samoyedRenaissance 英国文学 文艺复兴时期

2021年1月20日发(作者：anger是什么意思)

The Renaissance

Historical background:

The
breaking
up
of
feudal
relations
and
the
establishing
of
the
foundations
of
capitalism;
The
enclosure;
the
war
of
the
Roses;
the
strengthening of the absolute monarchy; the rise of the bourgeoisie; the
defeat of the Spanish Armada.
New social and economic conditions brought about great changes in the
development
of
science
and
art.
So
with
the
strengthening
of
new
bourgeois national state, this period is marked by a flourishing of national
culture known as the Renaissance.
Renaissance:
A
rebith,
revival
of
classical
(Greek
and
Roman
)arts,
literature
and
sciences between 14
th
and mid 17
th
centuries in Europe, the greatest age
of human accomplishments.

Two striking features of the Renaissance


1)

A thirsting curiosity for the classical literature;


2)

The keen interest in the activities of humanity( People ceased to
look upon themselves as living only for God and a future world and
turned to admiration for human beauty and human achievement);
Renaissance
marks
the
transition
from
medieval
to
modern
world,
from feudal to capitalist, from religious to secular society. In this period
the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to abolish old


feudal ideas in medieval Europe (the church-centered culture which were
characterized by God-centeredness, otherworldliness and asceticism.) and
to
introduce
new
ideas
of
the
rising
bourgeoisie
(
humanism,
the
man-centered culture in which man is the measure of all things.), and to
carry our religious reformation.
Renaissance did not begin to show its effect in England until the reign of
Henry
VIII
(1509-
1547)
owing
to
England’s
separation
from
the
Continent and its domestic unrest. Encouraged by Henry VIII, the Oxford
reformers,
scholars
and
humanists
introduced
classical
literature
to
England. Education was revitalized and literature became more popular.
From the beginning of the 16
th
c, the English Renaissance witnessed the
brisk development of literature: the translation of ancient English, Italian
and French works, as well as classical works of Greece and Rome; books
of discoveries and adventures; the flowering of sonnets; the highest glory
of the English renaissance is its drama ( the Elizabethan drama). This was
England’s
golden
age
in
literature.
There
appeared

many
literary
giants
such
as
Shakespeare,
Spenser,
Jonson,
Sidney,
Marlowe,
Bacon
and
Donne.
Humanism:

The
Renaissance
was
marked
by
the
spread
of
humanism,
the
keynote
(the
great
spirit)
of
Renaissance.
It
sprang
as
a
result
of
rediscovery
and
restudy
of
the
Greek
and
Roman
civilization
which
is
based
on
the
conception
that
the
man
is
the
measure
of
all
things,
the


man- centered
culture.
It
stands
for
devotion
to
the
humane
values
represented in classical literature.
While the medieval Catholic teachings (the church- centered culture) were
characterized by God- centeredness, otherworldliness and asceticism, the
Renaissance humanists emphasized the dignity of human beings and the
importance of the present life; they believed human beings were glorious
creatures;
man
can
live
a
happy
and
meaningful
life
on
earth;
man
can
improve his condition with effort and change the world according to his
desire.
Man
has
the
right
to
pursue
personal
happiness,
knowledge
and
wealth.
Humanism
helped
to
civilize
man,
to
make
him
realize
his
potential powers and gifts. It contributed a great deal to the progress of
human
society.
It
represented
the
new
ideas
of
the
rising
bourgeoisie.

Thomas More, Marlowe and Shakespeare are the best representatives of
the
English
humanists.
The
humanistic
ideas
and
belief
permeated
the
literature of this period.
Christopher Marlowe-------the greatest of the pioneers of English drama
I.

Literary achievement:



blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter)
II.

Artistical limitations:
III. Major plays:





Tamburlaine
(
贴木耳大帝
)





The Jew of Malta
(
马尔他岛的犹太人
)


Doctor Faustus
(
浮士德博士
)

William Shakespeare
(1564-1616)
Life
Works

During his 22 years of literary career he produced 37 plays, Two narrative
poems, 154 sonnets.
Dramatic career
①
The first period----Early period (1590-1594)
2 historical plays:

Henry VI
(
亨利六世
)
Richard III
(
理查德三世
),

4 comedies:

The Comedy of Errors
(
错误的喜剧
)
（错中错）














The Two Gentlemen of Verona
(
维洛那二绅士
)













The Taming of the Shrew
(
训悍记
)












Love’
s Labour’
s Los
t
(
爱的徒劳
)
1 tragedy:


Romeo and Juliet


②
The second period----mature period (1595-1600)
A period of great comedies and mature historical plays




6 comedies:
A Midsummer Night’
s Dream
(
仲夏夜之梦
)















The Merchant of Venice
(
威尼斯商人
)















The Merry Wives of Windsor
（温莎的风流娘儿们）















Much Ado about Nothing
（无事生非）


















As You Like It
（皆大欢喜）

















Twelfth Night
（第十二夜）





5 historical plays:

Richard II




















Henry IV (Parts 1 and 2)




















Henry V





















King John




1 Roman tragedy:
Julius Caesar
（尤利乌斯
·
恺撒）

③
The third period-----Flourishing period (Tragic period) (1601-1607)


A period of great tragedies and dark comedies



5 tragedies:

Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Timon of Athens




3 comedies:
Troilus and Cressida
(
特洛伊洛斯与克瑞西达
)













