Concetti Chiave
- The English Renaissance, spanning from 1509 to 1660, was heavily influenced by Protestantism and marked by the establishment of the Anglican Church under Henry VIII.
- Humanism, also known as the "New Learning," was widespread in England, particularly in Oxford and Cambridge, emphasizing human reason and nature's connection to divine forces.
- The idealization of women in literature portrayed them as unattainable ideals, linked to loyalty and sacrifice, often depicted in isolated settings like castles.
- The Dolce stil novo introduced the notion of spiritual elevation in love, depicting women as angelic figures bridging the earthly and divine realms, with Petrarchism influencing poetic styles.
- William Shakespeare's work challenged traditional portrayals of love by subverting conventional presentations of women, exploring both ideal and irrational aspects of love.
What was the beginning of Renaissance in England?
The English Renaissance covers the period between 1509, the year in which Henry VIII ascended the throne, to 1660, the year that marked the beginning of the Restoration.It was a typical English movement and began later than its European equivalents (especially the Florentine and the Italian one).
It was featured by a strong Protestant base influenced by the Reformation under the reign of Henry VIII, who was also the starter of the Anglican Church.
As a matter of fact, he wanted to divorce from Caterine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn but the Pope didn’t allow it, so the king in 1533 became also the Supreme Head of the Church of England.
A feature that characterized the English Renaissance was the fact that English literature was less linked to the visual arts than Italian literature.
Where Humanism was spread
The “New Learning”, as Humanism was also called, was diffused in grammar schools all over the country and especially in the two universities, Oxford and Cambridge.
It was based on the power of human reason that could interpret man and nature.
As a matter of fact, the Persian world for wizard, used by Pico della Mirandola in his Speech, meant someone who was so deeply connected with nature that reached to understand the divine forces’ messages.
During the Renaissance love songs and sonnets flourished: therefore this period was called “The golden age”.
The sonnet was introduced into England by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard and was refined in Italy by Dante and Petrarch, whose Canzoniere had become the model for all European renaissance poets.
The poetry of Petrarch was unique also because of the distinctive devices, like oxymoron.
After a period of evolution, the English sonnet came to be identified with the Shakespearean model.
The way women were idealized
The idealization of the woman has been one of the main topic of Western literature all along.In the French metrical romances the woman was a lady who was worshipped by the author but he was imbued by a perception of love for an ideal, and not real, woman who was linked, in turn, with the ideals of loyalty, sacrifice and renunciation.
Actually, the lady often lived with her lord in an isolated castle and she married him for economic or political reasons.
The lady usually tempted the few men she came into contact with.
The concept of love in “Dolce stil novo”
The Italian Dolce stil novo introduced a new theme connected with love: spiritual elevation.The woman became an angel, an intermediary creature between the earth and heaven.
This poetic started with Guido Guinizzelli and reached the highest point in the poetry of Guido Cavalcanti and Dante Alighieri.
During the Renaissance the poet used to confront the ideal love, which led to perfection, and the real love, which was irrational and led to folly.
The figure of Petrarch stood between the dying medieval period and the Renaissance.
In fact, a new way of perceiving poetry was started with the Petrarchism: poets, male or female, decided to copy Petrarch’s style and themes. In this way, originality was not the main interest but, at the same time, refinement touched very high peaks.
William Shakespeare tried to separate the different aspects of love inverting the conventional presentation of the woman.
Domande da interrogazione
- When did the English Renaissance begin and what were its key influences?
The English Renaissance began in 1509 with Henry VIII's ascension to the throne and lasted until 1660. It was influenced by the Protestant Reformation and the establishment of the Anglican Church by Henry VIII.
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