Let's Change Gears... Stuarts and To Penshurst

Stuarts Reign: This was not what Henry envisioned it to be....

Tudor dynasty ended in England in 1603. Henry VIII vision of long lasting royal bloodline has ended with his daughter Elizabeth who did not produce a heir to the throne of England. England has transformed during Elizabeth's reign. England now was the king of the seas and defender of the protestant faith. When James VI of Scotland, took the English Crown to be come James I, his son would eventually ruin England and lead them to a civil war in 1649.
James I reign was marked, with the creation of the King James Bible and the exploitations of the Americas and the establishment of Jamestown, Virginia.

James assumed the role as authoritative ruler, who had control of the government. James hated dealing Parliament and refused to call it into session many time during his reign. James kept England out of foreign conflicts in Europe and maintain peaceful terms with Spain. He also had to deal with continuing problem of religious conflict in England, between the Catholics and Protestants. The Gunpowder Plot was planned by devoted Catholic's aimed at bombing Parliament building while the nobles and the King were present. The plan was foiled in time and the Plotters were made examples to the public.

Charles I didn't fair too well either in the English system. Many of the people were upset at some to the policies and decisions he made. The people were fed along with Parliament. They decided to spark a civil war for regime change. In the end, Charles was arrested and executed ending the monarchy for the first time in English history and setting up Oliver Cromwell Parliamentary government, which proved to be no better than the monarchy. So Cromwell was overthrown and the monarchy was restored, Charles II took over as King of England.

To Penshurst:
Ben Jonson describes in great detail about this house and it's surroundings. This house is ideally what you would want a King to visit. Jonson goes on to how the garden is perfect and has lavish fruit growing ready to be picked. The animals in the yard and pond represent an ideal manor of the court. Jonson poem brings out a lot imagery to describe this manor of Penshurst.

Twelfth Night Acts 2-3

ACT 2:

Act 2 begins with Antonio and Sebastian, (Viola twin brother) Sebastian has recently survived a shipwreck at sea and is in a dire search to find out the whereabouts of his sister. He fears that she may have perished in the shipwreck. Antonio saved Sebastian from the shipwreck and vows to help him search for his missing sister, begin to travel to the Duke's residence.

Olivia shows no affection towards the Duke, Orsino. She begins to develop affection towards Cesario(Viola). Viola was given the ring by Malvolio, which belonged to Olivia. Viola has now realized that Olivia is coming on to Cesario. She has made things very complicated at the court. She may be in way over her head now, but she continues on to pose as Cesario.

Also later on in Act 2 we see, the beginning of the downfall of Malvolio's character. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Feste are being rather noisy and are enjoying a late night drink. Maria comes in telling the men to be quiet, because Olivia is trying to sleep. Malvolio steps in trying to get the men to be quiet, instead makes Maria upset and decides to play a cruel prank on him. She writes a letter in Olivia's hand writing, professing her love to him. The three catch wind of Maria's plan. Malvolio receives the letter, which he must wear yellow stockings to show his love for Olivia. Malvolio is now madly in love with Olivia, he is totally unaware of the setup that he is in for.

Viola now has to decide whether she is in over head and decide to end this charade. She has a talk with Orsino where she position to reveal her identity, but backs down.

ACT 3:
We see the continuing saga between Cesario and Olivia. Viola tries to distant herself from Olivia when she says: (Viola)
By innocence I swear, and by my youth,
I have one heart, one bosom, and one truth,
And that no women has, nor never none
Shall mistress be of it save I alone.
And so adieu, good madam. Never more
Will I my master;s tears to you deplore.(1112)
Viola feels bad for Olivia's predicament, She isn't sure how shes going to come clean from this ordeal now. Olivia is still determined to win Cesario's heart no matter what.

Sir Andrew urged on by Sir Toby and Fabian to challenge Cesario to a duel in order for him to win the affection of Olivia. Now everyone seems on trying to win Olivia affection...
Now Antonio and Sebastian reach the city, Antonio is very paranoid, because he has enemies in the city. Antonio gives Sebastian his purse, and he heads into a inn.

Now, Malvolio is commencing his downfall when appears before Lady Olivia in yellow stockings and begins to profess his love for her. Olivia says she did not write a letter to him and has been told a lie. Malvolio is devastated by the current situation.

Viola is now forced into the challenged duel by Sir Andrew, Antonio is walking and notices Viola(Cesario) thinking that it is Sebastian, wants to fight in his behalf. Before the fighting could begin, Antonio is arrested and cries toward Viola to give him his purse thinking that its Sebastian. Viola is confused by this and refuses Antonio request as hes being dragged away. Antonio is shocked and now feels betrayed by Sebastian.

