Renaissance Literature & Sonnets

Literature of the

Renaissance

A Time of Invention, Exploration, & Art

The Renaissance

The Renaissance was a time of “rebirth” or “revival.”

This time period was marked by a surge of creative energy &
the emergence of a worldview more modern than medieval.

The Renaissance began in Italy in the 14th century, and it
rapidly spread throughout Europe.

Fill in the Blank

The Renaissance was a time of

Multiple Choice

Where did the Renaissance begin?

• Berryville, VA

• Russia

• Italy

• England

The Renaissance

In England, the Renaissance was a little slower.

Political instability delayed the advent or arrival of
Renaissance ideas, but they began to take hold in England
after 1485.

In 1485, King Henry VII took the throne, and when Queen
Elizabeth came into power, the Renaissance fully flourished.

Multiple Choice

Why did the Renaissance take longer to arrive in England?

• It was waiting in line for Taylor Swift tickets.

• It was held up in D.C. traffic.

• It was waiting for 1st period English 12 students to arrive, and we know how long that can take.

• Political instability.

Dropdown

What monarch is known for promoting the Renaissance? ​

Select answer

The Renaissance Worldview

During the Middle Ages, Europeans had focused their energy
on religion and the afterlife. The perception was that this
world was primarily preparation for the world to come.

During the Renaissance, people became much more interested
in, and curious about, life on earth.

Emphasis was placed on the individual and on the development
of human potential.

Multiple Choice

What idea did the Renaissance promote?

• The potential of the individual could be great.

• Fate determined a person's life.

• Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce are just meant to be together.

• English 12 students need to arrive to class on time.

The Renaissance
(What is a “renaissance man?”)

The ideal “Renaissance man” was not a bold & dashing knight
or a strong & powerful warrior, but

A WELL-ROUNDED PERSON.

Fill in the Blank

A "Renaissance man" is a person who is

-

.

The Renaissance (A Time of Creativity & Exploration)

Arts & literature became a source of delight & enjoyment
during this time period.

Human impulses were celebrated.

The beauty of nature was emphasized.

Exploration of not only the world, but of human thought was
stressed. (Columbus sailed the sea of blue in 1492.)

There was a new world view that emphasized a new sense of
mastery over the world.

Multiple Choice

What is one thing that was emphasized in the Renaissance?

• The amazing beauty possessed by Mr. Lawrence.

• The amazing beauty of nature.

• The idea that this life was simply preparation for the afterlife.

• The idea that Michael Jordan was greater than LeBron James.

The Renaissance

The Renaissance was a time in which famous historical
figures made their mark on the world. This was the time of
Shakespeare and Galileo.

Inventions and discoveries made possible things that had
previously been unimaginable.

-The compass & advances in astronomy pushed exploration.

-The printing press allowed writing to be produced

without being copied by hand. ****This invention allowed
books to become widely available. (By 1530, more than half
of England’s population could read!!!)

Multiple Select

What is an important invention that came about during the Renaissance?

• the cellular telephone

• the printing press

• the wheel

• the typewriter

The Renaissance & Elizabethan Times

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, theater and
literature reached new heights. Plays became more & more
popular & were entertainment for all classes, not just the
monarchy or aristocracy.

Queen Elizabeth’s successor, King James I, contributed to
the period’s literary legacy by commissioning a new
translation of the Bible.

Multiple Choice

What is something that became more popular during the time of Queen Elizabeth I?

• Mewing (you know, putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth to extend the jawline & supposedly make one look more pleasing)

• Snapchat

• Drama (plays)

• Instagram

Renaissance Literature

People began to celebrate the beauty of the English language
during this time.

Queen Elizabeth’s court became a place where poems were
shared & people tried to “one up” each other as to who could
create the most polished and beautiful piece of writing.

Queen Elizabeth herself actually wrote & recited poems
during this time, and she rewarded courtiers for eloquent
poetic tributes.

Renaissance Literature

Among Queen Elizabeth’s proteges were Sir Philip Sydney & Sir
Walter Raleigh. (notice the name, “sir?”)

Raleigh encouraged Edmund Spenser who wrote the epic The Faerie
Queen in honor of Queen Elizabeth.

Sir Walter Raleigh & his contemporary, Christopher Marlowe wrote a
type of poetry popular with Queen Elizabeth’s court, the pastoral.

A

Fill in the Blank

During her reign, Queen Elizabeth helped to promote the writing of

.

Renaissance Literature

A pastoral is a poem that portrays shepherds and rustic
life, usually in an idealized manner.

The poets didn’t take on the voice of the shepherd in their
poems; they used courtly language rather than common speech.

The pastoral’s form was artificial with meters and rhyme
scheme like formal poetry.

Fill in the Blank

A type of poem that idealized the rustic life of a shepherd was called a

Renaissance Literature & Nature

The Elizabethans viewed nature as intricate, complex, and
beautiful.

The natural world was a subject not for imitation, but for
improvement.

The more the “artificiality” of the result, the more the
poet would be admired.

Multiple Choice

How did the Elizabethans view nature?

