THE IRON AGE (700 BC 55 BC)

Transcription

1 THE IRON AGE (700 BC 55 BC) During the Iron Age, Great Britain was inhabited by the Iberians. They settled in the western and southern parts of Britain. Around 700 BC, tribes of German warriors settled in Britain. These tribes were generally called The Celts. The Romans called them barbarians. They mostly fought in wars. When they were not fighting, they practiced agriculture. In fact, they introduce the iron plough to cultivate. Women were almost equal to men. They could choose the man they wanted to marry and retained their own property. Their culture was transmitted orally. They worshipped natural elements (the sun, the moon etc.). The Druids were the priests of the Celts. Both the Iberians and the Celts are thought to build Stonehenge. THE ROMANS (55 AD 410 BC) In 55 AD Julius Caesar invaded Britain but the Romans really conquered the country in the years AD. The Romans introduced their civilization and language. They encouraged the growth of towns (which originally were army camps) and roads. The most important monument built by the Romans was a defensive fortification called the Hadrian s Wall.

2 THE ANGLO-SAXONS ( ) In the fifth century, peoples from Germany and Scandinavia invaded Britain and destriyed the Roman British towns. These people were the Angles, the Saxons and the Yutes. Later they were simply called The Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxons were attacked by the Vickings but their kingdom survived. The Anglo-Saxons established seven kingdoms called the Heptarchy. The Anglo-Saxons were mostly farmers, warriors and fishermen. Their society was based on family groups called clans. They made fine ornaments and their most important value was loyalty. At the end of the sixth century, Pope Gregory I the Great sent a monk, Augustine to bring Christianity to England. Augustine went to Canterbury and he became the first Archbishop of the town. So, Britain became Christian. The last two Anglo-Saxon kings were Edward the Confessor and Harold II. When Harold II died, William, duke of Normandy, declared that his relative Edward the Confessor had left him the English throne. Finally, their kingdom came to and end in 1066: the Anglo-Saxons were defeated by the Normans during the Battle of Hastings (in 1066). THE NORMAN CONQUEST ( ) In 1066, Duke William of Normandy conquered England after the Battle of Hastings. After this Battle, William was known as William the Conqueror. He was crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas day The Normans were Vikings who lived on the north coast of France. Their king was French and they spoke French. The Normans introduced the feudal system in Britain and barons and knights became very important. They also introduced their language: French was spoken by the upper classes, Latin was the

3 language of the Church, Old English was spoken by common people. William the Conqueror also introduced the Domesday Book, a book that provided information about property tax and about the wealth, lands and revenues of his vassals. The last Norman king was Stephen in THE ANGLO-SAXON AGE BEOWULF Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem whose origins are mysterious. It is thought to have been composed from the 8 th to 11 th century in Northumbria. The long poem was memorized by scops (giullari) in order to tell it. CHARACTERS BEOWULF: he is the hero. His name comes from bear (orso) and wolf (lupo). For this reason, he is strong. THE GEATS: Beowulf s clan living in the South of Sweden. THE DANES HROTHGAR: king of Denmark terrorised by a monster. GRENDEL: a monster GRENDEL S MOTHER DRAGON: a monster in the land of Geats WIGLAF: the warrior who helps Beowulf fight the dragon

4 THEMES COURAGE AND GENEROSITY (represented by Beowulf) THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL LOYALTY TO ONE S LORD COURTLY IDEAL OF THE WARRIOR THE CULT OF FAME NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE The mainly features of an epic poem are: Elevated style and language Celebration of a hero A long narrative Celebration of warrior s values Supernatural events Didactic aim THE PLOT The poem deals with legends and real historical events. It deals with the legend of Beowulf, a young Scandinavian hero who fights two monsters, Grendel and his mother, succeeding in killing them. After fifty years, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats. He kills a fire breathing monster but he is mortally wounded. The glory and the gold he conquered are buried with him. THE ANGLO-SAXON AGE BEOWULF Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem whose origins are mysterious. It is thought to have been composed from the 8 th to 11 th century in Northumbria. The long poem was memorized by scops (giullari) in order to tell it.