It's already leading towards a chaotic ending. The ending will effect many of the characters.

William Shakespeare and Twelfth Night... Act 1 Sence Action!

William Shakespeare is probably the most recognized figure in the English Renaissance. Shakespeare was born around 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon. Today, historians are still unsure of William's early childhood and how he manged to develop some of the most important Renaissance pieces the world his seen. William Shakespeare is remembered by moving sonnets and entertaining playwrights, especially his tragedies. Shakespeare's influence today is remarkable, In just about every English class I've been we've atleast read a piece from Shakespeare.

Act 1. Twelfth Night

Setting of the play takes us to place called Illyria. Duke Orsino enjoying himself at a party, but is seeking the affection of Lady Olivia. This conversation between Orsino and Curio (Orsino attendant) describing his love and pursuit of the Olivia, I thought was great.
Curio: Will you go hunt, my lord?
Orsino: What, Curio?
Curio: The hart.
Orsino: Why so I do, the noblest that I have.
O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first
Methought she purged the air of pestilence;
That instant was I turned into a hart,
And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds,
E'er since pursue me. (1080, 16-22)

Also this part does make a reference to Sir Thomas Wyatt's sonnet, Whoso list to hunt. Which to me seems to be a very influential piece to the later English Renaissance authors.
Were introduced, Viola who lost her brother to a shipwreck, but sense he may have survived. She is would like to serve with Olivia(she lost her brother too), but it cannot happen and the sea captain decides to help her make this happen with a disguise as a male servant to the duke.

Research Topic.... A Continuation

I would like to continue my research on the renaissance monarchs and why they are called the "Renaissance" or "new" monarchs. I'm about finished reading The Courtier, I think this will help me focus on how the royal courts my have functioned at the time of the Renaissance. In my research, I've found how these monarchs conducted government, waged wars, create policies, and how they have contributed to the Renaissance (through art, architecture, and literature). These "Renaissance" monarchs were very powerful, so their governments were very centralized and bureaucratic. How are these courts in relation in The Courtier maybe relate to the "Renaissance" Monarchs. I'll welcome any thoughts on the subject. Was this what you were looking for?

PS: Prof. Kilgore, did you receive my emails of my evaluation? I'm not sure if I was supposed to see a response from you via email. Just a little concerned thats all. Getting ready for the flight back from Minnesota.

List of sources:
1. Richardson, Glenn. Renaissance Monarchy. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2002
--This book helped me understand, the personalities of each of the "Renaissance" monarchs. Also on how they shaped up each of their realms in Europe.
2. Guy, John. The Tudor Monarchy. New York : St. Martin's Press, 1997
--The book focused on the Tudor dynasty and it's policies and changes of their realm in England.
Articles:
1. Royal Historical Society: Presidential Address, Tudor Government: The Points of Contact. III. The Court, By G.R. Elton, 1976. (JSTOR Article)
--Background info on Tudor government and the Royal Court.
2. Folger Shakespeare Library: Searching for "Culture" in the English Renaissance, By David Harris Sacks, Shakespeare Quarterly, 1988. (JSTOR Article)
--Court Culture vs. English society...

Faerie Queene 1-4.... Sins

The more you read into Faerie Queene the more you can connect the pieces with the current state England is in. In the first four cantos we see imagery of the Catholic church being portrait as evil and corrupted. Also towards the end of the 4th cantos we get a good representation of the seven deadly sins. Heres the list of representations of the sins in the Faerie Queene.
1. Peacock = Pride
2. Idleness= Sloth
3. Crane = Gluttony
4. Goat = Lust
5. Camel = Greed
6. Envy = Wolf
7. Lion = Wrath
This book provides a lot of religious imagery. This epic is filled with side episodes, which I find difficult to connect. Like for instance, We go from slaying a half breed monster, to meeting Archimago and giving a false dream.

Early English Nationalism, but with a twist of fantasy...

The Renaissance brought back the revival of learning in a classical since. Also the Renaissance put the Catholic Church on the spot and exposed the institution that had been around since the early medieval time. Many Renaissance thinker's question the institution and it's practices. People like Luther and Erasmus pointed how corrupt these practices were for the Church, like the selling of indulgences, to buy you way into heaven and all your sins would be forgiven. This brought about a Reformation that effected central Europe and England (happened later in 1500's). Edmund Spencer isn't different from Erasmus from criticizing the Catholic Church. In Spencer's book, The Faerie Queene, he uses imagery of Error spewing books and papers, these books and papers were produced by the Catholics aiming at Queen Elizabeth's stance of Religious practices. Also another good source of imagery is the knight Redcrosse, you end up thinking about a red cross on the flag that symbolizes England.

