The People's Queen: Elizabeth I on the Iron Throne

Queen Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII, one of the most infamous British Kings in history. She ascended to the throne at the age of twenty-five, by which time she had already been imprisoned by her own sister, and forced to parrot beliefs that she did not hold. After the death of her sister, she was the last Tudor, and the heir to the throne. When she became queen, she was besieged by suitors, and enemies alike. In shining, silver-plated armor, she spoke to her troops as the Spanish armada approached saying, "Let tyrants fear!" (Norton, 762). She never married, and was consequently nick-named, "The Virgin Queen," though whether she was actually a virgin or not is still a controversial subject, because the persona she presented to her subjects was as much a sex symbol as it was a mother, or a warrior. Daenerys Targaryen, of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series, and HBO's popular serial adaptation Game of Thrones, bears a striking similarity to Elizabeth. The daughter of "The Mad King" Aerys Targaryen, Daenerys is an exile throughout her childhood. She lives under the control of her distasteful brother Viserys, who forces her into an arranged marriage. After Viserys and her husband die, Daenerys is the last living Targaryn, and is determined to reclaim the throne of the country from which she was exiled. Daenerys uses her sexuality to win allies all over the world, and she builds an army of freed slaves and outcasts, who call her "mother." She, like Elizabeth, is a mother figure, a warrior, and a sex symbol. The difference between Elizabeth and Daenerys is that the later's power depends almost entirely on one thing: dragons. Without these mythical creatures, she probably would have died before the end of the first book, or the first season of the show. Elizabeth had no dragons, but she was still able to rule England well for more than half a century because her people believed in her divine right to rule, and her constructed identity, "The Virgin Queen." Elizabeth I is often remembered as the ruler of the Golden Age in England; she was possibly the most powerful queen in western history. After the Spanish armada was defeated in 1588, Elizabeth's citizens believed that her power was a result God's favor. Daenerys gets her power from a similar supernatural force, in this case dragons. If Daenerys is a fictional reflection of Queen Elizabeth, her chances of winning the Iron Throne and steering Westeros into a Golden Age seem much greater to me.

Low People and High People

Since I am presenting on the Norton’s material on “Low People and High People” in our upcoming class period, I am going to review some of the tensions alive during the time between high and low people.

            Between the people of high class and the people of lower class ranking, there was a lot of social and even political tension during the 17^th century.  The nobility and people of wealth lived very different lifestyles than the bulk of the population that lived as laborers, craftsmen, and field workers. The 17^th century literary author Henry Fielding, in his work, “A Dissertation Concerning High People and Low People,” defines high people as “people of fashion,” dressing themselves in the fashions of the times, and describes low people, or commoners, as, “people of no fashion,” (2438).  Throughout society during this time, there were clear distinctions among the people because of their material possessions and their work life.  Fielding also describes their lifestyles as very different through an explanation of the places each group possesses.  People of fashion “seized several places of their own use, such as courts, assemblies, opera, balls, etc.,” (Fielding 2438).  In contrast, the lower people “have been in constant possession of all hops, fairs, revels, etc.,” (Fielding 2438-2439).  Due to their very different lifestyles, and, as Fielding shows, the different areas that they inhibit, people of high and low class hardly relate to each other at all, causing a rising tension.  Fielding describes this lack of connection, as, “so far from looking at each other as brethren in the same Christian language, they seem scarce to regard each other as of the same species,” (2439).   This lack of familiarity led to a societal distance between the classes, which in turn led to name calling such as, “strange persons,” and, “wretches,” and overall distrust and suspicion of the opposite group. 

            Fortunately, at the turn of the 16^th century and into the 17^th century, commoners began to publish works that caught the attention of wealthy nobles and patrons—some examples being Matthew Prior, Stephen Duck, and Mary Collier.  Once these commoners’ publications got out into society, the voices of the working class was finally heard and began to be more respected among higher ranked citizens of England.   

Work Cited:

Fielding, Henry. “A Dissertation Concerning High People and Low People,” The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, George H. Logan, Katharine E. Maus, and Barbara K. Lewalski. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ninth ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print.

Thanksgiving Dinner and "A Modest Proposal"

("Two Old Men Eating Soup" and "Saturn Devouring His Son," two of Francisco Goya's "black paintings")

YUM.

