DEPARTMENT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE
COURSE TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY HISTORY
COURSE CODE: ENG 215
CONTRIBUTIONS
MATRIC NO. : 190102169 - OKEKE DOREEN DINMA
MATRIC NO. : 190102167 - OMILAJA AMINAT OLUSOLA
MATRIC NO. : 190102170 - OLADIMEJI DAMILOLA PETER
TERM PROJECT
WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO SHAKESPEAREAN
TRAGEDIES, IDENTIFY THE FEATURES OF THE RENAISSANCE
DRAMA?
SYNOPSIS AND INTRODUCTION
Renaissance is part of European History that brought about an
Artistic movement. The Societies in European went through huge changes
and revolution in the 15th century, and so did their Art. In the 14th century,
Italian artists began to revive the heritage of Greek and Roman Antiquity.
This is why this period is called the “Renaissance”.
Renaissance Drama, also known as the English Renaissance theatre, is the
theatre of England between 1562 and 1642. The Renaissance affected drama by
allowing and encouraging performers to develop new narratives. The major
themes of the Renaissance Drama include rebirth and rediscovery, humanism,
rationalism, individualism, reformation, and secularism. These themes are the
influence this period had on the theatre aspect of their culture.
Writers like Shakespeare, Charles Marlowe and Ben Jonson made use of
this style of play.
In this term Paper, We are going to discuss Renaissance as a period in
history, how Shakespeare portrayed this period in his tragedies and how it affects
the characters in his plays. Shakespearean Works like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet,
Othello and Macbeth will be illustrated and we are going to identify the features
of renaissance drama in them.
RENAISSANCE AS A PERIOD IN HISTORY
Renaissance is a prominent period of the European culture which
comes after the middle ages. The name ‘Renaissance’ is a French word translating
to rebirth. It symbolised the beginning of a new era of art, rebirthing the classical
models of Ancient Greek and Rome periods while using the modern techniques.
The Renaissance is said to have bridged the gap between the middle ages and
modern day civilization. It took place from the 14th century to the 17th century.
This period refined Art, in discovery of classic philosophy and a new age of
literature and Art. It brought about a new change in cultures and beliefs of the
people; thus, views were changed as Art, Culture and Knowledge were revealed.
This era was so important that it changed the way people thought, with new
inventions, styles, and explorations that are still influential and occurring till this
modern day. The term ‘Renaissance Man’ refers to the highly influential people
who shaped this period of time.
The new discovery was portray in English literatures by notable
writers. These writers includes William Shakespeare, John Donne, John
Milton, Christopher Marlowe, Giovanni Boccaccio, Ben Jonson, Philip Sidney etc.
RENAISSANCE DRAMA
Renaissance Drama known as English Renaissance theatre was written
between the Reformation till the closure of the theaters. It was from 1562 to 1642.
It can also be called early modern English theatre. It includes the drama of William
Shakespeare the most famous, along with many other famous dramatists.
The features of Renaissance are related in dramas of these times. Themes
of Renaissance were used in any English literature. Some of the themes in
Renaissance drama were ambition, class mobility, avarice and excessive
consumption, love and religion, and sex and gender. Most English Renaissance
drama portrayed more than one of these themes, often in the same play.
During this period, feelings and emotions were key to illustrating
humanism, with the story more oriented on the character rather than the adventure.
In addition, Renaissance literature revolved more around having a real humanistic
protagonist with a real story to tell.
Renaissance Drama explores the rich variety of theatrical performance
practices in early modern Europe and intersecting cultures.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Shakespeare was known as the greatest Poet and Writer of the
Renaissance. Growing up during the English Renaissance inevitably had an effect
on the way he wrote each and every one of his pieces of literature.
English Renaissance inspired Shakespeare to write his plays according to
the traditions and culture of the period and how everyone was living their day to
day life. He was one of the first playwrights to bring the Renaissance's core values
to the theater.
Shakespeare embraced the Renaissance by using the new arts and values
in his plays and portray his characters according to the features of this period.
Shakespeare updated the simplistic, two-dimensional writing style of pre-
Renaissance drama. He focused on creating human characters with psychological
complexity.
The most famous and important of his works written during the
renaissance were the Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet etc. William
Shakespeare was a product of the cultural shifts that were occurring in England in
the 16th century and these changes influenced his works. The Renaissance
movement was influencing England strongly and openness, humanism and cultures
were shown in Shakespeare’s plays.
We are going to be illustrating the features of the Renaissance movement
according to four of Shakespearean tragedies. How this period affects the
characters and situation in each play will be discussed. The Dramas are ROMEO
AND JULIET, HAMLET, OTHELLO AND MACBETH.
ROMEO AND JULIET
One of Shakespeare’s tragic plays, Romeo and Juliet is set during the
renaissance, specifically the renaissance Italy. He used this setting to represent a
society that is more free than that of Elizabethan England. It was one of the seven
plays of Shakespeare set in renaissance Italy.
