The Elizabethan Age and English Renaissance Literature

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering major authors, works, and themes of the Elizabethan age and Shakespeare's dramatic art.

The Elizabethan age

A golden age of English literature (1558-1603) marked by confidence, optimism, and the spirit of conquest and self-glorification.

Elizabeth I

The monarch who brought stability to England, supported the arts, defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, and encouraged explorers like Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh.

Sir Philip Sidney

A Renaissance soldier, poet, and critic (1554-1586) known for his sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella and his literary essay Defence of Poesy.

Astrophel and Stella

An important sonnet sequence by Sir Philip Sidney containing 108 sonnets and 11 songs; the names translate to 'star-lover' and 'star'.

Defence of Poesy

A literary essay written by Sir Philip Sidney that defends poetry against contemporary criticism.

The Shepherd’s Calendar

A 1579 poetic programme by Edmund Spenser containing 12 pastoral eclogues, one for each month of the year.

Eclogue

A classical Roman genre used by Edmund Spenser for the structure of The Shepherd’s Calendar.

The Fairy Queen

An unfinished masterpiece by Edmund Spenser that combines medieval romance and classical epic, intended as an ethical and didactic guide to gentleman's virtues.

The number TWELVE in The Fairy Queen

The central organizational number of Spenser's epic, representing the 12 planned volumes, 12 subplots, 12 knights, 12 days of feast, and 12 cardinal virtues.

Gloriana

The figure in The Fairy Queen in whose court the 12 days of feast take place.

Shakespeare’s educational background

Unlike his contemporary Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare was not 'university person' and did not have a strong connection to the antiquite tradition.

Classical time-place-action unity

A rule of French drama that Shakespeare completely disregarded in his dramatic art.

Character foil

A technique used by Shakespeare where characters are paired and contrasted to highlight a particular characteristic feature of human beings.

Shakespeare’s History Plays

Plays that reflect the Elizabethan view of history moving from the chaos of the late medieval civil wars toward stability under the Tudor dynasty.

History Plays Group 1

A set of four plays focusing on civil war and tyranny: Henry VI parts 1, 2, and 3, and Richard III.

History Plays Group 2

A set of four plays focusing on Tudor regeneration: Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 and 2, and Henry V.

Shakespearean Romances

A category of Shakespeare's plays that includes Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, and The Tempest.

Shakespearean Characterisation

Since Elizabethan stages lacked scenery, Shakespeare used language to ridicule or define characters, often with just one or two sentences.