• It wasn't important.

• It was something that could be improved upon.

• It was something that Taylor Swift created.

• It was a creation of the
  media.

Renaissance Literature-Elizabethan Poets

Characteristics of the Elizabethan Poets

1. Ingenious metaphors
2. Elaborate allegories
3. Complex analogies

Multiple Select

What is a characteristic of the Elizabethan poets?

• Clever metaphors.

• Elaborate allegories.

• Complex analogies.

• Bad teeth. Dental care hadn't really come into vogue.

Renaissance Literature (the Sonnet)

A sonnet is a 14-line lyric poem with a complicated rhyme
scheme & a defined structure.

The sonnet was perfected by the great Italian poet,
Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374).

Petrarch perfected the Italian sonnet (Petrachan sonnet)

-known for brevity, musical rhymes, & emotion (love)

Multiple Choice

How many lines are in a sonnet?

• 10

• 12

• 14

• 16

Multiple Choice

Who is given credit for inventing the sonnet?

• Thomas Edison, after all, he invented almost everything.

• Alexander Graham Bell

• Shakespeare

• Petrarch

The English Sonnet

Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542)

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517-1547)

These poets modified the Italian sonnet and changed the
rhyme scheme to make it more suitable for English.

This form of poetry became known as the Shakespearean
sonnet, due to his mastery of the form.

The English Sonnet’s Rhyme Scheme

Rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming sounds in a poem.

You calculate rhyme scheme by analyzing which words rhyme or end in the same sound.

Each line of the poem is assigned a letter of the alphabet based on the ending sound.

The 1st line of the poem is assigned the 1st letter of the English alphabet. (Line 1 = A). If
the 2nd line ends in the same “rhyming” sound, it is also assigned the letter, “A.”

If it ends in a different sound, then it is assigned the next letter of the alphabet, “B.”

The 3rd line of the poem is assigned a letter based on whether it “rhymes” with the 1st line (A)
or the 2nd line (B), or if it doesn’t end in the same sound, it is assigned the next letter of
the alphabet (C).

Fill in the Blank

The pattern of sounds that exists in a poem is called

Rhyme Scheme

Structure of the Sonnet

The Petrarchan sonnet has a 2-part structure.

The first 8 lines is called an octave.

The octave is like an introduction. It establishes the speaker’s
situation. The octave usually has the rhyme scheme of abbaabba.

The last 6 lines is called a sestet.

The sestet is like the resolution of a story. This portion
resolves, draws conclusions about, or expresses a reaction to the
speaker’s situation. The sestet usually has the rhyme scheme
cdcdcd or cdecde.

Multiple Choice

The portion of a sonnet that acts as an introduction is called:

• The topic sentence

• the octave

• the sestet

• the couplet

Fill in the Blank

The last 6 lines of a Petrarchan sonnet is called a

Multiple Choice

The first 8 lines of a Petrarchan sonnet is called:

• a sestet

• a couplet

• an octave

• an octagon

Structure of Shakespearean Sonnets

Shakespearean sonnets are 14-lines, but they are structured
differently than a Petrarchan sonnet.

Shakespearean sonnets have 3 quatrains. A quatrain is a
stanza of 4-lines. It is followed by a rhyming couplet
(2-lines).

The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is

abab cdcd efef gg.

Multiple Choice

In Shakespearean sonnets, a stanza of 4 lines is called:

• an octave

• a sestet

• a quatrain

• a couplet

Fill in the Blank

In Shakespearean sonnets, the last 2 lines of the sonnet that rhyme and often act as a punchline is called a

Shakespearean Sonnets

In a Shakespearean sonnet:

The first quatrain introduces a situation.

The 2nd & 3rd quatrains explore the situation.

The 3rd quatrain (or sometimes the rhyming couplet) usually
includes a “turn” or “shift in thought.”

The couplet resolves the situation. Think of it as a “punch
line” that gives meaning to the whole thing.

Characteristics of a sonnet

Length

=

14 lines

Meter

=

iambic pentameter (5 metrical units)

(unstressed syllable followed by stressed)

(__, ______, __, ______, __, ______)

Structure & Rhyme Scheme

=

very strict pattern & rhyme

Subject

= focus on personal feelings & thoughts

Multiple Choice

The metrical pattern of a poem that has 10 syllables per line and follows a pattern of unstressed, stressed, unstressed, stressed, unstressed, stressed, unstressed, stressed syllables is called.

• iambic pentameter

• pentambic iameter

• quatrainable couplet

• octet settable

Sonnet Structure

Octave (8 lines)

Sestet (6 lines)

abbaabba + cdcdcd or cdecde

Situation + resolution

Quatrain (4 lines)

Quatrain (4 lines)

Quatrain (4 lines)

Couplet (2 lines)

abab + cdcd + efef + gg

Situation + exploration +
exploration + resolution (turn)

Petrarchan Shakespearean

Sonnet Structure REcap

Multiple Choice

A 14-line poem that follows a very precise rhyme scheme with an octet, setet, and a couplet is called:

• a sonnet

• not a sonnet