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this document cover the history of elizabethan age of english literature it covers different literary development and also famous writers
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Made by:
➢ Aleena Malik
➢ Shah Jalal Shah
Elizabethan Age:
Introduction:
➢ This period is generally regarded as the greatest in the history of English Literature.
Historically, we note in this age, the tremendous impetus received from the
Renaissance from the reformation & from the exploration of the new world.
➢ It was marked by a strong national spirit, by patriotism, by religious tolerance, by
social content, by intellectual progress & by unbounded enthusiasm.
➢ Such an age of thought, feeling & vigorous action, finds its best expression in the
drama; & the wonderful development of the drama, culminating.
➢ Though the age produced some of the excellent prose works, it is essentially an age
of poetry; & the poetry is remarkable for its variety, its freshness, its youth & romantic
feeling.
Characteristics of Elizabethan Age:
1. Revival of Interest in Greek Literature:
➢ The ardent revival in the study of Greek literature brought a dazzling light into many
dark places of interest.
➢ The new classical influences were a great benefit. They remove and polished the
earlier rudeness of English Literature.
2. Development of Drama:
➢ During the Elizabethan Age, drama made a swift & wonderful leap into maturity. The
drama reached the splendid perfection in the hands of Shakespeare & Ben Jonson,
though in the concluding part of the age, particularly in Jacobean Age, there was a
decline of drama standards.
➢ Popularity of Poetry: Poetry enjoyed its hey-day during the Elizabethan age. The
whole of the age lived in a state of poetic fervour. Songs, lyrics & sonnets were
produced in plenty, & England became nest of the singing birds. In versification,
there was a marked improvement.
➢ Melody & Pictorialism were introduced in poetry by Spenser.
3. Prose and Novel:
➢ For the first time, prose rose to the position of first rate importance.
➢ “Even the development of poetical drama between 1579 A.D. -1629 A.D., is hardly
more extraordinary than the sudden expansion of English prose & its adaptation to
every kind of literary requirement.”
➢ The dead weight of the Latin & English prose acquired a tradition & universal
application. English Novel made its first proper appearance during this age.
4. Discoveries in Several Fields:
➢ With the revival of learning, new discoveries took place in several other fields.
➢ Vascoda Gama circumnavigated the Earth.
➢ Columbus discovered America.
➢ Copernicus discovered the Solar System and prepared way for Galileo.
➢ Books were printed, and philosophy, science, and art were systematised.
, 2
5. Change in Religion:
➢ There was an important change in Religion and politics when Henry VIII made
himself head of the Church of England bringing church and state together. He cut off
with the Catholic Church and Pope in Rome.
➢ Protestantism become more and more important, and gave a whole new vision of
man’s relation with God. The king and Queen became the human being in earth who
was closest to God l.
6. Humanism: The chief characteristic of Renaissance was its emphasis on Humanism
which means man’s concern with himself as an object of contemplation. This
movement started in Italy by Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio in 14 th century and then
spread to Europe.0It focused on “property study of mankind” had a number of trends.
7. Second Aspect of Humanism:
The second aspect was the discovery of external universe and its significance for
man. The writer became deeply interested in the problems of human personality.
During Elizabethan age under Humanism influence was laid on qualities which differ
individuals. This led to rise of a new literary form essay., which was used by bacon.
Marlowe focused on drama like Doctor Faustus, Barbara’s, Jew of Malta.
Elizabethan Drama:
During the Elizabethan age the most memorable achievement in literature was in field of
drama. There had been a great development of the study of Latin drama and growth of Latin
plays by Terence, Plautus, Seneca.
In middle of 16th century winter made attempts to write original plays in English on the Latin
model. The three important plays are
I. Nicholas Udall’s- Ralph Roister Doister
II. John Still's- Grummar Gurton’s Needle
III. Thomas Sackville’s Gorbuduc or Ferrex and Porrex
The first two plays are comedies and last one is a tragedy. All these plays are of same
theme and do not possess much literary merit.
University Wits: During this age a group of playwrights emerge. They were known as
university wits because they were educated in two universities Oxford and Cambridge.
1. Christopher Marlowe
2. John Lyly
3. Robert Greene
4. George Peele
5. Thomas Kyd
6. Nash
John Lyly: The author of Euphues, he wrote a number of plays the best known of them are
Compaspe (1581), Sapho and Phao (1584), Endymion (1591) and Midas (1592).
George Peele: He was a writer of play. Like Marlowe Peele was also responsible for the
blank verse musical quality. He wrote some half dozen plays.
➢ Plays:
i. The Arraignment of Paris
ii. David and Bathsheba
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