This was probably just me, but after eating a big helping of Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch, I sat down to read Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal"...and instantly felt a little unsettled. "A Modest Proposal" is all about consumption, and I had just consumed...a lot. What's more, I had consumed as part of a consumer culture, which is part of what Swift is satirizing in his pamphlet. Because the cultured English in his argument are so quick to adopt Irish baby meat as a great and exciting new culinary culture, Swift is criticizing a culture that consumes happily and with gusto just because it's cool. Yes. This reminds me quite a bit of Thanksgiving.

Now, I know that Swift doesn't actually think that the English should eat Irish babies, but the criticism that does really hit home is when Swift makes it clear that the "consumption" of the Irish by the English is just a representation of what is already happening. As he argues, the landlords should eat the babies, because "as they have already devoured most of the parents, [they] seem to have the best title to the children" (2635). The consumption isn't literal, but metaphorical. However, it still is consumption. Because of the actions of the English, these babies are likely not going to survive. How much more evil is eating them on top of that? Similarly, when we get excited for Thanksgiving--or Christmas--or whatever consumer-culture thing we're excited for, we are also consuming something or someone. We're consuming the people who have to work on Thanksgiving or Black Friday. We're supporting the harmful industries that unethically raise turkeys or that mass-produce unhealthy gravy.  We're consuming the people who work in sweatshops to provide inexpensive clothing.

It's so interesting the way that Swift presents this argument, because of course he does it with a real mind to how much it will help English society and the "Irish problem." His argument is very logical--and very deeply rooted in modern capitalistic practices. It's a good plan, he argues, because it will keep the money circulating in the United Kingdom. They won't have to import or export. It is the most humane, most economically beneficial, and most sustainable solution to the problem. However, he pairs this dangerous logic with cannibalism, a trope that would be familiar to most Englishmen because of the rise of travel literature (and the sensationalism of native peoples) in Europe. Thus, he saddles the most sophisticated culture with the most basic and most barbarian in a disgustingly strong argument--the way the English are taking advantage of the Irish is not civilized at all, but is in fact incredibly barbaric.

And these themes of consumption are not just prevalent in "A Modest Proposal," or in our yearly traditions of Thanksgiving and Black Friday. They're also seen in the black paintings by Goya (at the top of the page), or in Greek myths when Chronos eats his own children, or in Margaret Atwood's 1969 novel, The Edible Woman. The feeling that we are consuming others--or being consumed--is perhaps more universal and more human a problem than we'd like to admit, considering that we think of cannibalism as being the greatest dehumanizer there is. So while Swift is very specifically criticizing his time, place, and government, I believe that his statements can be read in a more universal, human, and...disturbing way. As people, we like to consume, and often that consumption comes at the expense of others. That's a difficult truth that Swift wanted England--and that I think we--need to face.

And on that note, I'm going to get ready to go shopping tomorrow...

Top 40 Radio and The Beggar's Opera

I think I enjoyed The Beggar's Opera waaaayyy too much this weekend. I wasn't sure what it was that was so enjoyable until, halfway through Act 2, I started singing out loud, and the stuff that I was singing wasn't lines from the play. In fact, a lot of the themes, ideas, and musical ditties in The Beggar's Opera reminded me a lot of the music I hear all the time. I've included just a couple of the songs I thought about while reading below.

I present: a (semi) modern-day soundtrack to John Gay's 1728 The Beggar's Opera:

1.
Beggar's Opera, Act 1, Scene 2
"'Tis the woman that seduces all mankind,
By her we first were taught the wheedling arts:
Her very eyes can cheat; when most she's kind,
She tricks us of our money with our hearts."

VS:
"Maneater," Hall & Oates
"Ooh, here she comes,
Watch out, boy,
She'll chew you up
[...] She's a maneater."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbevQH1B9ic

Throughout this play, women are used a lot as bait for men. It's not like this is a departure from any of the other literature we've been reading this semester--the way that women can convince men to do bad things is a surprisingly constant theme in all of the eras that we've been reading--but I still thought this was interesting. I feel like the prostitutes in The Beggar's Opera were unusually predatory, and it reminded me of this Hall & Oates song where women are taking advantage of men by "eating them up."

