The age of Renaissance as “Golden age”

The age of Renaissance as “Golden age”
S. B. Gardi DEPAERTMENT OF ENGLISH
M.K.BHAVNAGAR UNIVeRSITY
Written by: Gohil Devikaba J
Roll no.: 06
Course Name: The Renaissance Literature

about elizabeth’s life:

Queen Elizabeth
1558–1603
Preceded by	Tudor period
Followed by	Stuart period (Jacobean era)
Monarch	Queen Elizabeth I

Before Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s sister rule over the England. Her name was Mary. Mary was strong believer of Protestant whereas Elizabeth was believer of Catholic. Elizabeth’s father first introduces this religion to the world.

Introduction:

What is renaissancE?

The term 'renaissance' is derived from the French word meaning 'rebirth'. It is used to describe this phase of European history because many of the changes experienced between the 14th and 16th centuries were inspired by a revival of the classical art and intellect of Ancient Greece and Rome. Much of the art, architecture, literature, science and philosophy that surfaced during the Renaissance were so reminiscent of this ancient past, that it seemed as though Europe was indeed reborn during the late middle Ages.

Why Elizabethan age is known as ‘Golden age’ in history?

There were two important reasons for Elizabethan age to know as ‘Golden Age’.

1.     During this age the two religious ‘protestant’ and ‘Catholic’ were divided by    Elizabeth, and in those time parliament was not able to object the decision of the royal family.
2.     And the Great War ‘Spanish Armada’ was defeated by England. The Elizabethan Age is viewed so highly because of the periods before and after. It was a brief period of largely internal peace between the English Reformation and the battles between Protestants and Catholics and the battles between parliament and the monarchy that engulfed the seventeenth century.

About golden age:

Before this age there were some rules, which were inflected upon the people especially religious rules. The writers were free to choose their source of writing. Not only the writers but all most all the fields like painting, sculpting, and music. It was said that during this age all doubts were seemed to vanish from the English history. This age is compared with the sun rise after a long night. For this age it was said that it was the age of adventure, of dreams, of over enthusiasm. In the literature it is said that dream is greater than the deed.

That is why Milton said that “we suddenly see England, "a noble and puissant nation, rousing herself, like a strong man after sleep, and shaking her invincible Locks.”

During Elizabethan age not only the poems and dramas were developed but there were also other forms were developed. Here are some examples of this age.

1.   EDMUND SPENSER (1552-1599):

About his life:

He was born in East Smithfield near the Tower of London. He was a poor fellow. He starts his education from the school of London in Merchant Tailors’ school. For the further study he joins Cambridge University. As a poor fellow he starts earning when he was a student and meanwhile start reading classical works of Italy. He himself creates numberless little poems.

His Works:
·      ‘The Faery Queen’ is the most important work of Spenser. This poem is originally written in the twenty-four books. This poem explains the adventures and triumph of a knight (Horse). These poems tell the story of inner conflict of the knight against his vice.
·      ‘The Shepherd’s Calendar’ (1579) is one of the famous work of Spenser. Like his first work this poem is also below of many other melodies poem. These poems consists twelve pastoral poems in it. One poem for every month of the year. The themes are generally, of ruler life, nature, love in the fields. The speakers of these poems are shepherd and shepherdess.
·      Some other important works of Spenser are ‘Mother Husband’s Tale’, a satire on society. There are numerous other poems and collections of poems, but these show the scope of his work and are best worth reading.

2.    Thomas Sackville (1536-1608):

About his life:

Sir Thomas Sackville, Earl of Dorset and Lord High Treasurer of England, is generally classed with Wyatt and Surrey among the predecessors of the Elizabethan Age.

His Works:
·       He designed a great poem ‘The Mirror for Magistrates.’ In this poem he expresses his sorrow. He allows all characters to present their story and thereby he shows his sorrow.
·       He only finished ‘Induction’ and ‘Complaint of the Duke of Buckingham.’
·       He also wrote in collection with Thomas Norton, the first English tragedy, ‘Ferrex and Porrex.’

