The culture of England in the second half of the 16th centuryWord文档格式.docx

The culture of England in the second half of the 16th centuryWord文档格式.docx

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5

1.1

Englishpoetryofthe16thcentury

1.2

Dramaandprose

7

1.3

WilliamShakespeare–thegreatestEnglishpoet

8

ChapterII.

Fineartsofthe16thcentury

10

2.1

Englishpaintinganditsmainrepresentatives

2.2

Englisharchitecture

13

ChapterIII.

Music

17

ChapterIV.

Fashionasapartofsocialstatus

20

4.1

Women'

sfashions

4.2

Men'

sfashion

22

ChapterV.

Entertainmentsandpastimes

25

5.1

VarietyofentertainmentsandpastimesduringtheElizabethanperiod

5.2

Sports

27

5.3

Festivals,holidaysandcelebrations

29

5.4

Weddings

31

Listofsources

33

TheperiodunderanalysisisoftencalledElizabethantimes,asduringthisperiodQueenElizabethwassittingonathrone.ThereignofQueenElizabethI（1558–1603）isoftenreferredtoasTheGoldenAgeofEnglishhistory[4].

ElizabethwasanimmenselypopularQueen,andherpopularityhaswanedlittlewiththepassingoffourhundredyears.Sheisstilloneofthebestlovedmonarchs,andoneofthemostadmiredrulersofalltime.Shebecamealegendinherownlifetime,famedforherremarkableabilitiesandachievements.

ThisperiodwasassociatedwiththeheightoftheEnglishRenaissance,andsawthefloweringofEnglishliteratureandpoetry.ThiswasalsothetimeduringwhichElizabethantheatreflourishedandWilliamShakespeare,amongothers,composedplaysthatbrokeawayfromEngland'

spaststyleofplaysandtheatre.Itwasanageofexpansionandexplorationabroad,whileathometheProtestantReformationbecameentrenchedinthenationalmindset.

TheElizabethanAgeisviewedsohighlybecauseofthecontrastswiththeperiodsbeforeandafter.ItwasabriefperiodoflargelyinternalpeacebetweentheEnglishReformationandthebattlesbetweenProtestantsandCatholicsandthebattlesbetweenparliamentandthemonarchythatwouldengulftheseventeenthcentury.TheProtestant-Catholicdividewassettled,foratime,bytheElizabethanReligiousSettlementandparliamentwasstillnotstrongenoughtochallengeroyalabsolutism.

Englandwasalsowell-offcomparedtotheothernationsofEurope.TheItalianRenaissancehadcometoanendundertheweightofforeigndominationofthepeninsula.Francewasembroiledinitsownreligiousbattlesthatwouldonlybesettledin1598withtheEdictofNantes.Inpartbecauseofthis,butalsobecausetheEnglishhadbeenexpelledfromtheirlastoutpostsonthecontinent,thecenturieslongconflictbetweenFranceandEnglandwaslargelysuspendedformostofElizabeth’sreign.

TheonegreatrivalwasSpain,withwhichEnglandconflictedbothinEuropeandtheAmericasinskirmishesthatexplodedintotheAnglo-SpanishWarof1585–1604.AnattemptbyPhilipIIofSpaintoinvadeEnglandwiththeSpanishArmadain1588wasfamouslydefeated,butthetideofwarturnedagainstEnglandwithadisastrouslyunsuccessfulattackuponSpain,theDrake-NorrisExpeditionof1589.ThereafterSpainprovidedsomesupportforIrishCatholicsinadrainingguerillawaragainstEnglandandSpanishnavalandlandforcesinflictedaseriesofdefeatsuponEnglishforces.ThisbadlydamagedboththeEnglishExchequerandeconomythathadbeensocarefullyrestoredunderElizabeth’sprudentguidance.[11;

45-46].EnglishcolonisationandtradewouldbefrustrateduntilthesigningoftheTreatyofLondontheyearfollowingElizabeth’sdeath.

Englandduringthisperiodhadacentralised,well-organised,andeffectivegovernment,largelyaresultofthereformsofHenryVIIandHenryVIII.Economically,thecountrybegantobenefitgreatlyfromtheneweraoftrans-Atlantictrade.

InthisresearchwewillregardEnglishRenaissancecultureandlifestile,itseminentcontributiontothehistoryofEnglandandtheworldculture.

ThemainaimofthisresearchistorevealEnglishcultureinthesecondhalfofthe16thcenturyinallitsvariety.

Themaintasksofthisresearchare:

♦todefineEnglishcultureinthesecondhalfofthe16thcentury

♦toestimateQueenElizabeth’scontributiontoEnglishcultureof16thcentury

♦todisplayhistoricalpeculiarsofEnglishcultureandtheirinfluenceonEnglishmodernculture.

