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BLOCK - 4
TRANSITION TO MODERN ERA
UNIT - 3
ELIZABETHAN ERA
OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
1.1. Which Tudor monarch preceded Elizabeth on the throne of England?
Ans. Queen Mary first
2. By what term is the Elizabethan era often described in English history?
Ans. Golden age
3. Mention the period of the Elizabethan era.
Ans. 1558-1603
4. What was the nickname of Queen Elizabeth I?
Ans. Virgin queen
5. Who was Queen Elizabeth's mother?
Ans. Anne boleyn
6. Who introduced the sonnet into English poetry?
Ans. Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard,earl of Surrey, generally referred together as Wyatt and Surrey
7. What are the two kinds of sonnets known in English poetry?
Ans. Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnet
8. What is the stanzaic structure named after Edmund Spenser?
Ans. Spenserian stanza
9. Why did Catholics reject Elizabeth?
Ans. Becouse she was a protestant
10. Whom did Queen Mary keep as a prisoner for some time?
Ans. Elizabeth
11. Which Act placed Queen Elizabeth as the head of the English church?
Ans. The act of settlement
1.write an assignment on the topic Elizabethan literature
Ans. Elizabethan Literature was a term denoted to the body of literary works during the reign
of Elizabeth I of England (1558-1603). This age was probably the most splendid age in
the history of English literature, during which such writers as Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund
Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and William Shakespeare were active.
By the 1570s, English poetry and prose burst into sudden glory. Though the poetical
production was not quite equal to the dramatic, poetry enjoyed its heyday during the
Elizabethan age. It was nevertheless of great and original beauty. A large number of lyrics
and sonnets were produced. England became the nest of singing birds. A decisive shift of
taste toward fluent artistry displaying its own grace and sophistication was announced in the
works of Edmund Spenser and Philip Sidney. It was also regarded as an era of sonnets as
it was very popular. It was introduced into English by Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard,
Earl of Surrey early in the 16th century. They introduced the Petrarchan sonnet. Shakespeare
made changes to the Italian model and introduced his own style, now known as the
English sonnet or the Shakespearean sonnet. a significant
English prose already had a tradition from the Anglo-Saxon period which
was continued during the second half of the Middle English period. Elizabethan prose
continued the journey. A further stimulus for the growth of prose was the religious
upheaval that took place in the middle of the century. The desire of reformers to address as
comprehensive an audience as possible - the bishop and the boy who follows the plough,
as William Tyndale put it-produced the first true classics of English prose. Most
significant of these prose works include the reformed Anglican Book of Common
Prayer (1549,1552,1559); John Foxe's Acts and Monuments (1563), which celebrates
the martyrs, great and small, of English Protestantism; and the various English
versions of the Bible, from Tyndale's New Testament (1525), Miles Coverdale's Bible
(1535), and the Geneva Bible (1560) to the Authorised Version (or as it is commonly
called King James's Version, 1611). In the Elizabethan age, the two potent forces
blended and co-operated with each other of the Renaissance and the Reformation.
These two movements produced a great uplifting of the spirit. The word"renaissance
originated from the Latin word "nasci" which means "Be Born". Renaissance was a time
of great improvement in art, literature, and learning in Europe. It inspired the aesthetic and
intellect potential whereas the Reformation aroused the spiritual nature. Though the
passion for classical learning was a rich and worthy enthusiasm, it became a danger to the
language. In all branches of literature, Greek and Latin usages began to force themselves
upon English, which was not totally beneficial. The English language gave away its native
sturdiness and allowed itself to be temperec and polished by the new influences.
Drama, during the Elizabethan age, made a rapid & glorious leap into maturity. The Era
is perhaps most famous for its theatre and the works of William Shakespeare, English
Renaissance theatre began with the opening of "The Red Lion" theatre in 1567. Many
more permanent theatres opened in London over the next several years including the
Curtain Theatre in 1577 and the famous Globe Theatre in 1599. The period produced some
of the world's great playwrights including Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare
and Ben Jonson. Even though the writers borrowed literature from abroad, this age
depicted an unbound spirit of independence and creativity. Shakespeare openly borrowed
from other literary and historical works, but with his splendid creative imagination, he
transformed everything into gold. Spenser, a very original and creative writer was
the leading poet of his time. The stanzaic structure introduced by him has been called
the 'Spenserian Stanza'.
