Part Ii.--the Elizabethans (_1579-1630_).

Forces at Work.--An age of expansion, geographically and mentally. England becomes a power of the first rank, and her new position in the world of affairs is emphasised by the glorious victory of 1588, and the achievements of her explorers, adventures, and business men. The influx of new ideas from the east, and the material wealth from the west, overshadow the old religious quarrels, and the union of Scotland and England helped to settle dynastic problems for a time. The new commercial developments, however, raised the position of the middle classes, and the reign of James I. is mainly a struggle for economic power on their part and the “divine right of kings” idea on the part of the crown.

Literary Features.--The age is characterised by its revolt against tradition. Despite the new interest in the classics, translations and imitations are rendered in a remarkably free spirit. All borrowings are remoulded and re-fashioned, and given a character native to themselves. The language, in spite of the introduction of a host of foreign words, emerges tempered and polished, and there is a remarkable output in all forms of literature. The age is a quest for romance and adventure, and nowhere does this spirit show itself so well as in literature. The drama makes a wonderful leap into maturity; poetry blossoms forth in great and original beauty. Prose attains a first-rate position, steadily developing through the “conceits” of Euphuism to the splendid models of Bacon and Hooker. The novel only remains in its infancy, as blank verse and metrical facility still overshadow the glorious prose weapon in the course of development.

The chief poetic forms in use (stated in the order of their popularity) were the lyric and the sonnet, the descriptive and narrative poem, from pure description to allegory and pastoral; the religious, satirical and didactic poem. The drama reaches its summation between 1595 and 1615, and begins to decline with Jonson. After Shakespeare the pre-eminence of tragedy is challenged by light comedy, while the masque has a brief but glorious run from Jonson to Milton. In prose we have the remarkable vogue of the “character sketch,” developing into the regular essay with Bacon, while the prose romance, a host of miscellaneous pamphlets, theological writings, sermons translations, travels, and the remarkable “Anatomy of Melancholy” all serve to form the foundation of many important groups of the future.

1. POETRY.--(a) Spenser and his successors: Drummond. Wither. Wm. Browne. Greville. Sir John Davis. Giles and Phineas Fletcher, (b) The Sonneteers: Spenser. Sidney. Daniel. Constable. Lodge. Barnes. G. Fletcher. Drayton. Shakespeare. (c) Lyrists: The lyric in the drama. Greene. Breton. Lodge. Munday. John Wotton. Barnefield. The miscellanies. Campion. Jonson. Shakespeare. (d) Political and Patriotic Verse: Warner. Daniel. Drayton. (e) Religious and Philosophical Verse: Giles and Phineas Fletcher. Sir John Davies. Southwell. Wither. Donne. Drummond. (f) Verse Satire: Drayton. Donne. Joseph Hall. Marston.

2. THE DRAMA.--(a) Shakespeare’s predecessors: The “university wits”: Lyly. Nash. Peele. Lodge. Greene. Kyd. Marlowe. (Note chiefly: historical plays are of a tragical cast; Lyly the only romantic comedy writer till Shakespeare). (b) Shakespeare, his contemporaries and successors: Jonson. Beaumont and Fletcher. Chapman. Marston. Dekker. Middleton. Heywood. Tourneur. Webster. (c) The Masque: Spenser. Jonson. Campion. Chapman. Beaumont. (d) Pastoral Drama: The “university wits.” Daniel. Fletcher. Jonson. (e) Dramatic Criticism: The Puritan attack on the stage. Gosson versus Lodge. Stubbs versus Heywood, etc.

3. PROSE.--(a) The Novel: Its origins in romance of chivalry and pastoral romance. The idylls of Lyly, Sidney, Greene, Lodge. The realistic attempts of Nash and Deloney. The collections of tales from foreign sources by Brooke, Painter, Fenton, and Pettie. (b) The “Character Sketch” and Essay: Hall. Breton. Overbury. Earle. Bacon. (c) The critics: Sidney. Harvey. Puttenham. Webbe. Harington. T. Heywood. Jonson. Campion versus Daniel. War of diction, form, and style. (See also Dramatic Criticism), (d) The Satirists: Audelay. Harman. Dekker. Nash (See also verse satire). (e) The Translators: The Bible (A.V.) North. Florio. Holland. Fairfax. Verse translations--Chapman. Stanyhurst. Harington. (f) Historians and Antiquaries: Bacon. Raleigh. Knolles. Camden. Stow. (g) Travel and Geography: Gilbert. Hawkins. Davies. Best. Hakluyt. Purchas. Coryat. The poetry of discovery. (h) Religious Controversialists and Theologians: Hooker. Andrewes. Ussher. Hall. Donne. The Marprelate Controversy. (i) Philosophical and Miscellaneous Prose: Burton. Bacon. Jonson. Selden.

TEST PAPER--1500-1630.

1. Briefly outline the developments of the drama from 1500-1630.

2. Name the chief representatives of the English “humanists” and Reformation writers. Describe the work of any one of them.

3. The Elizabethans have been described as “adventurers all.” Justify this in reference to their literary output.

4. What were the chief foreign influences at work during the period 1500-1630?

5. Who were the chief prose writers of the period 1550-1630? Contrast any two of them.

6. Write a brief critical account of any one of the following: Marlowe, Jonson, Bacon, or Spenser.

7. Discuss the origin and development of the novel in reference to this period.

8. Shakespeare’s dramatic career is usually classified into periods. Describe these, and name three plays belonging to each.

9. What were the chief poetical forms in use in Shakespeare’s day? Name four users of any one of them.

10. Name the author of four of the following quotations, and the works in which they appear:--

“Drink to me only with thine eyes.”

“Dost thou think because thou art virtuous There shall be no more cakes and ale.”

“There is a garden in her face Where roses and white lilies blow.”

“Into the breast which gave the rose Shall I with shuddering fall.”

“We mark when we hit but rarely when we miss.”

“Since there’s no help, come let us kiss and part.”

“Was this the face that launched a thousand ships.”

“He that plots to be the only figure among ciphers Is in danger of becoming the decay of a whole age.”

Lesson 3 (1630-1746).