3.    Philip Sidney (1554-1586):
About his life:
Sir Philip Sidney’s personal life is more interesting than his books. He is considered as Gentleman in the English history. As a writer he also encourages Spenser. We can see two ideal ages of him together – personal honor and national greatness.
His Works:
·       He is known for his three principal works, all published after his death. The Arcadia- a pastoral romance. In this poem we find two characters shepherd and shepherdess. They both were talking about the happiness of rural life.
·       The Apologie for Poetrie (1595) generally known as answer and defense of Poesie. The answer is given to Stephen Gosson of his pamphlet “The School of Abuse (1579)”.
·       This is also known as first critical essays in English.
·      ‘Astrophel and Stella’ is a collection of songs and sonnets addressed to a lady Penelope Devereux with whom he once betrothed. 

We can say that this was also the golden time of Drama. During this time drama reaches to its high level. During this time many legendry were dramatists sprung. Many new forms of drama were introduced during this era. The main purpose of the drama was to entertain people, but by the passing time it becomes a medium to appeal people. Then drama tells the story of the strong characters of the past time or tells the story of strong incidence. Here are some examples of the time.

4.    Christopher Marlowe(1564-1593):

About his life:
·       Christopher is considers as the pioneer of the Renaissance era. Marlowe was born in Canterbury only few months before Shakespeare. He was the son of poor shoemaker. But through the help of a kind person he got his education from the grammar school of town and then went to Cambridge. When he comes to London his ideas were full of freedom (Renaissance) ideas. We find this type of ideas in his play ‘Dr. Faustus’. Marlowe is known for his four tragedies. Now is known as Marlowesque. In which we find the desire or hunger for knowledge. These tragedies are one character centered tragedies. He is known for his unique imaginary in the play.

 His Works:
·       The first tragedy he produces is ‘Tamburlaine’ (1587) through which he got little fame when he was just twenty-three years old.
·       In this tragedy he portrayed a character, shepherd chief character named Timur. Who first rebel and then victory (Triumphs) over the Persian king.
·       His second tragedy is perhaps the best tragedy of all ‘Doctor Faustus’. 
·       Through the character of Faustus Marlowe tries to give his voice to him. In this play the protagonist sells his soul to a devil. Because he was hungry for knowledge, and in return he has only twenty-four years to enjoy his power.
·       The play shows how Doctor Faustus slowly and steadily walks towards his tragedy.
·       The third tragedy of Marlowe is ‘The Jew of Malta’ in which the character or protagonist Barabas is shown as hungry for the wealth. In this play Barabas is a cruel old money-lander. The first part of the play is well constructed showing a decided advance, but the last part is an accumulation of melodramatic horror.
·       His last well-known tragedy is ‘Edward-II’. In this play we will find tragic weakness and misery of a king. Compare to his other three tragedies to with this tragedy in style and construction is best.

5.     Shakespeare (1564-1616):            

About his life:

Shakespeare is considers as one of the best writer. We don’t have any other information about him accept he was a poor guy, not get enough education. He starts working at a theatre and start writing about kings and clowns. He was a good under stander of the human nature. It is also true that he never try to collect or preserve his work. There are two types of believers that one romantic school of writers said that he was a genius, what was come in his writing was within him. On the other side some writers who thinks that he was a good known of human being and he just reflects the crowd’s mind unconsciously and all came from without. If we want to know him then we must take the middle way.
His father john Shakespeare was a son of farmer. His mother Mary Arden was the daughter of prosperous farmer. In 1582 he got married to Anne Hathaway. It is said that he wrote about his failure love in his tragedies but here we find a conflict that he just try to bring out the crowd’s mind as he was doing early. In 1587 he left his family, and went to London and joined himself to Burbage's company of players. He got fame after his death.      
His Works:
·       At the time of Shakespeare's death twenty-one plays existed in manuscripts in the various theaters. A few others had already been printed in quarto form, and the latter are the only publications that could possibly have met with the poet's own approval. More probably they were taken down in shorthand by some listener at the play and then "pirated" by some publisher for his own profit. We will find in all most all his plays ‘play with in play’ technique.
·        First collection of plays was ‘The First Folio (1623)’. In this play we will find two actors Heming and Condell.
·       From 1595-1600 he write many other plays like The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night’s dream, As you like it and Henry IV.
·       From 1600-1607 he write great tragedies like Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Julius Caesar.
·       Then, he creates these literary works: ‘The Winter’s Tale’ and ‘The Tempest.’
·          He also wrote sonnets and poems like ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost, two gentleman of Verona’, and ‘Richard-III’, ‘Twelfth Night’.

