An argument or subject

VOLTA – Shift in direction
SESTET - Answer or new direction
ITALIAN/PETRARCHAN -
AB BA AB BA CD CD CD / CDE CDE
SHAKESPEAREAN -
AB AB CD CD EF EF GG
SPENSERIAN
AB AB BC BC CD CD EE
● Sonnets 1-17 have a common theme of

procreating.
● Sonnets 1-126 are all addressed to a young man.
● Sonnets 127-154 share the theme of a dark lady.
The Shakespearean Drama
● Shakespeare wrote nearly 40 plays in his lifetime.

● Each of his play’s falls into one of four categories:

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The Renaissance/ Elizabethan Period Literature

MAJOR WRITERS OF THE ELIZABETHAN

Though no personal documents survive from

● Reputable publisher Thomas Thorpe published

A typical sonnet is a poem consisting of fourteen lines

OCTAVE - An argument or subject

● Sonnets 1-17 have a common theme of

The Shakespearean Drama

● Shakespeare wrote nearly 40 plays in his lifetime.

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