How to Write an Analysis - Renaissance

Penman's Guide

This period extended roughly the length of the 16th century, its precise beginning and ending are not easy to mark.

Sonnets are poems created in Italy in the 13th and 14th centuries, their use was then extended to Western Europe in the 16th and 17th century.
Revolutionary poems in the Renaissance, they move from narrative poetry to lyrical, and appear like little songs.
They do not have any moralistic aim, they don’t tell a story but express feelings. Feelings of ME as a person, telling you MY story.

“Metaphysical” was a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world.
The main feature of Metaphysical poets was “conceit” = a far fetched metaphor / extended metaphor which combines two vastly different ideas into one. You usually use whit to come up with conceits.

Shakespeare’s poetic language, complex characters, and interest in human nature, contributed significantly to Renaissance literature.
Some reoccurring Shakespearean elements were: ghosts, witches, apparitions, the supernatural, trees and branches, wilderness, darkness, gloom, characters of power and dignity, murder.
In Shakespearean times, male characters were of the “marrying kind”.

A major element in Renaissance Literature is humanism, stepping back from the medieval ways, and looking at human experience and potential.
Having said that, public hangings were entertainment, as well as being hung, drawn, and quartered.
The Renaissance celebrated the individual and their perspective.
Works presented the human psyche, showing more interest than before for reflecting the inner workings of the human mind.
Death, revenge, and love were all themes – and tokens of love were frequently given, an idea taken from courtly love.
Religion was still present, but themes broadened as a consequence of the Reformation. People now questioned faith and its role in society; existentialism; morals. This left room for classical philosophies and individual spirituality to arise.

Reformation in the church added new topics between God and Humans.
The now Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534, and understands itself to be both Catholic and Reformed.
Definition of “Catholic”: views itself as part of the universal church of Jesus Christ.
Definition of “Reformed”: that it has been shaped by the doctrinal principles of the 16th century Protestant Reformation.
Excommunication = religious censure to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community.
The separation was a mixture of both a rejection of Rome’s authority on England, and excommunication by the Pope.

America had just been discovered which gave way to The New World.
The New World meant new voyages, commercial interest, slave labour, new cultures.

There was a rebirth of the Greek and Latin classics.
Epic poetry and tragic drama were often imitated, as classical texts were reread.
Writers did not only find inspiration in classical Greek and Latin myths and legends, but they provided settings and characters for their works as well, connecting their own era to the classical.

Although the worst of the Bubonic plague was during the mid-14th century, frequent outbreaks of the plague were still present during Shakespearean times (mid-16th to 17^th centuries).
Due to the health risks of the highly contagious disease spreading, theatres were often closed for long periods at a time.
Writers, including Shakespeare, would use the time that they could not make money from putting on plays in theatres, to reread Classical myths and legends, creating new plays for when the theatres reopened.

There was a new interest in learning, in knowledge.
Many scientific discoveries were made, especially ones that modified our view of the planet and solar system; and the human body.
The “Renaissance Man” was reflected in works, it encompassed the ideal of an individual being well-versed in many fields, arts, science etc. showing the revived importance of a good education and intellectual competence.

Satire on social elements was a reoccurrence in Renaissance works, and usually masked by setting the piece in classical times, distancing the critique from the people it criticized. It mainly focused on, society’s norms, human behaviour, and politics.
In this period, there could be conflicts in the plot between the past and the present, and until the past was resolved, the present couldn’t be.

Epistolary literature was very popular during the Renaissance, as it allowed for the reflection and expression of inner ideas.
There was a revival of certain classical literary forms such as epic poems, pastoral, and especially sonnets.

Rural country folk are presented in an idealised natural setting, while they contemplate their perfect and peaceful world that is absent of the worries and issues of crowded city life.
Nature was used as a setting, most typically forests, hills, and rivers.
There was often a theme of innocent love between characters which fitted well with nature as a backdrop.