▪ Introduction

▪ Part I → Historical - Cultural Background

▪ Part II → Linguistic Background

▪ Part III → Shakespeare (life, career:

poetry and dramas)
Frasca Caccia Andrea – A.S. 2021/2022 – Classi IV
 This term derives from the French
Renaissance Language and means rebirth.

This historical, artistic, cultural and

linguistic phenomenon developed at
first in Italy and then it spread out all
over Europe.

In England, the importance of this

period is mostly related to a new spirit
of linguistic and grammar

Aim: the development of man’s capacities.

 Why the 16th and 17th centuries were defined as ‘a period of stability’?

possible thanks to the figure of

Political stability The role of Queen Elizabeth I:

➢ She headed for an “equilibrium” into the Anglican Church

to ensure England’s internal peace (especially between the
Christian and the Protestant poles)

➢ She encouraged the exploration of lands over the

oceans, developing travels and commerce → overseas
trade → strong control towards the colonies

➢ 1588: the victory against the Spain of Philip II:

reestablishment of the English supremacy in Europe
Her contribution:

❖ Sense of patriotism for the nation: a

developing identity → (Shakespeare’s plays)

❖ Inspiration for her values: a Woman

a Queen
a Goddess

❖ A superhuman capable of defeating a great

enemy. Because of that she was considered as
a great and victorious monarch, defender of
her realm.

Focus: Her speech to soldier (cf. L&L, p. 124)

 The Queen died in 1603 without leaving a direct heir

The Stuart dynasty:

▪ King James IV of Scotland became King James I of

England, governing both countries

▪ Strong restriction to the catholic and puritan from

government:

Catholics → the Gunpowder Plot (1605)

Puritans → the story of the Mayflower and the Pilgrim
Fathers (1620)

▪ Absolutism → The realm of the absolute King

Charles I Stuart 7 years of Civil War:
King’s supporters (the Cavaliers) and the Parliament’s
supporters (the Roundheads) engaged a strict battle.

▪ Oliver Cromwell’s role and the Commonwealth:

A commander who was able to defeat Charles I,
establishing a Parliamentary republic: the Commonwealth
Modern English: a process by which the language itself spread out its own
vocabulary, orthography, spelling and grammar.

STANDARDIZATION PROCESS OF LANGUAGE: English is still considered as a

vulgar language, instead of French (language of laws) and Latin (vehicular
language), but things are about to change.

REASONS: the printing press – the importance of education – the increasement of

means of communication

English over Latin → cf. Richard Mulcaster’s quotation: ‘I adore Rome, but
London better; I favour Italy, but England more, I honour the Latin, but I worship
the English’
 ▪ Historic background: Pilgrims considered their trip
to the USA (1620) as a symbol of guidance by God,
inspired from the ‘Exodus’, a book taken from the
Bible.

THE REVOLUTION ▪ Translation to Greek: a fundamental passage

influenced by the Protestant movement of Martin
Luther.
OF LANGUAGE: ▪ In England: first authorized version was the ‘King
BIBLE James Bible’ (1611).

TRANSLATION ▪ King James authorized a final work, able to resume

the most important English religious Confessions
and providing a correct version of the Bible.

▪ The influence of bible translation → Allusions can

be found on Shakespeare’s Plays
 UTOPIA (THOMAS MORE, 1516)

▪ A COMBINATION OF LITERATURE AND

PHILOSOPHY, INFLUENCED BY TRAVEL
REPORTS OF THE NEW EXPLORED
TRANSLATION WORLD

WORK’S RESULT: ▪ IMPORTANCE IS GIVEN TO THE USE OF

WORDS: A COMMON LANGUAGE
PROSE AND PEOPLE COULD EASILY UNDERSTAND.

BOOKS ▪ A ‘NO PLACE’ STORY WHERE

INHABITANTS LEAD A LIFE OF
JUSTICE, PEACE AND HARMONY
(SEVERE COMPARISON TO THE
EUROPEAN CORRUPTED WORLD)

Cf. Thomas More – Utopia L&L, p. 141

▪ A place to celebrate the Monarch (patriotism)

▪ Sense of immorality, according to Puritans: a place of perdition. Because of that, plays

can be shown only outdoor

▪ A brand, new style of playhouses → cf. The Globe (Shakespeare)

▪ Main characteristics:
➢ Plays were performed in the afternoon;

➢ Actors were so close with the audience;

➢ Female roles were acted by young boys dressed as girls or women;

➢ The importance of social classes division between low and high class
▪ Built by James Burbage, in 1576

▪ Part of the cost was met by

Shakespeare and his fellow players

▪ A pretty similar construction was given

to Londoners in 1999

▪ ‘All the world’s a stage’ :

Shakespeare’s quotation means every

tale and part of the theatre could be
the essence of a play, drama and stage
John Milton’s Paradise Lost: the biblical story of Adam and Eve.