Ralegh and The Book of Common Prayer...

Sir Walter Ralegh was important person in history. Also many questions raise up about whether or not Ralegh and Queen Elizabeth were romantically linked. Ralegh was rose up in the ranks through government through the court. Many might not know, that Ralegh was in charge of setting up the first colonization attempt in North America. Ralegh dislikes the Spanish and feels that their navies pose a potential threat to England's expansion and the monarchy. Like most of the historical figures of this time period were involved in the arts of the Renaissance, Ralegh was a successful poet to. Ralegh wrote a poem called "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepard" in response to Christopher Marlowe "The Passionate Shepherd" was a criticism. When English throne went to the Stuarts of Scotland, Ralegh was thrown in jail by James I with charges of treason, eventually Ralegh was executed.

The Book of Common Prayer was product of the early English Reformation, brought up by Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer. Looking at the actual text was amazing and hard to understand. This important document set the stages for binding Matrimony and Communion. I know both these order are especially important in today's standards among protestants. With these Order's, it helped strengthen the church institutions in England and built a strong support in the English Reformation.

Desperate Times for the Monarchy in England.....

Henry's Love Letters to Anne:

I never actually dove into Henry VIII actual love letters to Anne while studying the Renaissance. I was more focused on studying his policies and his history. These letters are new to me so, I can't provide a good history on them... Everyone knows at the end what happens to Anne, which was basically off with her head. When reading these letters it seemed a little out of place, the first thing I noticed are these letters some what not in chronological order? They don't have any dates on them. Another striking problem is, we don't see Anne's response to each of these letters and maybe we'll never know, but would be quite interesting to see how she responded. After looking at these letters I come up some ideas. O' Henry is very in love with Anne, desperately trying to seduce her. Henry in the back of his mind needed a new legitimate wife for hopes she could bare him a male heir to the throne, Everyone knows this is the reason today. I'm sure Henry would write these types of letters his other wives to be later on.

The Courtier

The Courtier is a interesting book, it brings a better understanding to court life. I'm continuing research that I've conducted last semester on Renaissance Monarchy and what defines them as "new monarchs". Since I was focused on the political aspects of these "new monarchs", I never looked at from maybe a court prospective. I must remember that I'm reading the Courtier that's set in a nobles court and not a king's court. Maybe there are similarities between this court talked about in the Courtier and what kind of courts the monarchs had during the Renaissance.

The readings I've come to realize... More of the Courtier

It's weird all the books that I've read that have pertained to the Renaissance seem to be like guides to how things ought to be. I'll list a few Ive read.

1. The Prince... By Niccolo Machiavelli (Good Political Philosophy)
2. The Praise of Folly... By Desiderius Erasmus (Smartest man in Europe during the Renaissance, Enjoyed the book, pokes fun towards the Church.)
3. Utopia... By Sir Thomas More (Enjoyed, another good Political Philosophy)
4. The Courtier... By Baldesar Catiglione (Not finished reading, I'm some what familiar with this subject.)

I've come to realize these books are guidelines, but are dedicated to specific person. Like The Prince dedicates the book to the Medici family, The Praise of Folly to Sir Thomas More. The Prince shows us the guidelines on how the Prince should rule his realm, control his army, and act towards the citizens. The Praise of Folly pokes fun at the Catholic Church and points out the current corrupted practices the church is in involved with. Erasmus will give us his research to the actual teachings of what the bible was intended for. I think The Courtier will help me understand the Renaissance Court and the way business was conducted. Ive done research on Renaissance Monarchies, what are they. Ive done research on the governments of: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain; Francis I, King of France; and Henry VIII. Courts were very important to these monarchs...(going to add more)

The Courtier.... Sprezzatura (Sounds like a drink)

What is a Courtier? Simple definition, A person that associated within the court of the prince or king. A courtier did not have to a noble to be associated, they could be businessman, clergy, lawyers, artist, and philosophers. It was a great honor to be part of the court. What goes on in this court? I think The Courtier gives us pretty good interpretation of what a Renaissance court is like and how a courtier should behave.

In the reading, this word sprezzatura pops up, its defined as nonchalance. In the Preface, the author points out that the practice of sprezzatura has "to disguise artful effort so that it seems natural, spontaneous, effortless."(Castiglione, X) So these courtiers have to be entertainers too as an act to maybe please the court or prince. Reading the Preface will probably help you understand how the court functioned.

What!, More of Utopia and the ideals... The Historical Implications!

