英国文学史及选读Part IV The Renaissance (1)

PartIVTheRenaissance(1)WilliamShakespeareI.HistoricalbackgroundThe16thcenturyinEnglandwasaperiodofthebreakingupoffeudalrelationsandtheestablishingofthefoundationsofcapitalism.theenclosuremovement---atimewhen“sheepdevouredmen”(ThomasMore)I.Historicalbackgroundformationoftheabsolutemonarchy---KingHenryVIIIextermination(消灭,根绝)oftheoldEnglisharistocracyinthecourseoftheWaroftheRosesandtheriseofthegentry,themainsupportersoftheabsolutemonarchyI.Historicalbackground---theWaroftheRosestheWaroftheRoses(1455–85)SeriesofdynasticcivilwarsbetweenthehousesofLancaster(兰开斯特王朝,1399-1461)andYork(约克王朝,1461—1485)fortheEnglishthrone.Thewarswerenamedfortheemblemsofthetwohouses,thewhiteroseofYorkandtheredofLancaster.BothclaimedthethronethroughdescentfromEdwardIII.I.Historicalbackground---theWaroftheRosesThewarsbeganinthe1450sandendedinvictoryfortheLancastrians(英国兰开斯特皇室人,尤指玫瑰战争中拥护兰开斯特王朝的人)in1485withthedeathofRichardIIIattheBattleofBosworthFieldandtheaccessionofHenryVIItothethrone,whounitedthehousesbymarriageanddefeatedaYorkistrisingin1487.I.Historicalbackground---theWaroftheRosesthewhiteroseofYorkandtheredroseofLancasterHenryVIII.Historicalbackground---theWaroftheRosesWiththeirheavycasualtiesamongthenobility,thewarsarethoughttohavecontinuedthechangesinfeudalEnglishsocietycausedbytheeffectsoftheBlackDeath,includingaweakeningofthefeudalpowerofthenoblesandacorrespondingstrengtheningofthemerchantclasses,andthegrowthofastrong,centralisedmonarchyundertheTudors(都铎王朝,1485-1603).ItheraldedtheendofthemedievalperiodinEnglandandthemovementtowardstheRenaissance.I.HistoricalbackgroundthedevelopingbourgeoisiesummitoftheabsolutemonarchyduringthereignofQueenElizabeth(reigned1558-1603)defeatoftheSpanishInvincibleArmadain1588uprisingsofthepeasantry---RobertKetI.HistoricalbackgroundTogetherwiththedevelopmentofbourgeoisrelationshipsandformationoftheEnglishnationalstatethisperiodismarkedbyaflourishingofnationalcultureknownastherenaissance.II.TheRenaissance---definitionThetermrenaissanceoriginallyindicatedarevivalofclassical(GreekandRoman)artsandsciencesafterthedarkagesofmedievalobscurantism(蒙昧主义).Indeed,agreatnumberoftheworksofclassicalauthorsweretranslatedintoEnglishduringthe16thcentury.Thestudyandpropagationofclassicallearningandartwascarriedonbytheprogressivethinkersofthehumanists.II.TheRenaissance---HumanismTheGreekandRomancivilizationwasbasedonsuchaconceptionthatmanisthemeasureofallthings.Thehumanistsheldtheirchiefinterestnotinecclesiastical(教会的)knowledge,butinman,hisenvironmentanddoingsandbravelyfoughtfortheemancipationofmanfromthetyrannyofthechurchandreligiousdogmas.II.TheRenaissance---EnglishRenaissanceTheEnglishRenaissancewasaculturalandartisticmovementinEnglanddatingfromtheearly16thcenturytotheearly17thcentury.Itisassociatedwiththepan-EuropeanRenaissancethatmanyculturalhistoriansbelieveoriginatedinnorthernItalyinthefourteenthcentury.II.TheRenaissance---theageofShakespeareortheElizabethaneraThiserainEnglishculturalhistoryissometimesreferredtoastheageofShakespeareortheElizabethanera,takingthenameoftheEnglishRenaissance'smostfamousauthorandmostimportantmonarch,respectively.II.TheRenaissance---Greatwriters→poetsPoetssuchasEdmundSpenserandJohnMiltonproducedworksthatdemonstratedanincreasedinterestinunderstandingEnglishChristianbeliefs,suchastheallegoricalrepresentationoftheTudorDynasty(都铎王朝)inTheFaerieQueen(仙后)andtheretellingofmankind’sfallfromparadiseinParadiseLost.II.TheRenaissance---Greatwriters→playwrightsPlaywrights,suchasChristopherMarloweandWilliamShakespeare,composedtheatricalrepresentationsoftheEnglishtake(理解;解释;领悟)onlife,death,andhistory.II.TheRenaissance---Greatwriters→philosophersNearingtheendoftheTudorDynasty,philosopherslikeSirThomasMooreandSirFrancisBaconpublishedtheirownideasabouthumanityandtheaspectsofaperfectsociety,pushingthelimitsofmetacognition(元认知)atthattime.AsEnglandabolisheditsastrologersandalchemists,itcameclosertoreachingmodernsciencewiththeBaconianMethod(培根归纳推理法),aforerunneroftheScientificMethod.(Formoreinformation,seeBookI,p.p.67-68）WilliamShakespeare---poetandplaywrightWilliamShakespearewasanEnglishpoetandplaywrightwidelyregardedasthegreatestwriteroftheEnglishlanguage,andastheworld'spreeminentdramatist.Hewroteapproximately38playsand154sonnets,aswellasavarietyofotherpoems.HeisoftenconsideredtobeEngland'snationalpoetandissometimesreferredtoastheBardofAvon(orsimplyTheBard)ortheSwanofAvon.WilliamShakespeare•Born:23April1564•Birthplace:Stratford-upon-Avon,England•Died:23April1616•BestKnownAs:ThefamedauthorofHamletandRomeoandJulietShakespeare'sbirthplace,inStratford-upon-AvonStratford-upon-Avon20040717TheRiverAvonandthesideoftheRoyalShakespeareTheatre(April2007)Shakespearegrave-Stratford-upon-AvonWilliamShakespeare---playsOrthodoxscholarsbelieveShakespeareproducedmostofhisworkbetween1586and1612,althoughtheexactdatesandchronology(年表)oftheplaysattributedtohimareunderconsiderabledebate.Heiscountedamongthefewplaywrightswhohaveexcelledinbothtragedyandcomedy;hisplayscombinepopularappealwithcomplexcharacteris