Renaissance literature:comparison between the Elizabethan age and other ages

Comparison of victorian era with Elizabethan Era   :-                                                                                                 The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1 (1558-1603) The Elizabethan era was during the pan-European Renaissance, which was before the victorian era.                                                                                             To understand the context, the Elizabethan era was from 1558 to 1603 and the victorian Era was from 1837 to 1901. It is interesting to note that in 1918, the Representation of the people Act was passed in the UK allowing women over the age of 30 who met a property qualification to vote.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                During the Elizabethan era, it was only the very rich who could afford books. All the literature at the time catered to the upper calss since no one else would be buying. When the victorians came about, the growing power of the middle class, along with improved literacy and the printing press, maant there was a market for middleclass readers.                                                                                                                                                                                                   Writers of the victorian age :-
                                   -Robert Browning
                                   - Alfred Tennyson
                                     -Thomas Hardy
                                     -Samuel Butler 
                                     -William Butler yeat etc.     
                                                                                                                                                                                              Such as Dickens, even dealt with workingclass issues like poverty. This is very different from Elizabethan era poetry, which tends to be less down to earth. Shakespeare had ghosts and witches, but you'll never find that in Austen, Gaskell, Dickens, etc.                                                                                                                                                                        English was spoken in both eras.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      But we're more likely to pick up a book that was actually published in the victorian era and understand it. Many Shakespeare book today wiil have modern English and the English of the Elizabethan and, early, stuart Eras.
                                                                                                                                                                                   During the Elizabethan era, prose fiction was nonexistent. Fiction was nonexistent. Fiction meant poetry or drama. It was the victorians,and the introduction of the printing the novel as a medium.
                                                                                                                                                                                   Victorian women were also treated as inferior to men and were deprived of education. They were also expected to focus on bringing up children.  
                 Getting married was considered very important for was considered very important for a  woman during the Elizabethan era.Single women sometimes were looked down upon as witches or at least with suspicion. A women was considered complete with a man.
                                                                                                                                                                                    Elizabethan women typically learned languages which included latin, Italian, Greek and french. Music and dance skills were also taught. Higher level university education was a strict "no-no" regardless of economic status.

                                                             James Henry    
                                          Born:-    15 Aprial  1843
                                     Died:-28 february 1916
                                         Occupation:-   writer
                                                                                                                                                                                             Henry james was an American-British author regarded as skey transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the english language. He was the son of Henry James sr. and the brother of renowned philosopher and psychologist william James and diarist Alice James.
                                              works:-
                                                            - The American
                                                             -The Turn of the screw
                                                             -The portrait of a Lady
                                                               -what Maisie knew
                                                               -The wings of the Dove
        
              
               well, again, that depends who you ask. There are definitely major poets-Alfred Tennyson and Robert Browning are obvious examples and there are definitely minor poets-Enoch soames, for instane but there are big gaps in between.
                                                                                                                                                                                     

Thinking Activity

Question-1.  How far do you agree with plato's objection to freedom of expression and artistic liberty enjoyed by creative writer ? Name the text(novels,plays,movies,T.V soap etc.Which can be rightfully objected and banner with referencr to plato's objection)  

                                                             Plato & Aristotle

     

    


I agree with you pato's objection to freedom  of expression and portrays their expression about literary  world.As moralist plato disapproves of poetry because it is immoral as a philosophy. According to plato philosophy  is better than poetry.Another point is he believed that truth of philosophy was more important than the Pleasure of poetry.According to him all arts are imitative or mimetic in nature.plato's three main objection to poetry and defense:plato was a philosopher and  critic.As being strong moralist he objected poetry.He puts his objection from various Those are: 

        1.Educational point of view 

                        2. Philosophical Point of view

  3.Moral of view 

 "A good Decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers "  

                                                                                                                      -Plato

There are some  T.V.Serils'sonpri'  and the hollywood film'Harry potter' in film plato write in his book 'The Republik' sayd that poets misguide people. The plato's objection is banner with  the example of Tv serial: 
                                          
 Sonpari:
     

Sonpari is an indian children's fantasy adventure television  series which aired from 23 November2000 to1 October 2004 on star plus .The series follows tha story of a littlegirl name Fruity, who summons a fairy name sonpari and her  friend Altu.Fruity anytime come problem she is wait sonpari this magic serials wr can see that plato write in his book 'The Republic'says that poets misguide people and they prrovoke evil ideas in people's mind hence they should be panished from the ideal state.Anytime people wait in magic but not truth.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

    Question-2 with referencr to the literary texts you have studied during B.A programme.Write brief note on the texts which followed Aristotalian litrary tradition (l.e. his concept of tragedy,catharsis,tragic hero with Hamartia)                                                                 
Here i would like to put the tragedy by william shakespeare.It follows all rules of Aristotle 's theory.This are the four great tragedies follow the Aristotlian tradition.