Considered an essential Puritan Work to re-establish the Puritan

regime. His ‘Christian’ morality tries to evoke the epic and the
spirit of Greek and Roman literature as well as the Christian
Humanism (cf. L&L, pp. 200-203)

Elizabethan or Shakespearian sonnets: a revolutionary

‘renaissance’ way of poetry

Taken from the Italian literature (Petrarca) and adapted into the
English Modern Language.

The innovation is technical: change of metrical structure → 3

quatrains and 1 couplet (cf. Shakespeare’s Sonnets)
HIS LIFE
▪ Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon from a
country family

▪ Probably attended Stratford’s grammar

school (knowledge of Latin and Greek)

▪ In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway and

had three children

▪ 10 years later he became a famous actor

and playwright (London Court)

▪ He went back again to Stratford and there

he stayed till the Retirement

▪ He died in 1616
▪ Poems and Sonnets (1609) demonstrate
Shakespeare’s passion for classical and mythological
figures

▪ 154 Sonnets: three quatrain and one couplet rhymed

abab cdcd efef gg probably composed between 1593
and 1598

▪ Themes:
❖ Self-reflection and the importance of being ‘fair’ (cf. The first
sonnets)
❖ Love (cf. Sonnet 116)
❖ Passing of time (real enemy to fight against) and the power
of poetry (immortality) as in Sonnet 18

▪ Two main characters:

❖ The ‘fair youth’: a model of perfection and trust that happened to be disillusioned by love
❖ The ‘dark lady’: the unfaithful woman, capable of corrupting love.
 Published after death, in 1623)

Four phases:
I. Early years: experimentation with most dramatic genres
e.g. tragedies (Romeo & Juliet) or history plays (Richard
III)

II. His love for history plays and comedies is official and
revealed: it is the era of Henry V, The merchant of
Venice, where Shakespeare struggles for power and
politics and psychology of love (reactions and human
relationships)

III. Tragedies of disillusion: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and

Macbeth. Weaknesses of human beings are highlighted

IV. Romances (e.g.: The Tempest: reconciliation with

nature)
➢ Women of love...Women of power → the female character as a heroine. Its active
role lead all the plot (e.g.: Juliet is powerful enough to resist her relatives and
parents’ opposition to her love toward Romeo)

➢ Parental relationship as a conflict → daughters fight against their fathers’ will (e.g.:
Jessica demonstrates her own disappointment to her father Shylock by running
away every time she can)

➢ The use of rhetorical language (Monologues) → Epiphany to the unsaid, the

unusual, the insistence of a concept such as ‘sleep’ or ‘suicide’. Precisely,
Shakespeare fancies rhetorical devices like repetition, understatement, metaphor,
anaphora and hyperbole.
▪ Visione e commento critico di un film/opera teatrale ispirato a una play di William
Shakespeare:

✓ Gnomeo e Giulietta (Disney + - abbonamento)

✓ Il re (Netflix – abbonamento. Opera di riferimento: Henry V)
✓ Riccardo III (Prime video – abbonamento)
✓ Hamlet, 1996 (Youtube, a noleggio max 3,99€)
✓ Macbeth, 2015 (Prime video – abbonamento)
✓ Romeo e Giulietta, 1968 (Youtube, a noleggio max 3,99€)
✓ Il mercante di Venezia (opera teatrale, Youtube, gratuito)
▪ Presentazione orale da esporre alla classe dal 10 al 17 gennaio

▪ Analisi critica in inglese su (max 2 slides a testa):

✓ Riassunto del film
✓ Confronto con l’opera originale (fedele, diverso, ispirato a, completamente
stravolto.)
✓ Altri elementi interessanti: eventuali critiche/interpretazioni al film; un vostro
parere finale.

▪ Materiale da usare: critiche online e recensioni sul film che vedrete (in inglese come anche
in italiano); L&L: il vostro manuale presenta una visione generale e della storia di 5 su 6
opere da analizzare; il vostro pensiero critico e la vostra collaborazione in gruppi.

▪ Tempistica: min 15’ max 20’ di presentazione