2.explain Elizebethan society
Ans. The social life of England during the reign of Elizabeth I is characterised by its well defined social stratification based on social position, wealth and occupation. The Monarch
Was the top first position in the Elizabethan social hierarchy. It was believed that God had
chosen the monarch to rule. The monarch could declare war, dismiss parliament or reject
its laws. Queen Elizabeth I. the sixth and last ruler of the Tudor dynasty was evaluated by
many as England's best monarch. She was a wise and just Queen who chose the right
advisers and was not dominated by them.
The Tudor period was an age of individuality. Nobility was at the top of the social ladder below the monarch. These men were rich and powerful, and they had large
households. Within the nobility, there was a distinction between old families and new
ones. Most of the old families were Catholic while the new families were Protestant. A
person becomes a member of nobility by birth, or by a grant from the Crown. Noble titles
were hereditary, passing from generation to generation. Such titles included the duke and
the earl in England. Most of the members of Queen Elizabeth's council and chief officers in the counties came from noble families.
They were expected to serve in an office at their own expense.
The Gentry class that was just below the nobility included knights, squires, gentlemen,
and gentlewomen who did not work with their hands for a living. Their numbers grew
during Queen Elizabeth's reign and became the most important social class in England.
Wealth was the key to becoming a part of the gentry class. This class was made up of people who were not born of noble birth but became wealthy landowners. The rise of the gentry was the dominant feature of Elizabethan society. Two of the queen's chief ministers, Burghley and Walsingham were products the gentry. Francis Bacon, the great essayer
and philosopher also came from this class. The gentry was the backbone of Elizabethan
England. They went to Parliament and served as justices of the Peace.
The Tudor era saw the rise of modem commerce with cloth and weaving lcading the
way. The prosperous merchant class emerged from the ashes of the Wars of the Roses. The
prosperity of the wool trade led to a suroe in building and the importance cannot be
overstated. Shipping products from England to various ports in Europe and to the New
World also became a profitable business for the merchants. The yeomanry of the time who
held a small piece of land included farmers. tradesmen and craft workers. They took their
religion very seriously and could read and write. The Yeomans were content to live more
simply, using their wealth to improve their land and expand it.
The last class of Elizabethan England was the labourers, poor husbandmen, and
Some retailers who did not own their own land. Artisans, shoemakers, carpenters, brick
masons and all those who worked with their hands belonged to this class of society. Under
Queen Elizabeth I. the government undertook the job of assisting the labourers class and
the result was the famous Elizabethan Poo Laws which resulted in one of the world's government-sponsored welfare programs.
This was a remarkable epoch for the expansion of both mental and geographical
horizons. The great voyagers like Hawkins, Frobisher, Raleigh and Drake brought home
both material and intellectual treasures from the East and the West. The spirit of adventure
and exploration fired the imagination of writers. The spirit of action and adventure
paved the way for the illustrious development of dramatic literature. Drama progresses in
an era of action and not of speculation. It has rightly been called the age of the discovery of
the new world and of man. Italy, the home of the Renaissance, fascinated the Elizabethans.
All liked to visit Italy and stay there for some time. People were not only fond of
Italian books and literature, but also of Italian manners and morals.
It was an age of great diversity contradictions. It was an age of light and
darkness, of reason and of unreason, of wisdom and of foolishness, of hope and of
despair. The barbarity and backwardness, ignorance and superstition of the Middle
Ages still persisted. Disorder, violence, bloodshed and tavern brawls still prevailed.
Highway robberies, as mentioned in Henry IV, Part I, were very common. The barbarity
of the age is seen in such brutal sports as bear baiting, cock and bull fighting, to which
numerous references are found in the plays of Shakespeare. Despite the advancement of
science and learning people still believed in superstitions, ghosts, witches, fairies, charms
and omens of all sorts.
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