The
Elizabethan Age - 1550 - 1620
Introduction:
As any great development of the national life is connected with the
development of national literature, the age of Elizabethan can be considered
as,
"The
first creative period of English Literature"
In Milton's world it can be considered as,
"A noble
and puissant nation, rousing herself, like a strong man after sleep, and
shaking her invisible locks"
In the administration of Queen Elizabeth, the nation has progressed by
gigantic leaps rather than slow historical process, and English literature
reached the very highest point of its development. Elizabeth with all her
vanity and inconsistency, steadily loved England and England's greatness and by
this she inspired all her people with the unbounded patriotism.
Literary characteristics:
1. Religious Toleration:
Elizabethan found that
the England is divided is in two parts, North was of Catholics and southern
countries were of Protestants. Elizabethan has favoured both religious parties
and for the first time Catholics and Protestants were acting together as
trusted counsellors of a great self-governing nation. This environment has
united all the Englishmen. For the first time the question of religious
tolerance seems to be settled, and the mind of man, freed from the religious fears
and turned into other forms of activity.
With religion tolerance
and freedom of thinking, Englishmen were ready to have the taste of literature.
Great writers emerge from this freedom and inspiration.
2. Social contentment:
This was a time of satisfaction, because people were getting employments.
The development of towns and in manufacturing, gave employment to those who was
unemployed and discontented. Incensement in trading business brought wealth in
England. Rich people were in support to help poor and were providing them
employment. This new attitude of living life and wealth has also helped in new
literary activities.
3. Enthusiasm:
People were getting rich and were getting employments. They were happy
and this happiness has filled them with the joy of living life. Bacon has said,
"I have
taken all knowledge of my province"
There was a flow of imagination and thinking in a positive manner. Poets
of this age were creating poems which became young forever. Cabot, Drake,
Frobisher, Gilbert, Raleigh, Willoughby and Hawkins expored new earth to men's
eyes. Dreams and deed were going parallel in the age of Elizabethan. People
were dreaming bigger and also working on the dreams. (W. J. Long)
4. The Drama:
The Age of Elizabethan can be considered as the age of Drama. There were
also poets life Edmund Spenser and Shakespeare,
but the plays of Christopher Marlow and Shakespeare were more famous.
There was a dominant position of the drama and play on the mind of people. Neither
poetry, nor the story cna express the whole man but drama can. By the writing
of Shakespeare, drama is still alive after 400 years of his writing. (Long)
Writers of the age:
The Elizabethan age from yeshab68
Works Cited
Long, W. J. "English
Literature." Long, W. J. English Literature. n.d.
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