2.
Beggar's Opera, Act 1, Scene 4
"You see I would indulge the girl as far as prudently we can. In anything but marriage! After that, my dear, how shall we be safe? [...] It is your duty, my dear, to warn the girl against her ruin, and to instruct her how to make the most of her beauty."

VS:
"Don't Talk to Strangers," Rick Springfield
"Don't talk to strangers, baby don't you talk
Don't talk to strangers, you know he'll only use you up."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp42V938eBA

Mr. and Mrs. Peachum are worried about Polly spending too much time with Captain Macheath, because she'll fall for him and get married to him, which would cause them to lose her dowry. Even though this Rick Springfield song is a guy talking to a girl he likes, I think the sentiment is maintained: don't talk to strange men, because you'll fall for them and they'll use you.

3.
Beggar's Opera, Act 1, Scene 13
"Oh what a pain it is to part!
Can I leave thee, can I leave thee?"

VS:
"Daylight," Maroon 5
"And when the daylight comes, I'll have to go
But tonight I'm gonna hold you so close."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1q9ojtZqiI

In this quote, Polly and Captain Macheath are being really sentimental about the fact that Macheath has to leave. Macheath has a few "leaving" scenes in this play, and each time they occur they are really overwrought and everyone acts like this is the end of the world. "Daylight" is also about two lovers having to leave each other for an indeterminate amount of time, but in "Daylight" (unlike in The Beggar's Opera), it sounds like the man is actually sad that he will have to leave his love, and not just pretending.

4.
Beggar's Opera, Act 2, Scene 4
"Love then is our duty,
[...] Let's be gay,
While we may,
Beauty's a flower despised in decay."

VS:
"Live While We're Young," One Direction
"Let's go crazy, crazy, crazy till we see the sun.
I know we've only met, but let's pretend it's love.
And never, never ever stop for anyone.
Tonight, let's get some, and live while we're young."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbPED9bisSc

This part of The Beggar's Opera was a classic "carpe diem" section: Macheath is sweet-talking all of the prostitutes with the idea that they're young and should all enjoy themselves (with him) while they still can. This is just like "Live While We're Young," with its incredibly poetic, "tonight, let's get some." It doesn't matter if they don't know each other that well...they should still enjoy themselves while they can.

It's interesting to see how the musical themes in The Beggar's Opera are ones that still occur--often--in our music today. It's clear that we're getting to a time period in English literature which is increasingly relevant and familiar to our own cultural norms. It's also interesting because The Beggar's Opera is all about the tension between low and high forms. Its characters occupy the seedy and questionable parts of society, but Gay commandeers the high form of opera to do it. For us, pop music has never really been considered a "high form," but it's still popular and consumed by...us. Does that make us the beggars? And does that mean that in our society, the beggars have pretty much taken over the airwaves? I don't know...but I think these are some interesting (and somewhat concerning) questions that The Beggar's Opera asks us to consider, as we read it in a modern-day context.

Comparing 17th and 18th Century England to 21st Century Social Media

Comparing 17^th and 18^th Century England to 21^st Century Social Media

            According to “Low and High People” in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, the increase of reading and literacy throughout Britain in the 17^th-18^th centuries caused the world of literature to drastically change.  Public print culture increased during Oliver Cromwell’s rule over the Commonwealth of England, and then continued to grow after his falling out of power.  Before the 17^th century, writing and publications in England were mostly about nobility, aristocrats, and upper class; however this shift in literacy beginning at the end of the 17^th century allowed for story lines and main characters to be of the middle and lower classes.  As the chapter “Low and High People,” mentions, “the stage found room for stories of apprentices and criminals and middle-class lovers who talked in prose like ordinary people,” (2435).  Also, the explosion of novels allowed for writers to create plotlines that were relatable to “the common reader.” Along with plays and novels, “the language of poetry also came slowly down to earth,” (“Low and High People” 2435).  Poetry was no longer valued by the author’s education, but rather by its interest to the common people. This developed a total change in mentality toward poetry and literature all across England—poetry could “flourish anywhere and cover any subject,” and the idea arose that “poets were born, not made,” (“Low and High People” 2436-2437).  Thus, in the later part of the 17^th century and the beginning of the 18^th century a cultural and literary revolution developed with common people becoming involved in reading and publication.