Romeo and Juliet portrayed the Italian influence on English culture during
the renaissance. Ideas like love at first sight and following what you believe is the
correct path was depicted. Shakespeare learnt terms like ‘the immortal pass ado
the Punto reverso the hay’ from a book by Vincentio Saviolo, an Italian fencing
master who was famous during the renaissance and he used the terms in his play
when Mercutio describes Tybalt’s fighting style. Duel fights was a common death
sentence to people in Shakespeare’s time, the renaissance period and the play,
Romeo & Juliet illustrates how dangerous and foolish the culture of dueling is
when both Mercutio and Tybalt die in pointless fights.
The influence of Italian Love Poets like Petrarch on the English vocabulary
of romance was mocked in this play. Romeo describes the love he has for Rosaline
in Petrarch’s poetry language and did comical bad job which made Benvolio and
Mercutio make fun of him.
Shakespeare draws on stereotypes about Italy to create the world of
Romeo and Juliet. Italy then was believed to be a country where romance was
highly valued. The ‘tragedy of love’ was a genre theatrical created by Italian
playwrights and Shakespeare illustrated their art in his love tragedies like Othello
and Romeo & Juliet which was set in Italy.
Another portrayal of renaissance Italy as featured in Romeo and
Juliet is the belief that Italians favor poison as a method of assassination. Romeo
uses poison to kill himself at the end when he thought the woman he loved had
died. It was also feared around that the Roman Catholic Church interfered in
European politics in a way that could be proven disastrous for protestant England.
Friar Lawrence’s willingness to meddle in Montague-Capulet feud illustrates the
English paranoia about the Roman Catholicism. It is important to realize that
during this time, Shakespeare was influenced in the exotic way of Italy which
enabled him to write plays with colorful and vibrant characters with a more
extravagant plot and still maintain a sense of realism as the popular belief of Italy
was that it was a place of poetry, romance and sophistication but also of violent
passions; deadly feuds, treachery and sensational. These features are as seen in
Romeo and Juliet.
HAMLET
Hamlet, as an eponymous character, that rises up against the so-called
norm and belief of the people at that time. Hamlet as a Renaissance drama has
the qualities,physical and intellectual strength, creativity and risk taking ability to
kick against immoralities in the society.
Hamlet explores the purpose of living and places a high value on reason. It
has the attributes of the modern renaissance Elizabethan character who is placed
in the medieval world. Shakespeare thrived off of influencers from the
renaissance. The period was built on the idea of new birth and there was a time
when many writers developed and produced magnificent works.
This inspired the writers of the time when many talented writers, artists and
songwriters developed and produced magnificent works. This inspired the writers
of the time and the elements of literary works during the renaissance period
which included both the “theme of revenge “ and “ free play of language “.
Hamlet is a great example of the renaissance period and how it is
portrayed to have affected the plays that were written during that time. Hamlet is
a play about the character of ‘Prince Hamlet ‘ and how he wants to revenge on his
‘Uncle Claudius’ for murdering his father ‘ King Hamlet’ and this lead to the
‘theme of revenge’ which was the supreme achievement of the genre because
Shakespeare made the issue turn on the character of the revenger. Hamlet was
faced with a hard ethical decision to kill his uncle ( King Claudius) or not. He was
in the dilemma of indecision until the very end.
“Revenge was a major theme in the renaissance period; a crime is
committed in most of the revenge tragedies and for some reasons, the person
who committed the crime cannot be persecuted. In the case of the play ( Hamlet),
Prince Hamlet was not found to be the one who killed King Hamlet. This type of
events happened in the everyday lives of the people living during renaissance
period. Shakespeare wanted the audience to make it aware that these issues are
also in the lives of royalty. Even though King Claudius has killed King Hamlet
(finding King Claudius apparently at prayer, Hamlet shows he has not the will to
revenge in cold blood “ ( black 86). Hamlet shows us that he cannot act on
revenge to kill his uncle.
Revenge is an action that people perform when they are desperate to
obtain vengeance. Hamlet was written in part to celebrate the “ free play of
language “ and it is very common for people to create games themselves during
the renaissance period. An example of Hamlet playing word games is “Hicet et
ubique; Then we’ll shift our ground” ( I, v, 156).
Hamlet’s approach to the way of life is somehow different to that of the
normal characters in the play. He is focused on questioning the present way of
life. Hamlet struggles between the perspective and concern with existential
questions through intelligent prose makes him a classic Renaissance man. The
soliloquy “to be, or to be not?” shows his existential crisis which is at the heart of
the play. He rejects the medivial religious
certainties whereby people believe to go to heaven or hell based on his unknown
believe about the after life.
OTHELLO
In Othello, Othello’s relationships with himself and to those around him
reflect renaissance imaginings of the exotic-of the cultural and other that were at
once glamorous and dangerous. The key to analyzing Shakespeare ’s Othello is an
understanding of renaissance love.