5 CHARACTERS BEOWULF: he is the hero. His name comes from bear (orso) and wolf (lupo). For this reason, he is strong. THE GEATS: Beowulf s clan living in the South of Sweden. THE DANES HROTHGAR: king of Denmark terrorised by a monster. GRENDEL: a monster GRENDEL S MOTHER DRAGON: a monster in the land of Geats WIGLAF: the warrior who helps Beowulf fight the dragon THEMES COURAGE AND GENEROSITY (represented by Beowulf) THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL LOYALTY TO ONE S LORD COURTLY IDEAL OF THE WARRIOR THE CULT OF FAME NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE The mainly features of an epic poem are: Elevated style and language Celebration of a hero A long narrative

6 Celebration of warrior s values Supernatural events Didactic aim THE PLOT The poem deals with legends and real historical events. It deals with the legend of Beowulf, a young Scandinavian hero who fights two monsters, Grendel and his mother, succeeding in killing them. After fifty years, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats. He kills a fire breathing monster but he is mortally wounded. The glory and the gold he conquered are buried with him. THE MIDDLE AGES ( ) 1) Under Henri II reign, there was a clash between the Crown and the Church. Henry II promulgated the CONSTITUTIONS OF CLARENDON (1164) declaring the king could invest the bishops. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket was against this measure and for reason he was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral. 2) When Henry II died, his son (Richard I) became king. He was called Richard the Lionheart because of his courage. In fact, he joined the Third Crusade. He was killed in France. 3) John I, Richard I s brother, became king. He introduced a lot of taxes and the barons were against his system of taxation. For this reason, he was obliged to sign the Magna Charta in 1215 in which the king declared he wouldn t impose taxes without baron s agreement. The Magna Charta was the foundation of the future rights and freedom in England. 4) After John I s death, Henry III became king. This king introduced the

7 Parliament (from the French word parler ) composed of noblemen and high clergy. This was the beginning of the future House of Commons. 5) From 1337 to 1453, there was a war between Britain and France best known as The Hundred s Years Wars. The war broke out in 1337 when King Edward III wanted to be king of France because he was the grandson of King Philip the Fair. The war was interrupted many times because of tragic events as the Black Death (the plague) in France succeeded in winning thanks to Joan of Arc. The war ended in ) From 1454 to 1485, there was a war called The wars of the Roses. At the time, there were two important noble houses: the house of York (whose symbol was a white rose) and the house of Lancaster (whose symbol was a red rose). The war ended in 1485 and it was won by Henry Tudor of the house of Lancaster. Henry Tudor became King Henry VII. It was the beginning of the Tudor s dynasty. THE EVOLUTION OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE The history of the English language is divided into three periods: 1) OLD ENGLISH: from the origins to the Norman conquest in It was a Germanic language containing few Latinate words. Most irregular verbs came from Old English.; 2) MIDDLE ENGLISH: from the Norman conquest to 15 th century. It was influenced by the French language spoken by the Normans; 3) MODERN ENGLISH: from 1500 to our days.

8 GEOFFREY CHAUCER LIFE Geoffrey Chaucer was born in He was the son of a wine merchant. He went to war in France with the king where he was imprisoned. The king Edward III sent him abroad for trade. He went to Italy where he became interested in Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. In 1374, he was appointed to the office of Controller of the Customs for the Port of London. In 1386, he was dismissed from all his offices. In 1400, he died. He was the first poet who was buried in Westminster Abbey. MAIN WORKS Chaucer s works can be divided into three periods: 1) THE FRENCH PERIOD: it was inspired by French romance style ( The Romaunt of the Rose, The Boke of the Duchesse ); 2) THE ITALIAN PERIOD: he was inspired by Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio ( The House of Fame, Troylus and Criseyde ) 3) THE ENGLISH PERIOD: it was marked by great realism ( Canterbury Tales )

