1485-1660:A BRIEF BACKGROUND

The English Renaissance & Shakespeare’s Taming of the

Shrew

The Monarchy & the Church The Elizabethan Era

Writers influenced by rulers. Henry VIII married

Catherine of Aragon. Martin Luther wrote 95

arguments against Roman Catholicism.

Henry VIII breaks away from Rome and becomes head of the Church of England.

“Bloody” Mary (Catholic) succeeds Henry VIII.

Puritan reformers gain power.

1558: Elizabeth I (protestant) succeeds Mary.

Defeated the Spanish armada, establishing England as a super power.

1603: Elizabeth I is succeeded by James I, who begins the Stuart line.

The Renaissance: Historical Context

The Rise of the Stuarts The Defeat of the Monarchy

1605: Gunpowder Plot (led by Guy Fawkes, Catholic)

1625: Charles I succeeds his father, James

1629: Charles I dismisses Parliament

1640: Charles reconvenes Parliament, which strips the kings of many of his powers

English Civil War Royalists

Catholics, Anglicans, & nobilityVS

Supporters of Parliament Puritans, small landowners, &

middle class

Oliver Cromwell led Puritan army defeated Royalists established a commonwealth

After Cromwell’s death, Charles II is invited back to England The Restoration

The Renaissance: Historical Context

The Renaissance: Cultural Influences

Renaissance = “rebirth” or “revival”Marked by a surge of creative energy and a modern

worldview Renaissance Worldview is marked by a concern for THIS life

(unlike the medieval concern for the NEXT life) and human potential

Time of Shakespeare, Galileo, & ColumbusInvention of compass allowed for greater explorationGutenberg's printing press made books available

By 1530, more than 50% of England’s population could readTheater and literature thriveKing James commissioned a new translation of the bible

…Elizabethan Drama

Shakespeare’s Influence 37 plays Tragedies, comedies, &

histories Marked by clever wordplay,

memorable characters, & complex plots

Other playwrights Christopher Marlowe

Psychological probing Ben Jonson

Masques (elaborate scenery, costumes, music, dance, etc.)

1649—Puritans close theaters

The Renaissance: Literature

Elizabethan Drama…

Elizabethan drama emerges from 3 sources:1. Medieval drama—mystery,

miracle, & morality plays, which were religious

2. Interludes, which ridiculed the manners & customs of commoners

3. Latin & Greek dramas New dramas dealt with the

complexities of human life on earth

Plays staged in court, homes of the wealthy, & early theaters

Dramatic Conventions & Writing Style

Conventions of Shakespeare's Comedy

SoliloquyAsideMonologueDramatic IronyProse

Ordinary language used to emphasis characters of low social status

Iambic Pentameter Stylized language used to

emphasize characters of high social status

Comedy through language Word play, metaphors, insults

Love Thematic Also, pairs of lovers

Complex plots Intricate plot 5-part plot w/ induction

Mistaken identities Disguises Gender relations

Shakespearean Comedy

The Taming of the Shrew

Contains 3 stories of deception

Play-within-a-play Similarly used in

Hamlet Petruchio pretends to be

a male shrew, beating and berating servants

Goal is to give Kate a taste of her own medicine

Role of deception and disguise

Gender expectation and roles The play mirrors societal

attitudes of Shakespeare’s time.

Shrew was a stock character in comedy. An uncontrollable,

unreasonably angry, and sometimes cruel woman

Shrew usually gets “was she deserve[s]”

Shakespeare treats the shrew with a little more dignity

The Taming of the Shrew: Major Players

Baptista Minola: A rich gentleman of Padua and the father of Katherine and Bianca

Katharina Minola: Called the shrewBianca Minola: Younger daughter who acts

innocent and sweetGremio: A foolish old man and suitor to

BiancaHortensio: A suitor to Bianca who disguises

himself as a music teacher

The Taming of the Shrew: Major Players

• Lucentio: Disguises himself as a Latin teacher to spend time with Bianca

• Tranio: Lucentio’s servant who disguises himself as Lucentio

• Biondello: Lucentio’s other servant• Vincentio: Lucentio’s father from PisaPetruchio: Suitor to Katherine the shrewGrumio: Petruchio’s servant (often acts as

the comic relief in the play)