            A similar cultural shift in publication has recently occurred in the 21^st century with the boom of using social media as a means of communication.  Because of venues such as online blogging and journaling, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Vine, people of any class, education, ethnicity, religious background, and age can post anything—literature, journalism, and/or art—on the Internet as a way of communication and even publication.  This cultural movement toward online communication and publication is parallel to the increase of public print and commoner writing in 17^th and 18^th century England because in both eras any idea could be (and now can be) expressed and published by almost anyone in society.   Regarding the topic of publication and literature, it is interesting how history repeats itself so similarly. 

Work Cited:

“Low and High People”. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, George H. Logan, Katharine E. Maus, and    Barbara K. Lewalski. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ninth ed. Vol. C.   New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print.

Padraig O'Tuama Poetry Reading

Last Monday night, November 18^th, I went to Padraig O’Tuama’s poetry reading. As an Irish poet, he writes a lot about the conflict and pain in Ireland focused around the religious divide between Protestants and Catholics. Attending this lecture, combined with the presentation on Irish Literature that we had earlier this semester, made me realize how much I do not know about Ireland and its history. This realization about the hole in my education made me angry and slightly uncomfortable. In high school we only learned about Ireland in relation to why the Irish immigrated to the United States. As a result, whenever I think of Irish history, I always think of the Potato Famine, and only the Potato Famine. Thanks to Whitworth, I now also think of St. Patrick, but that knowledge is nowhere near sufficient, especially when I was faced with the pain and conflict that O’Tuama presented in his poetry.  

            As a result, I decided to do some research on Irish history. It was interesting to learn how the conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism was just as bad in Ireland as it was in England, and how that conflict is still a huge problem there. Ireland has a violent history full of religious conflict. A civil war broke out in 1921 when a treaty was created between Southern Ireland and Britain, and the antagonistic attitudes between different groups has been a problem in politics, religion, and in the social sector.

Learning about modern implications of historical events has always been very interesting for me. O’Tuama discussed language during his presentation, discussing his accent and the different dialects in Ireland, as well as reading a poem in Gaelic. The way he read his poetry gave it so much meaning and such a beautiful rhythm and flow, that when I read some of his poetry later it sounded flat and not as impressive in my head. I enjoyed connecting this to what we learned in the Irish Literature presentation about language and groups of people in Ireland.

This is one of my favorite poems that he read:

Hold yourself together and pull yourself apart

In a time of desolation do not make a life-changing decision and do not go back on a decision made during a time of consolation. Remember the times of consolation.

Ignatius of Loyola

Remember that this has passed before
and that there will be more days
of plenty…eventually.

Pay attention to your feelings
keep those feelings sharp.
Try to hold yourself together
and pull yourself apart.
Keep your eyes on the prize
that you might never gain.

Don’t ignore whatever pain is blooming
like a flower that you never planted.
Occupy your hands with kindness.
Remember you can see, even though this blindness
is remarkable.

Mark the places that you’re feeling
mark the spaces where you’re needing held
mark the evenings that are dark
and mark the afternoon of coping.

The Final Fall of Comitatus

When I was studying for the exam this weekend, I came across an interesting line from The Duchess of Malfi. It's from the section right after Ferdinand orders the duchess killed, and in it Bosola tells Ferdinand, "You have bloodily approved the ancient truth, / That kindred commonly do worse agree / Than remote strangers" (4.2.247-249). When I was reading it, I nodded my head, like, Yes! Totally! People who are related definitely have a hard time getting along with each other! Then I remembered the emphasis on comitatus from the Anglo-Saxon works and realized just how far we'd come from Anglo-Saxon literature.

In Beowulf, strong family ties were the greatest virtue. That's why Hrothgar made it so clear that he considered Beowulf a son: he knew that if he and Beowulf were kindred, Beowulf would do anything to keep his lands safe. Similarly, Unferth, who was a brother-killer, is scorned because killing family is an unforgivable sin in Anglo-Saxon culture. Loyalty to family was the backbone of culture.

That's why it's so interesting that this ideal gets turned on its head in The Duchess of Malfi. Most of the plot in the play is Ferdinand, the jealous brother, trying to figure out how to punish his sister and her husband for getting married. After he finds out that his sister has married beneath her, he is so incensed as to insist that they use "fire, / The smarting cupping glass for that's the mean / To purge infected blood, such blood as hers" (2.5.24-26). Because she is now infected from her unapproved union, this is the way that he suggests that they purge her. Instead of being concerned about his sister's well-being, Ferdinand immediately jumps to the conclusion that she must be killed. He is loyal to the purity of his family's blood, not to his kinship relationship with his sister. Because she has violated their standards, Ferdinand does not think that it is beyond his place to kill her.