9 THE CANTERBURY TALES The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 24 verse tales written by Chaucer from 1386 to THE PLOT It is spring and thirty people, including Chaucer, are going on a pilgrimage to Thomas Becket s shrine in Canterbury. They gather at the Tabard Inn in London whose host suggests each of them should tell two stories while going to Canterbury and two stories while coming back. The best story will be prized. On the contrary there will be a penalty if somebody doesn t want to tell a story. THE STRUCTURE The collection doesn t have a logical order of events. There is a General Prologue where the pilgrims are introduced. Then, each story has its own prologue where the theme of the tale is introduced. NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES The tales are narrated by the different pilgrims. However, Chaucer tells the reader directly and ironically what he sees and what he thinks. Chaucer uses: Exaggeration Allegory Symbols Caricature

10 Grotesque Rhyming couplets made up of iambic pentameters THEMES THE MEDIEVAL THEME OF LIFE AS PILGRIMAGE AN IRONICAL PORTRAIT OF MIDDLE CLASS ENGLAND RELIGION (Canterbury is the symbol of the celestial city) THE IMPORTANCE OF MIDDLE CLASS WOMEN COURTLY LOVE THE CORRUPTION OF THE CHURCH THE WIFE OF BATH S TALE The Wife of Bath s Tale is preceded by a Prologue in which she gives an account of her life with five husbands. Her tale is about women s desire for mastery over men. A young Knight rapes a country maiden while returning home. As a punishment, he has to discover within a year what women most desire. The Knight unsuccessfully wanders in the entire country in search of the answer. Eventually he promises to grant a wish to an ugly old woman in return for the right answer. When he has given the correct answer, the Knight begs the old woman to reconsider her wish. She refuses and the Knight marries her secretly. At night as they lie in bed, the Knight keeps on tossing and turning restlessly. The old woman asks him if he would prefer her ugly and faithful or beautiful and faithless. The Knight allows her to decide. She asks him to kiss her and she becomes beautiful and faithful. They live happily ever after. THE TUDORS AND THE REFORMATION The first king of the Tudor s dynasty was Henry VII. He reorganized the army, the navy and the State administration. England lived a period of peace and prosperity. After his death, his son succeeded to the throne. His name was Henry VIII. He was best known for the Reformation of the Church of England. Henry VIII was married with Catherine of Aragon. He asked the Pope for the divorce because Catherine didn t give birth to a male heir. The Pope disagreed with the divorce and Henry VIII decided to break with the Roman Church. In 1534, the Act of Supremacy declared the Henry VIII the supreme Head of the Church of England. The king was finally free to marry Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII sentenced to death all the Catholics who disagreed with the Act of Supremacy. An example was the humanist Thomas More.

11 After his death, Edward VI succeeded to the throne. He was young and sick; in fact he died at the age of six. Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, became Queen. She was a Catholic and she persecuted all of the Protestants in England. For this reason, she was best known as Bloody Mary. When Mary Tudor died, Elizabeth I (daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn) became queen. She was best known as The Virgin Queen because she never married. She was queen from 1558 to She reached a compromise between Catholicism and Protestantism within the Church of England even if she was protestant. Elizabeth I increased commercial power, overseas trade and the colonies encouraging captains (involved in piracy) like Francis Drake. Elizabeth I succeeded in defeating the famous Spanish Armada reaching glory and national unity. Elizabeth I was the last queen of the Tudor s dynasty. THE TUDORS CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE LIFE

12 Christopher Marlowe was born in He was the son of a shoemaker in Canterbury. Marlowe was well-educated and very intelligent; he earned a bachelor's degree in 1584 and a master's degree in Marlowe's death was highly controversial. He was killed in a tavern brawl, stabbed in the head, in Yet there is some historical evidence that he was a secret agent. Marlowe also was, or sometimes claimed to be, an atheist, at a time when atheism was a crime that could be punished by death. Some people believe that Marlowe faked his death and continued to write plays using the name "William Shakespeare." There are also people who think William Shakespeare killed him. MAIN WORKS Marlowe can be considered the best Elizabethan tragedian before William Shakespeare. His plays embody the spirit of Renaissance: his characters are full of passions and faults; men are opposed to God, rejecting churches and religious beliefs. His most important works are: TAMBURLAINE THE GREAT DOCTOR FAUSTUS THE JEW OF MALTA EDWARD II DIDO QUEEN OF CARTHAGE DOCTOR FAUSTUS