Othello is a domestic tragedy of the English Renaissance. Renaissance In
its source as well as in the dramatist’s conception and therefore a reflection of
Renaissance concepts of marriage, infidelity and personal honor, and from this
background.
Othello is a play that deals with the humanity and their tactics to
misjudge the relations. Othello is an invaluable piece of Renaissance literature, as
it deals with and gives insight into perceptions of race and racial differences that
were contextually relevant to the time period. In Othello, the action unfolds in
different places and time passes on.
The idea of time, time-flow is a very important of Renaissance. In the
Renaissance stage, there can be found many instances of violence. In Othello, the
strangling of Desdemona and the suicide of the protagonist are actually
performed before the eyes of the audience.
Many interpretations have appeared during the Renaissance, Aristotle’s
definition was revived and catharsis was interpreted in the moral sense of
regarding the spectator purified by the tragedy. When the hero is faced with two
equally justifiable and clashing values, he espouses one and by doing so, he is
forced to let go of the other.
Othello identifies himself wholly with the power that moves him. Whereas
in the Greek tragedy was on the action itself, during the Renaissance. Othello is a
tragic hero, although he is not a king, he is a warrior hero, with his magnificence
and his sense of patrician caste. His path unfolds from happiness to a complete
collapse. His fall is inevitable.
MACBETH
In the play of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, The protagonist Macbeth
was the representation of the Renaissance period. The story doesn’t involve gods
or any supernatural power but kings and queen. Macbeth’s life was defined by his
actions .
There might be some factors related to Macbeth’s acts, for example the
prophecy of the three witches and the persuasion of Lady Macbeth to commit
suicide. Greed and ambitions were the feature that made Macbeth a tragic hero.
Killing Duncan was his actions for fulfilling his aspirations to become the king of
Scotland. The imagination of being the future king of Scotland affected him.
In the first act of the play he was shown as a brave and faithful warrior. His
wife, Lady Macbeth spoke on his loving nature “it is too full o’ the milk of human
kindness/To arch the nearest way” (Act 1, scene 5) .
The reader would realize a mix up of his sweet nature and a profound ambition to
become King after he spoke with the three witches. The prediction of the witches
has casted light on his ambitious nature and Influenced him to kill Duncan.
In the case of Macbeth, he already realized his ambitious nature will
control his actions. He said it to be "vaulting". “ I have no spur/ To prick the sides
of my intent, but only/ vaulting ambitions”. Even while he was planning to kill
Duncan he was trying to fight the wicked side within him. His sense of
super ambition his the moral conscience of himself and led him to commit a
muderous act. He committed consecutive murders by killing chamberlains l,
Banquo,Lady Macduff, and their children. Macbeth being a good man but
transpired into a wicked being due to his excessive desire to become King, made
him Hallucinate. He saw Banquo’s ghost and heard voices of unconscious as he
murdered the sleeping Duncan.
Therefore, it can be concluded by saying it is the actions humans take that
changes their life event. Renaissance uses this motif focusing on man’s actions. It
was reflected to any art form available in that time. Hence, Macbeth as a product
of the Renaissance.
CONCLUSION
Shakespearean tragedies as discussed in this paper is a written
work with elements of sad ending where the hero either dies or ends up
mentally, emotionally, or spiritually devastated beyond recovery .
The hero usually dies along with his opponent just like Othello
and Macbeth. The death of a hero is usually not an ordinary death, it can
be the death of two lovers as seen in Romeo and Juliet. In a
Shakespearean tragedy, when good is destroyed along with evil, the
loss is known as a "tragic waste." Shakespearean tragedy always
includes a tragic waste of goodness. Hamlet is a perfect example of
tragic waste. Even though Hamlet succeeds in uprooting the evil from
Denmark, he does so at the cost of his death. In this case, the good
(Hamlet) gets destroyed along with evil (Claudius). Neither of them
wins. Instead, they fail together.
The features of Renaissance Drama have been used to explore
these Shakespearean tragedies. It is portrayed in these contexts and
each play ends with the death of each tragic hero.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES
Shakespeare's plays Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth
https://www.grandpalais.fr/en/article/what-renaissance
https://homework.study.com/explanation/what-are-the-major-themes-of-the-renaissance.html
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-britlit1/chapter/english-renaissance-theatre/#:~:text=English
%20Renaissance%20theatre%2C%20also%20known,Shakespeare%2C%20Christopher%20Marlowe
%20andBen%20Jonson.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/renaissance/renaissance
https://www.sightseeingtoursitaly.com/tips-articles/what-is-the-renaissance-period-known-for/
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1959/6/29/romeo-and-juliet-pthe-period-of/
https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/context/historical/what-did-shakespeares-audience-
know-about-italy/
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/h/hamlet/play-summary
http://ipothesi.blogspot.com/2013/08/popular-genres-and-themes-of-english.html?m=1
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/English_Renaissance_theatre#:~:text=English
%20Renaissance%20theatre%20is%20English,with%20many%20other%20famous%20dramatists.