-Hamlet
-othello
-king lear
-Macbeth

According to Aristotle:

"The imitation of an action that is serious,complete of a certain magnitude; in the language embellished with each kind of  artistic ornaments the kinds being found in separate parts of the play ; in  the form of action not of narrative; through pity and fear effection the proper purgation,catharsis of these and similar emotion."
Catharsis means:

"purification,purgation,moderating or tempering of the passion, fulfillment or satisfaction."
Tragi hero with Hamartia means,

"Tragic flaw .The phrase 'tragic flaw' should be treated with suspicion.
Othello

 Othello is a tragedy by William shakespeare Hamartia is extremely important to many classic tragedies. For example,look at shakespeare's  othello. Othello was a powerful leader who deeply loved his faithful wife.He was tricked into believing his wife had cheated on him. His suspicion then overpowered him and he murdered his wife in a jealous rage, never even giving her a chance to defend herself. When he discovers he was deceived, he remains a noble character. He relized everything was his own fault and punished himself  by committing suicide. Now imagine the same story, but remove othello's jealousy.He is unconcerned about a supposed affair and would  certainly not murder his wife over it.Is there even a story anymore ? not a good one. In this case, othellos, hamartia, or internel tragic flaw, is his extreme jealousy.It is this jealousy that enables him to be tricked and allows him to create his own destruction.

Question-3 with the reference to the lierary   texts you have studied during B.A programme.Write a brief note on the texts which did not follow Aristotallian literary tradition (  i.e his concept if tragedy,catharsis, tragic hero with hamartia)
During our B.A programme we had studied three tragedies:


-All my sons
-Tughlaq
-Othello
But three tragedies follow all objection of Aristotalian theory like his concept of tragedy catharsis, tragic hero with hamartia except the objection:

-Unity of  time
-Unity of place
-Unity of action

Shakespeare had not followed the unity of time, place and action. In the play othello, shakespeare not followed the unity of time ,place and action. So, we can say that this is not follow the Aristotelian theory.

Shakespearean Tragedy:

-Shakespeare tragedy has several subplots.
-protagonists often face a tragic death chorus is replaced by comic scenes.
-protagonist does  not always gain self-knowledge.


Question-4  Have you studied any tragdies during B.A. Programme?  who was the tragic protogonist those tragedies ? what was their 'Hamartia' ?
A tragic hero is a type of character in a tragedy, and is usually the protagonist tragic heroes typically have heroic traits that earn them the sympathy of the audience, but also have flaws or make mistakes that ultimately lead to their own downfall.
Hamartia, also referred to as a tragic flaw, is a personal error in a protagonist's  personality which results in their unfortunate downfall.
One could consider  hamlet's indecisiveness and inability to act upon his instincts to be his hamartia . Following Hamlet's interaction with his father's ghost , he begins to contemplate his revenge. However, Hamlet is a sensitive , insightful, perceptive individul, who struggles to act violently. Despite the fact that Hamlet utterly detests claudius and his mother's.

" Cause of traged is  hamartia "

Hamartia  tragic flaw:

-Hamartia is any error in judgment that brings about the protagonist's downfall.
-Trahic flaw refers to a charecteristic which brings about the sudden reversal, " peripity " , of the tragic hero's fortune of the tragic hero's fortune .
-Think about the charecters who are dead at the end of the play. What was each charecter's tragic flaw ?


Question-5 Did the 'plot' of those tragedies follow necessary rules and regulations proposed by Aristotle ?

"All my sons" This would be easier to answer if there was a simple definition of tragedy.There are several pieces to Aristotle's definition and they are interpreted multiple ways by different critics. But, in my opinion, "All my sons" is a tragedy, and can be seen as a classical tragdy.
"Tragedy , than is an imitation an action that is serious ,complete and of a certain magnitude ; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament , the several kinds being found in separte kinds being fourd in separate parts of the play ; in the form of action, not of narrative ; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to such emotions..)
Certainly the play is serious and complete. It absolutely attains a fairly high magnitude. Miller's use of language is very artistic : look at the doctor's speech about chris having to be alone to watch his star go out . In terms of catharsis , several characters can be said to have a catharsis, but most of all, it is joe keller who has the catharsis. He finally comes to understand the true meaning of his actions and is undone by that. I would also say that an audience would also find the play cathartic in that there is much to be learned about setting priorities and making ethical choices, even in the face of family need.

"Othello" plot Aristotle view:

In Aristotle's poetics he analyzes the theory of a tragedy and explains that tha essential criteria of an ideal tragedy consists of the plato song (Aristotle,169) . According to Aristotle tragedies also often focus on a tragic hero who possesses a flaw which ultimately. The highly emotional scenes in othello give the audience a means of catharsis for the audience. Shakespeare's play, "othello, the moor of venice," is a powerful example of a tragedy and it's main charecter, othello, is an excellent illustration of what Aristotle constitutes as a tragic hero.