13 Doctor Faustus is a play written by Christopher Marlowe in THE PLOT The play is based on the story of a man (Faustus) who sold his soul to the devil in order to have power and money. Faustus has 24 years of unlimited power of knowledge but at the end of these years the devil sent his soul to Hell. THEMES SIN DAMNATION REDEMPTION POWER AS A CORRUPTING INFLUENCE MAGIC AND THE SUPERNATURAL MORALITY: Faustus believes in predestination and in life after death THE AMBITION OF THE RENAISSANCE MAN MAN S LIMITATIONS AND THE CLOCK STRIKES TWELVE Faustus declares to the three scholars who accompany him that he is in a dejected state because of what is about to happen to him. He admits that he has sinned so greatly that he cannot be forgiven. One of the scholars volunteers to stay with Faustus until the last minute, but Faustus and the others admit that no one will be able to help him. He must face the final moments alone. After the scholars leave, the clock strikes eleven, and Faustus realizes that he has only an hour left before eternal damnation. He suffers because he realizes that he will be deprived of eternal bliss and will have to suffer eternal damnation. As the clock strikes half past eleven, he understands he would suffer a hundred thousand years if at last he could be saved. As the clock strikes twelve, he cries out for God not to look so fierce upon him. Thunder and lightning flash across the stage and the devils arrive to take him away. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

14 LIFE Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April His father was a dealer in wool. He attended the local school and he learnt little Latin. He married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 and he went to London. Here he joined a company and he started writing plays. In 1593, theatres closed because of the plague. When the theatres reopened, Shakespeare became the playwright of the most important company of actors of the time, Lord Chamberlain s Men. This company also built the Globe Theatre, the most famous and important of the time. He died when he was 52 in SONNETS Shakespeare s sonnets were published in 1609, they are about 154. Shakespeare s sonnets can be divided into two sections: 1) The first section of sonnets is addressed to a fair youth (probably the Earl of Southampton). This first section can be divided into: SONNETS I TO XVIII: they concern the themes of increase and marriage SONNETS XVIII TO CXXVI: they concern different themes, for example meditation on art and immortality 2) The second section (from CXXVII to the end) is addressed to a dark lady or black woman POETIC STRUCTURE

15 Shakespeare employs: DECASYLLABES THREE QUATRAINS AND A FINAL COUPLET A DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE SHALL I COMPARE THEE (sonnet 18) This is one of the most famous Shakespeare s sonnets. It belongs to the first section of poems. Apparently, the poem is just a praise of the beauty of the young man. In reality, Shakespeare suggests the young man not to have children to preserve his beauty forever. The most important theme is time: the eternal summer is a personification of the eternal beauty of the young boy. His beauty is eternal because it is preserved in the poem: art is immortal and eternal. MY MISTRESS EYES ARE NOTHING LIKE THE SUN (sonnet 130) This sonnet belongs to the second sections of Shakespeare s poems. This sonnet compares the poet s lover to other beauties (the sun, snow, wires etc) and she seems to be uglier than the others. However, the poet admits he prefers the loved beauty even if he doesn t idealize her. This sonnet mocks the idealized love of Petrarch s sonnets. In Shakespeare s opinion, love doesn t need to be idealized, it must be real. SHAKESPEARE S PLAYS The collected edition of Shakespeare s 38 plays came out in 1623, after his death. This edition is called First Folio because of the size of the pages. Shakespeare wrote: 1) COMEDIES: The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer s Night Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Troilus and Cressida, As You Like It, The Tempest 2) HISTORICAL PLAYS: Henry VI, King John, Richard II, Henry IV, Julius Caesar, Henry V, Henry VIII 3) TRAGEDIES: Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Timon of Athens, Coriolanus GENERAL FEATURES CHARACTERS: Shakespeare s characters come from every social class (they can be aristocrats or they can be from the lower class). Family ties ( = legami di sangue) are very important in all of his plays;