ChapterI.EnglishLiteratureanditscontributiontothedevelopmentofculturein16thcentury

1.1Englishpoetryofthe16thcentury

Thepoetryoftheearlierpartofthe16thcenturyisgenerallylessimportant,withtheexceptionoftheworkofJohnSkelton,whichexhibitsacuriouscombinationofmedievalandRenaissanceinfluences.Thetwogreatestinnovatorsofthenew,richstyleofRenaissancepoetryinthelastquarterofthe16thcenturywereSirPhilipSidneyandEdmundSpenser,bothhumanisticallyeducatedElizabethancourtiers.Sidney, 

universally 

recognizedasthemodelRenaissancenobleman,outwardlypolishedaswellasinwardlyconscientious,inauguratedthevogueofthesonnetcycleinhisAstrophelandStella（written1582;

published1591）.Inthiswork,intheelaborateandhighlymetaphoricalstyleoftheearlierItaliansonnet,hecelebratedhisidealizedloveforPenelopeDevereux,thedaughterofWalterDevereux,1stearlofEssex.TheselyricsprofesstoseeinheranidealofwomanhoodthatinthePlatonicmannerleadstoaperceptionofthegood,thetrue,andthebeautifulandconsequentlyofthedivine.Thisidealizationofthebelovedremainedafavoredmotifinmuchofthepoetryanddramaofthelate16thcentury;

ithaditsrootsnotonlyinPlatonismbutalsointhePlatonicspeculationsofhumanismandinthechivalricidealizationofloveinmedievalromance.The 

greatest 

monumenttothatidealism,broadenedtoincludeallfeaturesofthemorallife,isSpenser'

suncompletedFaerieQueene（BooksI-III,1590;

BooksIV-VI,1596）,themostfamousworkoftheperiod.Ineachofitscompletedsixbooksitdepictstheactivitiesofaherothatpointtowardtheidealformofaparticularvirtue,andatthesametimeitlooksforwardtothemarriageofArthur,whoisacombinationofallthevirtues,andGloriana,whoistheidealformofwomanhoodandtheembodimentofQueenElizabeth.ItisentirelytypicaloftheimpulseoftheRenaissanceinEnglandthatinthisworkSpensertriedtocreateoutoftheinheritedEnglishelementsofArthurianromanceandanarchaic,partlymedievalstyleanobleepicthatwouldmakethenationalliteraturetheequalofthoseofancientGreeceandRomeandofRenaissanceItaly.HiseffortinthisrespectcorrespondedtothenewdemandsexpressedbySidneyinthecriticalessayTheDefenceofPoesie,originallyApologieforPoetrie（written1583?

;

posthumouslypublished1595）.Spenser'

sconceptionofhisrolenodoubtconformedtoSidney'

sgeneraldescriptionofthepoetastheinspiredvoiceofGodrevealingexamplesofmorallyperfectactionsinanaestheticallyidealworldsuchasmererealitycanneverprovide,andwithagraphicandconcreteconvictionthatmerephilosophycanneverachieve.ThepoeticandnarrativequalitiesofTheFaerieQueenesuffertoadegreefromthevarioustheoreticalrequirementsthatSpenserforcedtheworktomeet.[14;

25]

In 

a 

number 

of 

other 

lyricalandnarrativeworksSidneyandSpenserdisplayedtheornate,somewhatflorid,highlyfiguredstylecharacteristicofagreatdealofElizabethanpoeticexpression;

buttwootherpoetictendenciesbecamevisibletowardtheendofthe16thandintheearlypartofthe17thcenturies.ThefirsttendencyisexemplifiedbythepoetryofJohnDonneandtheotherso-calledmetaphysicalpoets,whichcarriedthemetaphoricalstyletoheightsofdaringcomplexityandingenuity.Thisoftenparadoxicalstylewasusedforavarietyofpoeticpurposes,rangingfromcomplexemotionalattitudestothesimpleinducementofadmirationforitsownvirtuosity.AmongthemostimportantofDonne'

sfollowers,GeorgeHerbertisdistinguishedforhiscarefullyconstructedreligiouslyrics,whichstrivetoexpresswithpersonalhumilitytheemotionsappropriatetoalltrueChristians.OthermembersofthemetaphysicalschoolareHenryVaughan,afollowerofHerbert,andRichardCrashaw,whowasinfluencedbyContinentalCatholicmysticism.AndrewMarvellwrotemetaphysicalpoetryofgreatpowerandfluency,buthealsorespondedtootherinfluences.Theinvolvedmetaphysicalstyleremainedfashionableuntillateinthe17thcentury.

The 

second 

late 

RenaissancepoetictendencywasinreactiontothesometimesflamboyantlushnessoftheSpenseriansandtothesometimestortuousverbalgymnasticsofthemetaphysicalpoets.BestrepresentedbytheaccomplishedpoetryofBenJonsonandhisschool,itrevealsaclassicallypureandrestrainedstylethathadstronginfluenceonlatefiguressuchasRobertHerrickandtheotherCavalierpoetsandgavethedirectionforthepoeticdevelopmentofthesucceedingneoclassicalperiod.

1.2Dramaandprose

poetry 

the 

EnglishRenaissancebetween1580and1660wastheresultofaremarkableoutburstofenergy.Itis,however,thedramaofroughlythesameperiodthatstandshighestinpopularestimation.Theworksofitsgreatestrepresentative,WilliamShakespeare,haveachievedworldwiderenown.InthepreviousMiddleEnglishperiodtherehadbeen,withinthechurch,agradualbroadeningofdramaticrepresentationofsuchdoctrinallyimportanteventsastheangel'

sannouncementoftheresurrectiontothewomenatthetombofChrist.Ultimately,performancesofreligiousdramahadbecometheprovinceofthecraftguilds,andtheen