All’
s Well That Ends Well
（终成眷属）














Measure for Measure
(
一报还一报
)



2 Roman Tragedies:
Antony and Cleopatra
(
安东尼和克莉奥佩特拉
)



















Coriolanus
(
科里奥拉鲁斯
)
④
The fourth period----Late period (1608-1612)
4 romantic drama (romances or tragicomedies):

These
plays
portray
a
wide
range
of
tragic
events
and
difficult
conditions, but they all end in reconciliation and reunion.
Pericles
(
佩里克利斯
)
，
Cymbeline
（辛白林）

The Tempest
（暴风雨）
,
The Winter’
s Tale
（冬天的故事）

1 historical play:





Henry VIII


Four great comedies




A Midsummer Night’s Dream (
仲夏夜之梦
)














The Merchant of Venice (
威尼斯商人
)
As You Like It
（皆大欢喜）














Twelfth Night
（第十二夜）

Four great tragedies



Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth,
Tragedy
Classical
tragedians:
Aesc hylus(
埃
斯
库
罗
斯
Premetheus
Bound)
,
Sophocles
（索福克勒斯
Oedipus Tyrannus
）
, Euripites
（欧里庇得斯）


The tragic hero
—
a significant person, usually a member of the nobility, a
leader, a wise, just and good man
Tragic flaw
—
a character defect which causes the downfall of the tragic
hero
Tragedy
Tragedies
were
concerned
with
the
harshness
and
apparent
injustice
in
life.
They
involved
the
trials
and
eventful
death
of
a
hero
who
was
an
important person and whose death led to the downfall of others.
1.

The
central
characters
are
always
people
of
importance,
like
kings,
queens, prince, general, nobles
2.

A tragic hero is often a flawed good man; often the hero’s fall from
happiness was due to a weakness in his character, by some great error
in his part
3.

supernatural beings are often involved in the conflict of human beings,
like gods, spirits, witches, ghosts
4.

Sadness is mixed with horror, murder, treachery and bloodshedding



Catharsis
（净化）
—
purgation of audience emotions such as pity, anger,
fear; the audience feel relieved or purged when they leave the theatre.
Catharsis or cathartic effect of tragedies:

Tragedies give an outlet for such emotions as greed, hatred, lust, fear and
pity. The tragic action arouses feelings of awe in the audience, who often
leave the theater with a renewed sense of the seriousness and significance
of human life. The word catharsis is often used to describe the audience’s
feelings. It means the purging from the mind of the feelings of pity and
fear the play has aroused when they leave the theater.
Romeo and Juliet

His earliest success in tragedy, full of poetry and romance. Its scenes of
youth
and
love
are
painted
in
brilliant
colors.
There
is
no
tinge
of
pessimism in the play. Though a tragedy, the play is optimistic in spirit. It
is a song of the optimistic youth, love, wit and courage of the early rising
young men and women against the drab.
Hamlet
Hamlet as a typical tragic hero:

a hero of the Renaissance period and a
representative of humanism
Good
qualities:
noble-minded,
brave,
intelligent,
learned,
with
a
strong
sense of justice, loved and respected by his people;
Weaknesses:
rash,
impulsive,
indecisive,
sometimes
can
be
cruel,
harsh
and coarse


His
tragic
flaw
is
lack
of
emotional
balance;
either
acts
rashly,
without
thinking,
or
doesn’t
act
quickly
and
firmly
enough.
His
indecisiveness,
his inability to act when action is needed, is one of the major causes for
his downfall.
Hamlet’s soliloquy
(See
Anthology
p76-77)
(Situation)
Hamlet's
endurance
has
reached
the
breaking
point.
His
father
has
been
murdered.
His
mother,
who
he
loves
dearly,
has
married
her
dead
husband's
brother.
Moreover his sweetheart, Ophelia, has been acting very strangely. He senses that she does
not love him any more. Now, he's all alone. The world that he knew is shattered. His black
mood
of
despair
is
deepened
by
his
inability
to
act
-
to
do
something
to
change
the
situation.
Now he ponders whether to continue living - or to take his own life.
生存还是毁灭
,
这是个必须回答的问题
:




是否应默默的忍受坎坷命运之无情打击
,




还是应与深如大海之无涯苦难奋然为敌
,




并将其克服。





此二抉择
,
就竟是哪个较崇高
?





死即睡眠
,
它不过如此
!




倘若一眠能了结心灵之苦楚与肉体之百患
,




那么
,
此结局是可盼的
!





死去
,
睡去
...




但在睡眠中可能有梦
,
啊
,
这就是个阻碍
:




当我们摆脱了此垂死之皮囊
,




在死之长眠中会有何梦来临
?




它令我们踌躇
,




使我们心甘情愿的承受长年之灾
,




否则谁肯容忍人间之百般折磨
,



如暴君之政、骄者之傲、失恋之痛、法章之慢、贪官之侮、或庸民之辱
,




假如他能简单的一刃了之
?




还有谁会肯去做牛做马
,
终生疲於操劳
,




默默的忍受其苦其难
,
而不远走高飞
,
飘於渺茫之境
,




倘若他不是因恐惧身後之事而使他犹豫不前
?




此境乃无人知晓之邦
,
自古无返者。






所以，理智就使我们都变成了懦夫，

使得那果断的本色蒙上了一层思虑的惨白的容颜，

本来可以做出伟大的事业，