THE 17TH CENTURY (1603-1625)
-Jacobean Age
-Baroque- word from Portuguese= a rough, unpolished pearl
*it suggest Massiveness, Picturesqueness, complexity, obscurity, extravagancy
TRAGEDY:
*some elements of baroque can be found in Shakespeare's plays:
*double acting characters in his dramas
*Disquises- misunderstandings in comedies
*Elaborate Lg
*unexpected conclusions
^John Webster
*his tragedies took place in Italy because that time this place was associated with corruption
-“The White Devil”
*story about love between Brachiano and Vittoria
*B murders his wife Isabella to be with V
*V husband is killed by B brother
*V is killed by I. brother
-“The Duchess of Malfi”
*an artistic woman who commits a MISALLIANCE
*she married a steward- Antonio against her brothers wish
*2 brothers punish her
*they hired criminal to kill A and his family
*in the end Bossola kills Cardinal, other brother goes mad and kills B and goes mad
a)METAPHISICAL POETS:
*dealt with Metaphysical questions about: mystery of death, the afterlife
*the most striking characteristic of their poetry was the CONCEIT- from the word “concept” which means extravagant, grotesque, surprising idea in the form of metaphor, comparison, hyperbole or oxymoron)
*style was obscure, mystery, intellectual with deep meaning
*many ideas from Scholaticism
^JOHN DONNE (G.Herbert, R.Crashaw)
~Talented preacher in church
-“The Flea”
*this poem is a grotesque, quite shocking, metaphorical
*poet addresses it to his beloved
*he want to make love with her, but they are not married yet so she refuses
*poet suggest that they are already united, because their blood have been mixed in a flea
*lady wants to kill the flea, but poet says if she do it she will kill 3 lives,
*poet says his beloved is cruel- she killed flea
*flea was innocence shouldn't die
-“A Valediction Forbidding Mourning”
*kind of farewell that forbids mourning, poem was written because of real occasion
*Donne had to leave his wife at home and travel to the continent,
*he wants to leave her without tears, emotions because strong emotions are harmful to their love
*in this poem occurs the most famous metaphysical metaphor: the lovers who are separate are compared to the pair of compasses- they never lose contact with each other, they may wander but they will be spiritually connected - his wife is the fixed foot and the poet is the roaming foot- it suggest they are inseparable, the circle is the symbol of perfection, perfect union.
-“Holly Sonnets” -> sonnet 14
*poet will be free of sin if God takes control of him
-“Hymn to God, My God, In my Sickness”
*Donne composed it when he was mortally ill
*he speaks of his death in terms of joining God's choir
*simile-comparisons are used
*the poet is turning his instrument- means he is purifying and getting his soul prepare for death
*more complex conceit->comparison= the poet compared to the map, doctors to geographers, illness to the journey.
*poet knows after death he will discover Other World
*he knows he must die in pain
*death connected with the resurrection- but there is no return from death but it doesn't scare the poet, he is not sad- he hopes he will be rebirth.
*this is a Sermon to his own, sinful soul
b)THE CAVALIER POETS
*group of poets supported King Charles
*secular poets
*main subject of their poems was LOVE
*style was clear
*mostly SONGS-short, rhythmical, musical poems, attractive in sound, elegant in phrasing,
*but intellectually thin, shallow
*ideas from: Classical mythology
^BEN JONSON (R.Herrick, T.Carwer)
-“Queen and Huntress”
*rhythmical poem
*titled Queen= Elizabeth I
*poetic Tribute of the Queen
*references to mythology: Diana/Cynthia-> goodness of moon, woods, animals and chase
*Suggestion: Queen Elizabeth I as Artemis
-“Song to Celia”
*Celia beloved of poet
*cealum= in Latin means heaven Celia connected with cealum
*poet want her love, she is precious to him
*only pure love no physical contact, love of souls
*Jupiter- love is mentioned
*print of her lips in the cup
*he is ready to die just to kiss her
*in the last stanza it is mentioned that Celia is a real women not a spirit.
