English Renaissance: History, Culture, and Literary Contexts
The English Renaissance: An Introduction
The English Renaissance is closely related to the Elizabethan Age. The Renaissance was a revival of classical culture that became fashionable at this time. People revisited previous ideas and models to improve their writing. Compared to other European countries like Spain and Italy, the Renaissance arrived late in England, partly due to its insularity.
It began with the Tudor dynasty in 1496 (Henry VII) and ended in 1642 with the closing of the theaters in London. Writers who produced plays during this period were very famous, such as Spenser, Marlowe, and Shakespeare, among many others.
The terms ‘Renaissance’ and ‘early modern’ are often used interchangeably to refer to this movement. The term ‘early modern’ was initially favored by critics and historians, but now they can choose either term. ‘Renaissance’ refers more specifically to the original Renaissance in Italy, while ‘early modern’ emphasizes the period around the 18th century.
Another difference is that ‘early modern’ encompasses economic, social, and political aspects, whereas ‘Renaissance’ focuses on literary and cultural aspects. The Renaissance was a pivotal period in Western culture.
The Historical Context
The Renaissance represented a revolution in many senses, a revolutionary movement aimed at achieving something new. This era was marked by various kinds of conflicts:
Intellectual Conflict: Humanism
Society shifted from a medieval worldview, where humans were not considered central, to a Renaissance perspective that placed humanity at the center of the world.
Religious Conflict: The Reformation
This conflict was related to new faiths and led to civil war due to religious issues. The Protestant ideas of King Henry VIII played a significant role.
Gender Conflict: Women in Society
Women faced social gender inequalities, lacking access to social life, but this began to change during the Renaissance.
Economic Conflict: Building a New Market World
New colonies emerged in North America under English control, creating new opportunities for trade and economic growth. This led to socio-economic conflicts within the country.
Political Conflict: From Feudal Kingdom to Modern State
England emerged as a nation for the first time. National consciousness grew, fostering national pride and high expectations.
Literary and Cultural Contexts
These contexts focus on religion, culture, history, and the backgrounds of the plays, combining context, literature, and culture.
Writing in Manuscript and Print
The invention of the printing press made it easier to produce copies of literary works, allowing literature to circulate more widely and bringing literary works to readers and society.
Writing at Tudor and Stuart Courts
Courts were consumers of literature. The great writers of the Renaissance were often connected to the court, which provided them with support. In return, the writers wrote favorably about the court, influencing literary trends in society. This was related to the absolute power of queens and kings during this time. The Tudor and Stuart dynasties reigned during the Renaissance. Dissatisfaction with the court was often reflected in the plays of this period.
Writing and Political/Cultural Debate
Shakespeare addressed the political context in his plays, informing the audience about the political situation and royal power.
Writing and Nation
Writers contributed to the new national identity by highlighting the country’s advantages in their works.
Features of the English Renaissance
Radical Shift in Human Thought
People began to think in radically different ways, embracing new ideas.
People became aware of the importance of context in interpreting plays and literary works. Understanding cultural or literary productions requires considering the social, historical, economic, cultural, and religious contexts.
Vital Expansion
Everything had a practical focus. People aimed to enjoy life and improve their circumstances. Education and study were pursued with this vital perspective in mind.
Complex and Comprehensive Movement
Diverse and even contradictory ideas were accepted without strict control or restriction. Religious and political ideas gained prominence.
Contradictory Movement: Two Extrapolated Views
- Idealistic View: Spiritual writings that offer a deeper understanding of life through the spiritual dimension. For example, Neoplatonism became important as people viewed life as incomplete, believing perfection could be achieved in another world, thus focusing on the afterlife.
- Pragmatic View: The Prince argues that living in the present and achieving personal goals and interests is most important.
Not a Golden Period
Examples include:
- The English Reformation
- The Plague
- The Conflict with Spain
- The Spanish Armada: The English defeated the Spanish Armada, making England the most powerful nation.
Despite its achievements, the Renaissance was not a golden period due to the many tragic events that occurred, creating a negative image of England during this time.
There was also a literary and cultural continuation with the Middle Ages.
Outstanding Features of the English Renaissance
These are central points related to the Renaissance:
- The Revival of Classical Learning: Classical authors and writings became popular, giving English people access to literature from classical times. These classical models inspired writers to create new literature, making classical literature and culture important.
- Humanism
- New Conception of Man and the Universe: Man became the center of the universe during the Renaissance, playing a central role in history as the maker of history.
“What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me—no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.” (Hamlet).
In this passage, Shakespeare discusses the perfection and importance of man in the universe, relating the material world to the spiritual world. He compares men to angels and even God (1. God / 2. Man / 3. Animals), expressing admiration for man’s greatness. However, Shakespeare later changes his mind, considering man as nothing because men die. These contradictory ideas within the same text and character highlight the complexity of the Renaissance and the need to understand its context to fully appreciate its works.
- Secularism: Not a rejection of the spiritual and divine, but the rise of secular values during the Renaissance. People discovered the secular importance of material values, which were not emphasized in medieval times.
- New Literary Consciousness: Professional writers emerged for the first time, influencing the production of literature. Authors found pleasure in the art of writing.
- Pleasure and delight in the art of writing.
- The professional writer.
- A New Learning appeared during the Renaissance:
- It was more than a revival of classical learning. Students learned about classical literature and culture. The Renaissance went beyond simply returning to the classics, and the classics were not used solely for literary reasons. A new culture came to England during this period.
- It was an eclectic and pragmatic learning.
- Educational idea to produce a well-educated and polished gentleman suited for public life, politics, or life at court.
It embraced contradictory ideas, and learning was pursued for practical reasons. The new learning was pragmatic, focusing on what was needed for success in life according to personal expectations. Grammar and rhetoric became important subjects as people sought to speak clearly in public life. The idea of the well-educated man was to achieve social success through this new learning.
- Self-Fashioning: Malleability of the Self: The self became fashionable and changed according to social context. People tried to live according to new social rules and expectations, transforming their lives. The self refers to external relations, while individualism is personal.
- Humanist: Educated Elite: Thomas More:
Humanists were an educated elite who brought this new learning into practice. Thomas More, Chancellor of Henry VIII, was a politician, intellectual, writer, philosopher, and politician. He applied his knowledge in public life, becoming a politician.