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01.English Renaissance
a.Renaissance means“ rebirth.”It refers to the rebirth of art, literature, academic interests, and creativity, marking the transition from the medieval to the modern world, generally dated from the 14th to the mid-1 7th century.
b.Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance.
i.It stresses human values, dignity, ambitions, and the present life rather than the afterlife. Pursuing knowledge, power, beauty, and wealth are all the primary Renaissance elements.
ii.Humanism appeared in England in the 15th century, with Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare as the best representatives of the English humanists.
c.Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare employed or borrowed many subjects or stories from ancient and foreign literature, such as Tamburlaine and Dr. Faustus.
i.In that sense, the fusion of classical form with English content brought about the possibility of a mature and artistic drama ---the new Elizabethan Drama.
d.Renaissance heroes represented by Tamburlaine and Dr. Faustus have grand ambitions.
i.In Marlowe 's drama, Tamburlaine and Faustus seek power and knowledge, respectively . By conquering other kingdoms, Tamburlaine gains supreme happiness until eventually he is defeated by death, the only limitation on him as a man. After successful attempts to win knowledge, Dr. Faustus falls for his sin of pride with despair in God and trust in Devil.
ii.Shakespeare has accepted the Renaissance views on literature. He holds that literature should be a combination of beauty, kindness, and truth and should reflect nature and reality. In Shakespeare's great tragedies, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth are all possessive of the ambition of power, so they are stuck in a life dilemma.