Utopia was interesting read for me, I enjoyed the imagery used to describe the society of Utopia. This book was publish around the time when Europe was engaged with Age of Discovery. Utopia wants to be the perfect society. Towards the end of Book 2, Pride is brought up. The Utopian society wouldn't fit in the European society, pride being the reason why.

Utopia to me sounds like the early makings of the ideological meaning of communism. Utopia is a classless society and common ownership, these are the terms that describe communism. I believe Marx and Lenin many have been influenced by Utopia and may used those ideals in their movements in the late 19th and early 20th century. Utopia was looked on as satire to the people in the Renaissance, but wouldn't be until later on that the meaning of Utopia and it's ideals would be important to Marx, Lenin, and other communist thinkers of that time. Thats what I got out of Utopia with a little historical perspective.

More and Utopia Part Deux (2)

We continue with More's Utopia Book 2. More gives us a description of Utopia, the island is crescent shape of a moon. There are fifty-four cities on the island, all similar in make-up and design. These cities seem to be well fortified and defensible. They go on to give us the make up of the Utopian society and the roles the citizens in the cities. The slave section was particularly interesting. Utopia doesn't condemn slavery at all, they are used as labor force, maybe to help rehabilitate them back to freedom. More is clearly impressed by the way Raphael describes Utopia, but some of the ideals and customs of Utopia some what far fetched compared to societies of Europe.

Sir Thomas More and Utopia : A perfect place....

Sir Thomas More was a very distinguished figure during the English Renaissance. More received an Oxford education, but he was devoted to the religion. More was entwined in the humanist thought. He wrote in Latin, enjoyed ancient classical philosophy of Cicero and Plato. More would serve in the court to King Henry VIII. He served as a diplomat, a undersheriff, and was part of Parliament. Towards the end of his life, Thomas More became Lord Chancellor. When Henry VIII broke from the church, More refused to acknowledge the divorce of Cathrine. More was more devoted to his Catholic faith that would eventually cost him his life, More was beheaded in 1535 on treason. More is remembered as a Saint in the Catholic faith, but to the humanist contribution of his thoughts and writings, especially his book Utopia:

Book One of Utopia starts out with More writing letters to Peter Giles of Antwerp. More eventually makes it to Antwerp to meet his friend Peter Giles. Peter introduces More to Raphael Hythloday, who has accompanied Amerigo Vespucci on his voyages. Raphael knows a great deal of philosophy, the three get into a conversation on how a prince should conduct rule the realm. They have a discussion on theft and punishment and constant poverty affecting the people of the realm, blaming it on sheep farming. More is amazed by Raphael, and tries to convince him to use his mind to serve politics.

This reading was easy for me to understand, I've read Niccolo Machiavelli's, The Prince. Which were guidelines on how a prince should rule his kingdom. Also Book One of Utopia gives us what English society was like during the early rule of Henry VIII. Henry enjoyed starting wars with Francis I and Charles V. Maybe the prince mention in Utopia is Henry VIII, More was able to criticize the way the King was conducting his rule. Further in the book, we begin understand the English society in the 16th century. Poverty was huge problem and theft (no matter how serve) was punishable by death. These were better off killing off the victims if they knew that theft was punishable by death. To me, Book One was critical on the political atmosphere in England at the time.

Sir Thomas Wyatt The Elder and his Sonnets...

Sir Thomas Wyatt was born in 1503 during the height of the Renaissance in Europe. Wyatt served Henry VIII as protector of the jewels and was a diplomat representing the court in France and Spain. While he was abroad, he was affected by the Italian Renaissance, which transformed his writing. When he returned to England, he eventually found himself imprisoned in the Tower of London, about the same time Anne Boleyn was accused of committing adultery. Wyatt would succumb to fever in 1542. Wyatt brought a new rhyme scheme that was different from the traditional Petrarchan form.

We observed some of Wyatt's sonnets in our text books. We mainly focused two particular sonnets, Whoso list to hunt and My gallery, also we discussed The long love that in my thought doth harbor. We begin to understand that his poems are full of conceit. Wyatt's sonnets are filled with symbols that describe emotion. For example, in Whoso list to hunt, the female deer may represent Anne and Wyatt is hunting or chasing this deer. Wyatt talks about the object of love and physiological events in the minds of character's he writes.

I think it would be good to point out that, humanism grew in the Renaissance. Francesco Petrarch is considered to be the "father of the humanist". Humanism was a rediscovery of the past. Old philosophical thought, Latin (spoken by Cicero and Plato), and traditional ancient art forms were revived by the humanist. Emotion was brought out into view to the public through writing and art. A lot of these Renaissance poets are connected to the humanist train of thought.

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