British Literrature Elizabethan Age Test

sonnet

a ryhmed 14 line poem in iambic pentameter

shakesperan sonnet

a rhymed 14 line poem in iambic pentameter rhyming abab cdcd efef gg

allegory

story or narrative in which characters and places represent virtues or vices

blank verse

unryhmed iambic pentameter

tragedy

drama, flaw in character lead to destruction (to him and others)

Comedy

humorous or satirical play with a happy ending (wedding)

tragic flaw

character flaw in a drama protagonist that brings them destruction

soliloquy

a speech in which the character reveals his inside thoughts/feelings

aside

characters speak his thoughts for the audience

essay

brief discussion on a particular topic

university wits

playwrights and writers educated at Oxford or Cambridge who modernized Elizabethan drama and paved the way for William Shakespeare.

Tudors

a royal dynasty of Welsh-English origin that ruled England and Ireland from 1485 to 1603

Henry VII

King of England who ended the Wars of the Roses in 1485 and founded the Tudor dynasty.

Reformation

A 16th-century religious movement that challenged the Catholic Church and led to the creation of Protestant churches.

Thomas Cranmer

Archbishop of Canterbury who helped King Henry VIII break away from the Catholic Church and establish the Church of England.

Act of Supremacy

A 1534 law declaring the English king (Henry VIII) the head of the Church of England instead of the pope.

Miles Coverdale

English Bible translator who helped produce the first complete printed English Bible in 1535.

Edward VI

Son of Henry VIII who became king at age 9 and strengthened Protestantism in England during his reign.

Bloody Mary

Queen Mary I of England, who tried to restore Catholicism and persecuted Protestants, earning the nickname “Bloody Mary.”

John Knox

Scottish Protestant reformer who helped establish Presbyterianism in Scotland and opposed Catholic rule.

Mary, Queen of Scots

Catholic queen of Scotland who was forced to give up her throne and was later executed by Queen Elizabeth I.

Presbyterian Church

A Protestant church founded on the teachings of John Knox, governed by elected elders rather than bishops.

Puritans

English Protestants who wanted to purify the Church of England of Catholic traditions and practices.

Elizabeth I

Daughter of Henry VIII who became queen of England, restored Protestantism, and led England during the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

The Globe

Famous theater in London where many of William Shakespeare’s plays were performed.

Sir Francis Drake

English explorer and sailor who circumnavigated the world and helped defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Spanish Armada

A large Spanish fleet sent to invade England in 1588, but it was defeated by the English navy and bad weather.