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Jan 1, 1503
Background
August 22, 1485 - Henry Tudor wins battle of Bosworth becoming Henry VII
June 28, 1491 - Birth of Prince Henry, future Henry VIII
November 14, 1501 - Katherine of Aragon and Arthur, Prince of Wales marry
English literature before Elizabethan times was also extrodinary, including the works such as Beowulf and the Canturburry tales. This Period moves into Shakespearean times as well as the progression of different writing styles. -
Jan 1, 1503
Sir Thomas Wyatt
Thought of as the most interesting Lyric poet of this time. He often translated sonnets of the 14th century by Petrarch. Wyatt has been credited with introducing the 14 line sonnet into the English language. His work is distinguished by his dramatic capacity and ability to pull the reader into the speaker’s position. Wyatt was a member of Henry VIII's court and may have had relations with Henry's wife, Anne Boleyn who was Henry’s second wife after Catherine of Aragon. -
Jan 1, 1503
Information
All dates used for poets etc are the year of their birth. The events Titled "history" are historical events that happened during the Elizabethan Era to give a sense of what kind of circumstances the writers were in. There are of course many great writers and events that happened during this time but I feel as though these are the ones that encompass what I was trying to get across. -
Period: Jun 12, 1503 to
Elizabethan Era
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Jan 1, 1517
History
The Protestant Reformation begins when Martin Luther nails his "95 Theses" against the Catholic practice of selling indulgences, on the church door at Wittenberg -
Jan 1, 1521
History
King Henry VIII receives the title "Defender of the Faith" from
Pope Leo X for his opposition to Martin Luther -
Jan 1, 1528
History
Mary Boleyn gave birth to a son, called Henry, he was widely assumed to be the son of King Henry VIII, but was not recognized as his son.
King Henry VIII becomes obsessed with Katharine's lady-in-waiting Anne Boleyn with whom he falls madly in love with -
Jan 1, 1534
History
Henry VIII broke with the Church in Rome because the was excommunicated for marrying his second wife, Anne Bolelyn. with the Act of Supremacy, which made the king the head of the Church of England. -
Jan 1, 1552
Sir Walter Raleigh
Known to many as the founder of Virginia and the man that introduced tobacco. He was imprisoned twice but found his way back through military exploits and his adventures through South America. He wrote one of his best poems, “The Author’s Epitaph Made by Himself" the night before he died. -
Jan 1, 1553
Edmund Spenser
Large influence on future poets. Considered the greatest nondramatic poet of this era. after he published the first three books of " The Fairie Queen" he was seen as the greatest poet in England. He was never offered a permanent position in the court as he wanted but continued to write anyways. The sonnet form he invented was highly formal and composed of intricate rhymes, his approach was very non-dramatic. -
Jan 1, 1553
History
King Edward VI dies of tuberculosis and he left the throne to 'the Lady Jane Grey and her heirs male.' -
Jan 1, 1554
Sir Phillip Sidney
The ideal Renaissance man. Sidney’s deepest interests were political and religious. Phillip wrote a lot of prose type and also a few poems which were called Arcadia. The “Defense of Poesy” is an essay that Sidney wrote at some point in the early 1580's, it is considered the greatest piece of Elizabethan Literary Criticism. 1582 he wrote a series of sonnets named Astrophel and Stella; it modeled the works of Italian and French poets of the Renaissance .Sidney’s greatest contribution to lyric poe -
Jan 1, 1556
History
21 March 1556 - Thomas Cranmer, former Archbishop of Canterbury is burned at the stake -
Jan 1, 1557
The Sonnet
14 line poem written in iambic pentameter where each line contains 10 syllables. The word sonnet comes from an Italian word “sonetto” meaning "little song". Aspiring writers in the Elizabethan era wrote sonnet cycles, it became a very fashionable thing to do. The sonnet came around a few decades after the protestant reformation and Martin Luther King’s "95 Theses". -
Jan 1, 1561
Francis bacon
Key figure in the transition of the late middle ages. Starting off as a philosopher and concerning himself with the ways that human beings understand themselves and the world that they live in, he wrote a few analytical books. Bacon moved onwards and upwards and stated writing essays. HE became England’s first essayist. He wrote more in Latin than in English but his writing always included deep metaphors, witty comments and clever allusions. All the things marked works of writing as Bacon's. -
Jan 1, 1564
Christopher Marlowe
Marlowe received a scholarship to Cambridge, meant for students going into the Ministry; instead, he decided to write plays. He became the most exciting Elizabethan dramatist of the 1580's. He died tragically doing undercover "political intrigue" He left, unfinished, a brilliant narrative poem, one of the finest of the Elizabethan renaissance named Hero and Leander. -
Jan 1, 1564
William shakespeare cont.
Along with many of his most well-known comedies, A Mid Summer’s night’s dream. Shakespeare went through phases on what type of plays he would write, going between comedy and romance to drama and tragedy. He wrote 37 plays during his lifetime, most becoming well known and celebrated as being some of the greatest works of writing in history. I believe that Shakespeare took some of his play ideas from the real drama that occurred in England with royalty, but of course never revealing this. -
Jan 1, 1564
William Shakespeare
Of course, he is considered to be the greatest figure in English Literature.1593 the theatres were closed due to an outbreak of the plague. Shakespeare sought out the support of private patrons. After many years of hard work, Shakespeare was able to buy a home in Stratford and build the Globe theatre. Shakespeare began by writing comedies. In about 1593 with the outbreak of the Plague, he started writing tragedies such as Titus Andronicus. Between 1594 and 1596 came the famous Romeo and Juliet -
Jan 1, 1564
Shakespeares Sonnets
Shakespeare, along with his 37 plays wrote 154 sonnets that suggest some sort of story. 126 sonnets addressed to a man who was young but had great beauty and potential. 127-152 are addressed to a women mostly described by her physical attributes. Shakespeare wrote his sonnets in iambic pentameter, giving it rhythm. Today we label the Shakespearean sonnet as a form of writing. It is also known as the English sonnet which has 3, 4 line stanzas and a two line couplet at the end. -
Jan 1, 1570
Printing Press = Standardized writing
The change of the vowel sounds did not change the spelling of words as one might think. Writers who were publishing their work by themselves used their own spelling and own punctuation in their work. Once the Printing Press was introduced, the way people wrote and spelled words became more standardized and recognizable by more individuals -
Jan 1, 1570
Great Vowel Shift
Historians consider Shakespearean English and modern English to be in the same category. One of the many reasons for this is the Great Vowel Shift. This occurred sometime in the mid-15th century. The vowel shift gave English a new set of very long vowel sounds. This was the main difference between the language that Chaucer used and the language that we and Shakespeare use\used. -
Opinion
To me, the Elizabethan Era was filled with drama and spectacular events. I believe that it was many of these events that inspired thinking, and writers. through personal experiences, dreams and fantasies grew some of the most influential and memorable pieces of writing in all of History. The writers that came out of this era can never be compared to any today purely on the fact that they thought on a completely different level. this was a time period that will contunue to inspire as well.
