The English Renaissance, 1485 1625

The English Renaissance, 1485 – 1625 pp. 226 - 236

1485 – King Henry VII becomes the first Tudor king. 1534 – King Henry VIII establishes the Church of England 1564 – Shakespeare is born! 1599 – The Globe Theater opens. 1611 – King James Bible is published. 1625 – King James I dies.

Historical Background

 A period of “re-birth” and interest in the Greek and Roman classics.  Age of naval exploration due to the development of the compass.  Catholic Church came under scrutiny; many felt members of the church were corrupt.  Martin Luther published his dissenting beliefs, the Protestant Reformation begins; new Christian denomination, Lutheranism  Tudor monarchs – Henry VII, then his son Henry VIII who dissolves the Catholic Church in England in order to obtain a divorce from Catherine of Aragon (Spain) so that he can marry Anne Boleyn.  Henry and Catherine had a daughter, nicknamed Bloody Mary for her persecution of the Protestants.  Henry and Anne had a daughter who became Queen Elizabeth I.  Elizabeth’s greatest contribution was establishing a policy of religious compromise.  Elizabeth was the last Tudor king; King James I of Scotland (and a member of the Stuart family) is her successor.  James I was a patron of the arts. His reign is known as the Jacobean Era. Jamestown, Virginia, was founded and named after him.  James’s belief in the divine right of kings offended the Puritans, leading to their migration to Plymouth Colony in 1620.

Literature of the Period

 Elizabethan poetry: lyric poems were most popular, replacing the narrative poems of the Middle Ages (like Canterbury Tales).  Sonnets: 14-line poems in iambic pentameter, about love, Italian: abbaabba cdecde, English abab cdcd efef gg  Pastoral poetry: rustic simplicity of rural life; typically idealized the life of the shepherds without acknowledging the hardships of such agrarian-based lifestyles.  Elizabethan drama: modeled in the classic Greek and Roman tragedies.  Comedies: Stories of family conflict and some violence; end with a wedding  Tragedy: downfall of a tragic hero; ends with death(s)  History: Plays about the English kings  Prose: Not as popular as poetry. But some authors were writing about science, philosophy and literature. The King James Bible.