And kill her he does, causing Bosola to note that he has confirmed an ancient truth: that some families just can't get along. (How many times have we heard something along these lines in our own lives? I'm guessing pretty often.) Violence between families has become a maxim, considered ancient and always-known (even though the opposite was practiced around 700-1000 CE). Culturally, literature has come so far away from Anglo-Saxon values that the idea of comitatus and astute family loyalty is no longer a part of the conversation.

While they don't acknowledge the ideal of family loyalty outright, however, perhaps it's still there. After Ferdinand kills the duchess, he is full of regret: he laments, "a good actor many times is cursed / For playing a villain's part, I hate thee for 't" (4.2.266-267). In the end, Ferdinand's preoccupation with money, instead of familial love for his sister, brings him a great deal of despair and self-loathing. He recognizes that what he has done is wrong, as he killed his "dearest friend" (4.2.257). So while literature norms have changed quite a bit from Anglo-Saxon times, allowing a culture where one can contemplate killing their kin, the stigma against this action has not disappeared. Which, as I'm sure we'd all agree, is probably a really good thing.

Anyway, I just thought it was interesting to consider how comitatus has, in many ways, disappeared from the literary scene. People in the early modern period don't expect to get along with their families. They kill their kin for money or fame or power, and while they may suffer the consequences, it's a pretty well-known literary trope (like how King Hamlet is killed by Claudius in Hamlet, for example). That doesn't mean that it's not still bad, the way people look at it now is very different, and it's interesting to be able to see this transition in English literature and culture.

The Walking Dead and Judith

One of my favorite "guilty pleasure" TV shows is The Walking Dead. In one of the seasons (a while back, now), one of the characters has a baby girl. At first, there is difficulty deciding upon a name for this poor little girl --- i.e. which deceased female can we name her after when there has been so many? I can't even image how difficult it would be to have a child in a post-apocolpytic, zombie ridden world where she could quite possibly die at any moment. And, I think in light of the terror and melancholic (see what I did there?) outlook on the world, Daryl Dixon decides to nickname the newborn "little ass-kicker". He is trying to promote an optimistic attitude about this child's life. Maybe, because she has to grow up in this environment, she will kick ass as an adult! And, maybe because she even exists, she has kicked ass.

But, then, she is arbitrarily named Judith, after one of Carl's (the older brother) old teachers. I WAS SO MAD. This girl had all the potential to have a really meaningful, cool name that reflected themes and values of the show... or at least her name could have honored the memory of someone who had died (like her mother, maybe?). But, now, I can see the logic in naming the baby girl Judith.

Perhaps, the writers decided to name her this because of the Anglo-Saxon work Judith that we read earlier in the year. Yes, it is an obscure reference to a bible story not included in the average Christian canon. But, giving this baby the name Judith after the badass, sword wielding, head-chopping-off Judith could have some interesting implications for the child's character and for the other characters. Perhaps Carl did get the name Judith from the Biblical story, but because he hides his violent nature from his father, said that the name was actually one of his old teachers.

Sorry for this rather random blogpost. But, again, it goes to show just how much culture from Anglo-Saxon times that is considered "forgotten" shapes the pop culture of today! And, mostly, I just felt super excited to make this connection in my head.

Here is a clip that might help make this post make more sense! Judith, the "Little Ass Kicker"

Elizabeth I's Influence on Women in Literature

I am interested in exploring the roles of women in literature and society after Elizabeth’s rule.  This is a bunch of information I have gathered from class lectures and readings that relate to this topic:

            Throughout the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, society upheld high respect and honor toward her reign.  She was a successful ruler, and proved herself as a strong female leader by overcoming challenges that were thrown at her, such as the Mary Queen of Scots plot in 1586 and the Spanish Armada in 1588. In Elizabeth’s last presentation to Parliament in 1601, “The Golden Speech,” she expressed an ardent zeal for her country, showing her commitment to England up until her deathbed (Norton 764).  Overall, Elizabeth was a powerful leader that devoted her whole life to her country and received exaltation from her people deservingly.  After her death, nostalgia for Queen Elizabeth came over England, as they dealt with more religious uncertainty, the plague, a great fire, and eventually a civil war.  What is interesting, however, is the way that women in literature of this time spoke up about political and religious topics. It is as if they were inspired by Elizabeth's undying rule for England, and chose to be more authoritative--whether it be their ideas or language. It is also intriguing that after the reign of Elizabeth I, women start to be more out-spoken about their opinions and stances on topics that in the past were more commonly discussed among legislatures and in academia—consisting mostly men. An example that comes to mind is Margaret Cavendish in “The Blazing World.”

            In Cavendish’s work, she musters up the courage to address she creates her own world where she determines all of the creatures and rules of society, while she, of course, gets to reign over her land.   Through her descriptions of her reign, she seems to refer back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth.  By stating, “I endeavor to be Margaret the first,” she explicitly states that she would be “the first” ruler in a way that replicates the title of Queen Elizabeth “the first” (Norton 1893).  This statement would have been a bold move by a woman because women were seen as inferior to men; however Cavendish courageously claims her own self-reign because of the legacy of Elizabeth’s successful rule.  Through this portrayal of authority, Cavendish is arguing that a single female head-figure is more successful than a patriarchal approach.  Considering the publication year of “The Blazing World”, 1668, and the existence of a male monarch at the time, this statement was very bold and supported female superiority. 

            Along with Cavendish, Mary Hebert’s “Psalm 52” and Aemilia Lanyer’s “Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum” also contribute to the rising outspoken nature of women.  These publications are only the start of women’s break through from repressive gender roles in the academic and literary societies.   However, it is interesting to find that the confidence of these women perhaps came during the area of and after Elizabeth I’s reign.

Source:

(From our text book)

Cavendish, Margaret. "Blazing World." 1891-897. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ninth ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print.

“Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward" and Jerry Sittser

As I have said many times in my blog posts so far, I am currently taking PH 261: CS Lewis. Right now, we are looking at various responses to the Problem of Evil and suffering. In addition to Lewis’s The Problem of Pain and A Greif Observed, we also read Whitworth’s own Jerry Sittser’s A Grace Disguised. Jerry delivered a lecture on his book last night in class, and sure enough, John Donne came into the conversation.

After going through a severe loss, Jerry was engulfed in severe darkness. He had a dream one night that he was frantically chasing after the setting sun, terrified of being consumed by the darkness that was approaching him. In the dream, he couldn’t catch up, and the darkness completely engulfed him. He shared this dream with his brother, who shared with him a metaphor from “Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward.” The metaphor he is referring to is from lines 9-11:

Hence is ‘t, that I am carried towards the West

This day, when my soul’s form bends toward the East.

There I should see a Sun by rising, set…

Although the Sun sets, following it in the same direction only prolongs the period of darkness. Instead, if you face the darkness, you get to the sunset faster. This idea brought Jerry a lot of hope and he talks about it in his book. It’s been pretty cool to see things we’ve learned in this class pop up in my other studies!

Paper 2

Below you will find what I have for my exam draft day, I plan on expanding more on my argument but would like to have my enthymeme approved before going in depth. For now though, I am looking for suggestions on the enthymeme and literary/historical examples other than what I already have. Also, I am a little confused on the Tudor/Stuart eras. I went off of the dates published and the order we went over them in the lectures; but, I am not 100% that what I have is accurate. Thank you for suggestions in advance.

Enthymeme:

Queen Elizabeth and her reign inspired awe and reverence from writers in both the Tudor and Stuart eras because her monarchy symbolized a golden age for England amidst religious and political turmoil as well as overwhelming natural disasters.

