23. Shakespeare Flashcards
(39-41) (27 cards)
How important was Hamlet for the Renaissance period?
Hamlet was the epitome of the Renaissance tragic hero.
What was important for Shakespeare to focus on?
On characters, their motives and actions. He cuts edges on many moral/philosophical issues of that time.
What kind of characters are in Shakespeare’s works?
Historical figures.
How does Shakespeare’s used language stand out?
He uses a wide range of references, allusions, content and themes. More than any of his contemporaries.
When was the highest point of Elizabeth’s reign?
1588.
What caused England’s supremacy of the seas?
The defeat of Spanish Armada.
What people does Shakespeare examine?
The monarchs of England between 14-15 cen.
What’s Shakespeare’s approach to heroes and kings?
He humanizes them, showing their virtues and faults, bringing them closer to the audience.
What’s Machiavellian character?
That does whatever to gain power (usually through cunningness).
What’s soliloquy?
A monologue to oneself.
How did Shakespeare’s works influence the nation and their view on the king?
That the king could be evil, even though he was considered to be the nearest man to God (in the 1590s). The authorities were worried people might start to wish or even have the right to remove/replace their ruler.
What’s the first tragedy of Shakespeare?
“Titus Andronicus”.
What’s “Titus Andronicus”? What is it about? What’s the used model? What’s the topic and when was it popular?
“Titus Andronicus” - the first blood tragedy of Shakespeare, using the model of Latin writer Seneca, which people were interested in the late of 1580s.
What’s Shakespeare’s attitude towards the values of that time?
He affirms and challenges them.
What’s Shakespeare’s attitude towards imperfection?
That it should be both understood and enjoyed.
What’s Oedipus complex?
The attachment of the child to the parent of opposite sex while being envious jealous towards the parent of the same sex.
What about Shakespeare’s moral attitude?
He has no fixed moral.
Is Shakespeare an observer?
He’s an observer of humanity, and portrays his observations in his works.
What was the period’s interest when the work “The Tempest” came out?
Interest in voyages, colonization.
Was the travel writing popular when “The Tempest” was written?
It was starting to get popular as “The Tempest” marks its beginning.
What was the view on life before and after the Reformation?
The were focused on the idea of eternal life, but after the Reformation they focus on its transience.
Did Shakespeare write anything beside sonnets?
Yes. Longer poems like “Venus and Adonis”.
What form did Shakespeare use?
The Elizabethan form, rather than Petrarchan (which was popular before): ababcdcdefefgg.
What does Shakespeare observe?
Human behaviour, feminine/masculine elements in all humanity and love relationships.