16 STAGE DIRECTIONS: in each scene, there are stage directions (information about the atmosphere of the scene or about the character s mood); THE STRUCTURE: Shakespeare is not interested in the division between the acts. His plays are written in blank verse lines. He uses soliloquy, funeral orations and death-bed speeches to create a contact between actors and the audience ( = il pubblico) STYLE: Shakespeare uses different levels of speech and language because his characters come from different social classes. He also uses rhetorical figures (similes, metaphors, puns etc) ROMEO AND JULIET Romeo and Juliet is a play by William Shakespeare. It was written in 1595 and published in THE PLOT The noble families of the Montagues and the Capulets live in the city of Verona. They have had an argument, and are enemies. Their servants are enemies as well. The young men who work for the Montagues and the Capulets get into gangs and fight each other in the street. Verona is ruled by Prince Escalus. He tells the Montagues and the Capulets that they have to stop fighting or they will be punished. It is very difficult to control the young men. Montague has only one child, a teenage boy called Romeo. Capulet also has only one child, a beautiful 14-year-old daughter called Juliet. They do not know each other, because Juliet never goes anywhere without her nursemaid. Romeo and his friends go to a masked ball at the home of Juliet's parents. Romeo and Juliet meet at a party and fall in love. They think they will get into trouble with their parents, so they try to hide their love by not talking about it at home. Juliet knows that her parents want her to marry a cousin of the prince. Romeo and Juliet get married in secret. Because of their secret marriage, a lot of things happen which bring about many deaths, including, finally, Romeo and Juliet themselves. CHARACTERS Romeo Montague is the son of Lord and Lady Montague. Romeo falls in love with Juliet Capulet, and secretly marries her. Juliet fakes her death to rid herself of a parental marriage arrangement with Count Paris. Romeo is not aware of the fake death. He believes Juliet is truly dead and kills himself. Juliet Capulet meets and falls in love with a family enemy, Romeo Montague. The two marry secretly. When Juliet's parents arrange a marriage for Juliet with Count Paris, she takes a potion that will make her appear to be dead. Her body is taken to a crypt. She later comes back to life. When she discovers Romeo has killed himself, she kills herself. Friar Laurence is an old clergyman who secretly marries Romeo and Juliet. Juliet's fake death is his idea. He is unable to prevent Romeo from killing himself. Tybalt is Juliet Capulet's cousin. He kills Mercutio in a duel and is later killed by Romeo. Mercutio is a young man and friend to Romeo. He is killed by Tybalt.

17 THEMES LACK OF KNOWLEDGE: tragedy derives from bad communication EQUIVOCATION THE TRAGIC ROLE OF CHANCE THE ROLE OF FATE: Romeo and Juliet s names influence their fate INNOCENCE: Juliet represents adolescents innocence YOUTH VERSUS OLD AGE STYLE Shakespeare uses common rhymes, often in couplets (rime baciate). Language plays an important role: tragedy derives from bad communication. Language depends on characters social classes. Shakespeare also uses metaphors to describe love. THE BALCONY SCENE The Balcony Scene in 'Romeo and Juliet' is one of literature's most poetic, romantic exchanges between two lovers, and Shakespeare reveals their love through the use iambic pentameter and metaphor. The Balcony Scene follows the meeting of Romeo and Juliet at a masquerade party in Juliet's home. Romeo and his friends sneak into the party, uninvited, and when Romeo sees Juliet, he falls in love. After the party, Romeo jumps over the Capulets' garden wall, and searches for Juliet. Romeo hides in the garden and soon observes Juliet walking onto the balcony outside her room. Romeo says, 'But, soft! What yonder light through window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.' When Romeo sees Juliet, he feels hope; it is as if the sun is rising. It is at this time that Juliet speaks some of Shakespeare's most famous lines: 'O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet.' What she speaks is truly significant because Juliet admits that she wants to marry him regardless of their unfortunate situation. She rationalizes her feelings for Romeo because to her the name 'Montague' is simply a name. So, she doesn t consider Romeo as an enemy. Romeo and Juliet finally declare their love for each other. ROMEO S AND JULIET FIRST MEETING Romeo and his fellows arrive at the Capulet feast. Romeo sees Juliet and falls in love with her instantly. Tybalt recognizes Romeo's voice and sends for his rapier to kill him.