Examples:

Tudor:

The Fairie Queene- Spenser

Elizabeth’s Speech to Troops at Tillbury

Elizabeth and Raleigh’s Exchange of Poetry

Stuart:

Blazing World- Cavendish

Penshurst- Jonson

Presentation:

Faith and Conflict

Intro in Norton:

Intro to 17^th century: Assassination plot, civil war, plagues, fire, loss of monarch, reformation

 

Outline:

1.      Prior to Elizabethan period

a.       Confusing time for England

                                                              i.      Henry the 8^th

b.      Religious time for England: Catholicism or Anglican Church (Faith and Conflict)

c.       Peace

d.      Brought a golden age and stabilized England

 

2.      During Elizabethan rule

a.       First woman ruler

b.      Commanded authority (Tillbury)

c.       Virgin Queen (Poetry Exchange)

d.      “Utopia” (Fairie Queene)

e.       Stability to England

3.      After Elizabethan Rule

a.       “Utopia” lost (Blazing World)

b.      Writers reference “the good old days” (Penshurst)

c.       Civil unrest

d.      Mass Confusion

4.      Reasons for civil unrest

a.       Assassination plot

b.      Civil war

c.       Plagues

d.      Fires

e.       Los of Monarch, and reformation

Test Review Ideas

Here is some of the info I put together from memory, notes, readings, handouts, etc. Hopefully this helps the rest of you on the test. Please let me know if I should correct anything, or if you have suggestions on additional information. Sorry if it looks a little disorganized as I pretty much just jotted things down.

Portrayal of Puritans:

1.      Twelfth Night: 1216-1217

2.      Doctor Faustus

3.      Dutchess of Malfi 1623

Deviation of Iambic Pentameter and Petrarchan Sonnets: Lines do not follow the normal syllable stresses.

Mocking Love

1.      Sonnet 18

2.      Sonnet 116-Line 1, different sonnet. Time will change love, sarcastic

3.      Mocking poems about love, but not love itself-Sonnet 130

 

Nightly Visions: Where do the authors get these inspirations?

1.      Blazing World

2.      Paradise Lost

Sprezzatura- Italian, Make everything look easy, Renaissance authors practice

Petrarchan Sonnets:

Pastoral:

1.      Setting created by the author, imaginary place that may represent a real place. Called by a different name. Wonderful and horribly things happen.

a.       Blazing World

b.      Faerie Queene

c.       Dutchess of Malfi

d.      Twelfth Night

e.       Paradise Lost

Au bade: Lover’s song after love. Morning after poems.

1.      “Sun Rising”

2.      Dr. Faustus Song by Feste

Melancholy:

1.      Longing or yearning that may be known or unknown, sorrow for loss of better times. Religion strife, scientific discoveries.

a.       “To Heaven”

b.      Twelfth Night, Feste’s last song

Carpe Diem Poems and Sex poems: John Donne—Sex, God, Death

1.      “The Flea” 1373

2.      “Sun Rising” 1376

Queen Elizabeth I:

1.      Speeches:

a.       House of Commons 753

                                                              i.      Parliament concerned, need heir.

                                                            ii.      Cannot make hasty decision, cannot decide

                                                          iii.      Cunning, safety, right guy

                                                          iv.      Confident, manipulation

b.      Joint Declaration 754

                                                              i.      King James VI of Scotland, Mary, House pressures to marry again

                                                            ii.      Get married or establish succession: Trust in God, problems succession causes, be patient

                                                          iii.      Succession against law to write down

1.      Treasonous

2.      Rhetoric: Trust me, Let God lead to right person, pathos.

3.      Confident: Elizabeth

c.       Letter to Mary 757

                                                              i.      Forced to advocate

1.      Plots against Elizabeth

2.      Strange marriages

3.      Husband died, “fell down stairs”

a.       Grieve for husband, do not get caught up in plot

b.      Elizabeth loves them, “do as I say”

c.       Intelligent and diplomatic

Queen Elizabeth references:

1.      Faerie Queene

a.       Immitated Chaucer

b.      Success, Nationalism

c.       1 year after sinking of Spanish Armada

d.      Establish Patronage w/ Elizabeth

e.       Patronage for Life

                                                              i.      Epic

1.      Catalogs

2.      Quests

3.      Knightly virtues

4.      Allegory-Dark conceit, hidden metaphor

a.       Catholics bad

                                                                                                                                      i.      Political, religious, knightly and courtly virtues

                                                            ii.      Propaganda:

1.      Cave in forest

2.       Beast in cave, feeds and explodes

3.      Archemago-Satan

a.       Go to his house, ,cannot trust people in black

b.      1^st or highest magician

c.       Dream sent

                                                                                                                                      i.      Una dream, temptation, Catholic sorcerer

4.      Gloriana-Elezabeth

5.      Lamb lady-Anglican church

a.       Proclaiming to pope, Elizabeth is legit

6.      Dragon- representing Catholicism—Slay dragon, is it dead?

a.       Talons, dies, open eyes? 8-14

7.      Knight cannot marry until questing is done. Ever going to wipe out Catholicism?

a.       First loyalty to Queen

2.      Blazing World

3.      “To Penshurst”

Passionate Shepherd-Marlowe

Nymphs Reply-Raleigh

The Lie-Raleigh

1.      Against Renaissance

2.      Love, lust, time flies, carpe diem, Religion

Psalm 52

Doctor Faustus:

Twelfth Night

1.      Pastoral: Illyria

2.      Gender roles (see Notes)

3.      Illyria, possibilities for love

4.      Marriage civilizes Illyria

5.      Puritans seeking power, should not have it

6.      Renaissance self-fashioning-reconstructing identity, Aristocrats patronize artist to look feminine.

7.      Malvolio Banished

a.       Wanted power, did not fit in with others, downer, mopey, no place in pastoral world

b.      Threat to Illyria, England

8.      Feste’s song

a.       Life goes on, people are different, reflection on Malvolio

b.      Meloncholic, gives something for the audience to think about, artificial

Sonnet 87

1.      Line five irregular, transactional nature change in sonnet, possessive to passive, power to possess, power to give

2.      Illyria-Dream, Petrarchan, love, sense of loss that was a dream

3.      Transactional Language

“To Penshurst” Jonsen

1.      Converted from Catholic to Anglican… Really?

2.      Brand on thumb

3.      Royalist

4.      Loyal to Elizabeth and James

5.      Conservative

6.      Things will be easy for “everyone” to believe in system

“To Heaven”

1.      Meloncholic

2.      Ashamed to come to god, too many religions

3.      Have faith and do believe, feel in your “gut” should feel good about it

Sonnet 130

1.      Petrarchan catalog again

Stuart age:

John Donne-Sex, God, Death

“The Flea”

1.      Carpe diem

2.      Sex and exchange

“Sun Rising”

1.      Au bad- morning after sex poem

2.      Bed center of universe

3.      Sun/son pun guilty

Sonnet 14

1.      Inner turmoil: God, himself, satan

2.      Already taken by Satan, God banging on door, ramming rod

“Good Friday riding westard”

1.      Away from god

Dutchess of Malfi-John Webster

1.      Corrupt court, ran by two evil brothers: Church and State

2.      Nastalgiea for Elizabeth

3.      Pointing to Golden Age gone

4.      Look at inquiry presentations

5.      Revenge tragedy

a.       Hero wronged

b.      Pile of bodies

c.       Attempted revenge

d.      Agonized speeches

                                                              i.      Death, and life after death

6.      Make her crazy with other crazy people

a.       References to:

                                                              i.      Sciece, sex, religion, Puritans=insane

“To His Coy Mistress”

1.      Historic references

a.       Ganges River

b.      Biblical references

2.      Carpe Diem poem

3.      Romantic or Petrarchan?

Paradise Lost-Milton

1.      Purtian?

2.      Cambridge education

3.      Against marriage

a.       Themes in Paradise Lost

                                                              i.      Epic

                                                            ii.      Nightly visions

                                                          iii.      Rhetoric

                                                          iv.      Process on how getting inspiration to write

                                                            v.      Prophet?

                                                          vi.      Real story of Eden, translated, prophet of England

4.      Satan twisted character, twisted rhetoric, fallen

5.      Eve, obeying rhetoric, restates Adam, does not command but asks

6.      Adam, straightforward, demands obedience, does not ask, tells

7.      Fallen, Pastoral, people have fallen, reconciliation shows God’s way to man, re-introducing monarchy.

“Salve Deus Rex”-Lanyer

1.      Not Eve’s fault, men in control

2.      Elizabeth allusions

a.       What was it like when women ruled?

3.      Adam and James the first

4.      Eden during Elizabethan rule

5.      Political: Royalist Men fallen further than women

 

Blazing World-Cavendish

1.      One together, inflammatory line 1892

2.      Dutchess persuaded by spirits not have own world

3.      Puritan seeking power a slight, create your own world in your head

“Easter Wings”-Herbert

1.      Emblem poem