-“To Penshurst”
* titled P. is a proper name= of a manor that belong to sir Phillip Sidney(Renaissance poet composed sonnets)
*poem shows the closeness with the classical source
*classicism- the place is described in a detailed and orderly way
*a sense of Hierarchy is there- starts with nature/grass from small items to bigger
*nature->animals->humans (servants-> ends with lords)
-“To the Memory of my Beloved Master William Shakespeare”
*elegy- dedicated to S.
*elegant, homage, tribute paid to W.S as the greatest dramatist ever
*Jonson claimed that S. doesn't belong to one age only but his genius is timeless and he belong to all Mankind
~Ben Jonson was also a PLAY WRIGHT
*he composed MASQUES- of Italian origin, but became very popular in the 17th century- in England
#MASQUES-dramatic entertainments, in which the spectacular and musical elements were more important than plot or characterization, masques involved dances and disguises.
-“Blackness” and -“Chlorydia”
*COMEDIES OF HUMOROUS
*satirized human eccentricities
-“Everyman in this Humor” - (Shakespeare took part in this play)
-“Valpone”
~Tragedies written by Jonson dealt with classical history- but unsuccessful -coz of classical limitations
c)JOHN MILTON
*the greatest English poet ever, supported Puritans
*he was apart from this 2 groups of poets, he was independent
*inspired by the Classic Masters and Traditions of the Reformation
*after becoming blind he continued to compose, dictate things to his secretary
-“L'Allegro”(-cheerful) and “Il Penseroso”(pensive) -Idylls
#IDYLL- is of ancient origin, firstly composed by Theocritus a Greek poet who lived in 3rd century b.c.; a short poem describing a picturesque, rustic scene and idealizing life in the country
-“L'Allegro”
*there are some characteristic features of Milton as a poet
*references to Greek and Roman Mythology he associated melancholy with Stygian Cave “styx”- mythological river in Hades
*musicality- sensivity to sounds; Morning described by onomathopeias
*Milton had the eye of the painter- his landscapes are very picturesque, he used the effects of light and shadows
*plot: we see country people at play not at work->they are as in holiday
-“PARADICE LOST”
*an epic poem, long divided into 12 books
*1st 3 books devoted to Satan
*book4 Satan enters Paradice
*book5 and 6 the war in Haven
*book 7and 8 describe Creation
*book9 deeals with the Loss of Paradise-> Adam and Eve expelled from Paradise
*books 10,11,12 presents the history of mankind
*P.Lost belongs to the same group as “Beowulf” -Epic Poems
*it's large in characters/events/ settings/effect
*it has supernatural apparatus
*all components of epic poetry are there: great warriors, war, love, journey, adventures
*the warriors: Satan, God, but also Adam-> he's heroic character, because he picks the burden of his sin and tries to overcome his weaknesses and to find his way back to God
*Milton refers in that book to political situation also
-“AREOPAGETICA”
*prose work in which Milton defended the freedom of the printed word
*it's written in blanc verse, short
*it's addressed to the highest legislative authority in England- Parliament
*it's important work because of it's message
*Puritans practiced of LICENCING BOOK- censorship
*Milton appealed to the Parliament dominated by Puritans to abolish the Censorship
*he gave 3 reasons:
I.censorship was originally introduced by the Catholics
II.it will only provoke anti puritan publications
III.it will stop the progress of the truth
*this was very courageous voice of the Puritans and the censorship
THE 17TH CENTURY (1603-1625)
I.TRAGEDY:
a)METAPHISICAL POETS:
-JOHN DONNE
-“The Flea”
-“A Valediction Forbidding Mourning”
-“Hymn to God, My God, In my Sickness”
b)THE CAVALIER POETS:
-BEN JONSON
II.JOHN MILTON
-“PARADICE LOST”
-“AREOPAGETICA”