18 Romeo and Juliet continue their exchanges and they kiss, but are interrupted by The Nurse, who sends Juliet to find her mother. In her absence, Romeo asks the Nurse who Juliet is and on discovering that she is a Capulet, realizes the grave consequences of their love. The feast ends and Romeo leaves with Benvolio and the others. Juliet then discovers from the Nurse that Romeo is a Montague. HAMLET The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a play by William Shakespeare. It was written between 1600 and 1602, and first printed in PLOT Hamlet is the son of the King of Denmark. When Hamlet's father dies, his uncle Claudius becomes king and marries Hamlet's mother (Gertrude). Hamlet's father appears as a ghost and tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius. Hamlet is not sure that the ghost is really his father. He performs a play which shows the murder of his father to see his uncle s reaction. When Claudius reacts badly to seeing this, Hamlet believes he is guilty. Polonius, the King s counselor, thinks Hamlet is mad because of his love for Ophelia. Ophelia is Polonius' daughter. When her father is killed by Hamlet she goes mad. Then she drowns herself in a river. Laertes, Ophelia s brother, decides to kill Hamlet in revenge. He challenges Hamlet to a sword fight, and puts poison on his own sword. Claudius makes some poisoned wine for Hamlet to drink in case that does not work. Hamlet and Laertes wound each other with the poisoned sword. At the same time his mother drinks the poisoned wine without knowing, and dies. Hamlet kills Claudius with the poisoned sword. Horatio, Hamlet's friend, tells everyone about the murder of the old king. Hamlet tells everyone that the Norwegian prince, Fortinbras, should be king, and then dies from the poison. CHARACTERS Hamlet, the prince of Denmark The ghost of Hamlet s father Gertrude, the Queen, Hamlet's mother Claudius, the King, brother of dead King Hamlet and now married to Gertrude

19 Horatio, Hamlet's trusted friend Polonius, the royal advisor Laertes, the son of Polonius Ophelia, the daughter of Polonius and Hamlet's girlfriend THEMES REVENGE (VENDETTA) MADNESS HONOUR JUSTICE FAMILY LOVE TO BE OR NOT TO BE To be or not to be is Hamlet s most famous soliloquy. In this soliloquy, Hamlet explores the ideas of life and death. Hamlet hopes that death is nothingness, that death will end thinking, knowing, and remembering. But he fears that, in death, he will be haunted interminably by bad dreams of life itself, by dreams heavy with the memory of fear and pain. This is why everybody is scared by death. We fear that our consciences will torment us forever. Thus, human beings choose life, with its torment and burdens, chiefly to avoid death, the great unknown. Hamlet's dilemma underlies the entire soliloquy. If he kills Claudius, he will assuredly be killed himself. Hamlet is not sure he is ready for death; life is all he knows, and he fears the unknown. He is still frightened by death. THE STUART DINASTY ( ) In 1603, Elizabeth I died without an heir. For this reason, the English throne came to James VI of Scotland. James VI started the Stuart dynasty and he was named King James I. He was the first king ruling in Scotland and England. James I was protestant. The 5 th of November 1605, English Catholics organized the Gunpowder Plot: they wanted to blow up the king and Parliament but they failed. In 1611, it was published the Authorized Version of the Bible also known as the King James Bible. It was the Church of