6.    Ben Jonson:

About his life:

He is considers as most comedian of the Elizabethan age. He was born at Westminster about the year 1573. For twenty-five years he was the literary dictator of London. He was the chief of all wits. He was a good learner and always proves himself better than his contemporary romantic writers. He fought bravely for two things-‘To restore the classic form of the drama’ and ‘to keep the stage from its downward course.’ From his mother he gets certain characteristics. We come to about his mother through a short reference of his work. Two years after the death of his father his mother again married to a bricklayer of London. Then he was sent to a private school, and later made his own way to Westminster School, where the sub master, Camden, struck by the his ability, taught and largely supported him. For a short time he may have studied at the university in Cambridge; but his stepfather soon set him to learning the bricklayer's trade. He ran away from this, and went with the English army to fight Spaniards in the Low Countries. He got married when he was just nineteen or twenty years old. After some years we find him employed as Shakespeare actor and reviser of old plays in the theater.   

His Works:
·       He was also became a prisoner because some passages in the comedy of ‘Eastward Ho!’
·       His first great play ‘Every Man in his Humor (1598)’ established him as a writer. In this play Shakespeare acted in a part of this play.
·       This play was the first of three satires. Its special aim was to ridicule the humors of the city.
·       The second, ‘Cynthia's Revels’ satirizes the humors of the court.
·       The third, ‘The Poetaster’ the result of a quarrel with his contemporaries, was leveled at the false standards of the poets of the age. The three best known of Jonson's comedies are ‘Volpone’ or ‘The Fox’ ‘The Alchemist’ and ‘Epicoene’ or ‘The Silent Woman.’
·       He also wrote two great tragedies ‘Sejanus (1603)’ and ‘Catiline (1611)’.
·       He also wrote many masques in honor of James I and Queen Anne. The best of them are ‘The Satyr’, ‘The Penates’, ‘Masque of Blackness’, ‘Masque of Beauty’. ‘Hue and Cry after Cupid’ and ‘the Masque of Queens’.
·       He also wrote songs and little poems like ‘The Triumph of Charis’, ‘Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes’ and ‘To the Memory of my Beloved Mother’.
·       A single volume of prose, called ‘Timber, or Discoveries made upon Men and Matter’ is an interesting collection of short essays which are more like Bacon's than any other work of the age.
There were also some important writers during who sprung during this time. They were
7.               Beaumont (1584-1616),
8.              George Chapman
9.               Michael Drayton
10.                          Fletcher (1579-1625),
11.                          John Webster,
12.                       Thomas Middleton (Probably 1570-1627),
13.                       Thomas Heywood (Probably 1580-1650),
14.                       Thomas Dekker (Probably 1570),
15.                       Massinger,
16.                       John Ford,
17.                       James Shirley,
18.                       Philip Massinger (1584-1640)
Some prose writers like,
19.                       Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
20.                       Richard Hooker (Probably 1554-1600)
21.                       Sidney and Raleigh
22.                       John Foxe (1516-1587)
23.                       Camden and Knox
24.                       Hakluyt and Purchas and
25.                       Thomas North (Probably 1535-1601)

These were the writers who contributed in the Elizabethan age. Before this age people were not awaken for their self. This was the time when people start questioning about all most everything. The time comes when also try to get the answer “WHERE IS GOD?” or “WHO IS GOD?” We can find this type of questions in ‘Dr. Faustus’ the quest for the knowledge.

“Literature is reflection of the society” so through the literature of that time we come to know that at which level they reaches.

I remember that they only believe in goddess liberty. They were free from every religious norms and customs. This religious comes in existence after Elizabeth. She establishes this region in society and breaks all the norms and customs of the past. We can see this through the literature which came to the existence during this time. One stage they denying the god. They reach at the edge of that where they strongly believe that with the hard work we can reach or can get anything. We are not mare puppets in the hands of God.

In short the Golden Age is marked by Drama. It focuses specially on Drama.

ü  (Source: from the book by William J Long ‘English Literature Its History and Its Significance for the Life of the English Speaking World’)