20 England s official Bible. He often fought with the Parliament and he excluded Christians and Puritans 1 from government. James died in 1625 and his son Charles succeeded to the throne. THE PURITAN AGE: THE CIVIL WAR AND THE COMMONWEALTH ( ) Charles I became king in He was king of England, Scotland and Ireland. He often fought with the Parliament which denied him money he needed for his home and foreign policy. Charles I dissolved the Parliament many times. In 1628, the Parliament obliged Charles I to accept the Petition of Rights that denied the king the right to impose taxes and imprison his subjects without reason. There were two opposing forces: 1) THE CAVALIERS they supported the king; they had long hair 2) THE ROUNDHEADS they supported the Parliament; they had short hair; they were puritans. Their leader was Oliver Cromwell, a gentleman farmer In 1642, there was the outbreak of the civil war between the two opposing forces. Thanks to Oliver Cromwell and his army, the civil war ended in 1649 with the execution of the king. Charles I was the first king being executed in the history. After the civil war, a Commonwealth (a republic) was established and Oliver Cromwell was appointed Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland. After Oliver Cromwell s death, his son ruled the Commonwealth but the Parliament believed England needed a king. For this reason, in 1660, Charles II (Charles I s son) came back to England and monarchy was finally restored. 1 Puritans were English Protestants with a high sense of duty and morality.

21 METAPHYSICAL POETRY The metaphysical poets are a group of English poets known for long difficult metaphors. They revolted against the romantic conventionalism of Elizabethan love poetry, in particular the Petrarchan conceit. In their poems, they want to understand human being s nature and the world by using the metaphysical conceit (the employ of an elaborate metaphor between something spiritual and something belonging to the physical and real world). The most important features of the metaphysical poetry are: Psychological analysis of emotion, love and religion; A simple diction; Alchemy; Medieval philosophy; Meteorology; Mythology; Astronomy; An unconventional, honest and intellectual poetry. The Metaphysical poets wrote in several verse-forms. The most important Metaphysical poet was John Donne. LIFE

22 John Donne was born in He entered the Inns of Court and he started writing his poems. He married Ann More and they had twelve children. Donne lived in poverty because of his clandestine marriage. He became a priest and his sermons became famous. He was Dean of St Paul s. He died in MAIN WORKS Donne s main works are: SONGS AND SONNETS ELEGIES SATIRES LETTERS DIVINE POEMS SERMONS THEMES LOVE RELIGION THE SEARCH FOR THE ONE TRUE RELIGION DISCOVERY AND CONQUEST DEATH COSMOLOGY NATURAL SCIENCE MEDICINE ALCHEMY GEOGRAPHY STYLE The most important features of John Donne s style are: UNUSUAL METER UNUSUAL VERSE COMPLEX FIGURES OF SPEECH VARIETY OF TONE AND REGISTER USE OF ALLITERATION THE GOOD MORROW The Good-Morrow is a poem of twenty-one lines divided into three stanzas. The poet addresses the woman he loves as they awaken after having spent the night together.

23 The first stanza The speaker thought about the time he wasn t in love. That time seems unreal. The second stanza The second stanza of the poem suggests that the lovers have woken now into true reality, out of the shadows of night. The room where they are in bed is their world, and nothing exists outside. The third stanza The poet concludes by that they cannot die if they stay lovers constantly and a perfect harmony or completeness will be theirs. BATTER MY HEART Batter My Heart is one of nineteen sonnets that Donne wrote after taking orders in the Anglican Church. The speaker in the poem begins by asking God, why the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit attack and enter his heart. The speaker wants the Trinity to enter his heart, life and mind. Donne states that he wants to let God enter, but admits to succumbing to the "enemy" who we can assume to be the Devil. He asks God to help him destroy the Devil. Donne finally explains two paradoxical reasons why he wants all of this: he can't really be free unless God enslaves him, and he can't stay chaste or abstinent unless God takes him away or excites him. general. GO AND CATCH A FALLING STAR This is a poem by John Donne in which he argues that it is impossible to find a woman who is both attractive and faithful to one man. First stanza Donne states a number of impossible tasks. He understands that to find a woman who is honest in love is as difficult as it is to catch a falling star. Second stanza The subject matter is an imaginary journey of ten thousand days. Donne imagines a seeker spending a lifetime, until he has grey hairs, looking for an honest woman. Donne believes that the traveler won t come across an honest woman. Third stanza Donne starts thinking it could be possible to find an honest woman.

24