1.Social, Political and Religious condition of England from Elizabeth to Oliver Cromwell.

The Elizabethan age has well been called a “young” age. It was full of boundless vigour, re-
awakened intellectual earnestness, and unfettered, soaring imagination. The best fruits of the age
are enshrined in poetry in which all these elements can be befittingly contained. In poetry there
are restrictions of versification which exerted some check on the youthful imagination and vigour
of the Elizabethans. Consequently, Elizabethan poetry is very great. But prose does not admit of
any restrictions, and the result is that Elizabethan prose is as one run amuck. Too much of liberty
has taken away much of its merit.
SOCIAL-• With the social rivalries set aside, there was not much to fight for. This gave way to the
English society’s substantial satisfaction with life. People could now focus upon production rather
than mere survival. • Thus, the rapid increase of manufacturing towns gave employment to
thousands who had before been idle and discontented. Increasing trade brought enormous wealth
to England, and this wealth was shared to this extent, at least, that for the first time some
systematic care for the needy was attempted. • The mental satisfaction gave way to its emphatic
expression. Unlike the medieval ages, the age of Elizabeth was marked by a remarkable flowering
of culture. This was the English Renaissance, when ladies and gentlemen played the lute, sang
madrigals, admired painting, and sought to dress as did their counterparts in Italy. • Elizabethans
(and later on Jacobeans) were exuberant even in their refinement, while being full-blooded in their
learning. • To a later generation they were uncouth, undisciplined, too full of the gusto of life. To
the nineteenth-century romantics, they were brothers in romance, as nineteenth-century scholars
rediscovered the Elizabethan age. • The love of excess is obvious in much Elizabethan writing. It
manifests itself: a) In the endless, allusion-packed, allegorical stanzas of Spenser’s Faerie Queene;
b) In the piling up of quotations from the ancient Greeks and Romans most evident in Bacon’s
Essays; c) In Shakespeare’s fondness for puns and rhetorical devices; and d) In the extraordinarily
bloody tragedies and high-spirited comedies that made Elizabethan drama second only to (if not
on par with) the ancient Greeks.
POLITICAL- • In foreign affairs, Elizabeth practiced a policy of strengthening England’s Protestant
allies and dividing her foes. • Elizabeth was opposed by the pope, who refused to recognize her
legitimacy, and by Spain, a Catholic nation that was at the height of its power. • In 1588, English-
Spanish rivalry led to an abortive Spanish invasion of England in which the Spanish Armada, the
greatest naval force in the world at the time, was destroyed by storms and a determined English
navy. • This victory over a much stronger force gave enough confidence to the English nation that
they never doubted their intrinsic strength again. • The defeat of the Armada saved England from
invasion and the Dutch Republic from extinction, while dealing a heavy blow to the prestige of the
greatest European power of the age. • With increasing English domination at sea, Elizabeth
encouraged voyages of discovery, such as Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the world and Sir
Walter Raleigh’s expeditions to the North American coast. • The long reign of Elizabeth, who
became known as the “Virgin Queen” for her reluctance to endanger her authority through
marriage, coincided with the flowering of the English Renaissance, associated with such renowned
authors as William Shakespeare. • By her death in 1603, England had become a major world
power in every respect, and Queen Elizabeth I passed into history as one of England’s greatest (if
not the greatest) monarchs. • Her reign contrasted significantly with any other English monarch as
shortly after her death, the frightful excesses of the religious war known as the Thirty Years' War
began and engulfed England along other European countries. Being fought primarily in Central
Europe between 1618 and 1648, it was one of the most destructive conflicts in human history. • It
resulted in eight million fatalities not only from military engagements but also from violence,
famine, and plague.
RELIGIOUS- • Upon her accession, Elizabeth found the whole kingdom divided against itself; the
North was largely Catholic, while the southern counties were as strongly Protestant. • The court,
made up of both parties, witnessed the rival intrigues of those who sought to gain the royal
favour. • It was due partly to the intense absorption of men's minds in religious questions that the
preceding century, though an age of advancing learning, produced scarcely any literature worthy
of the name. • People only thought about their religious affiliations and what kind of material and
spiritual benefits those affiliations might bring. Due to this preoccupied mentality, literary
creativity remained deficient. • Elizabeth favoured both religious parties, and presently the world
saw with amazement Catholics and Protestants acting together as trusted counsellors of a great
sovereign. • For the first time since the Reformation began, the fundamental question of religious
toleration seemed to be settled, and the mind of man, freed from religious fears and persecutions,
turned with a great creative impulse to other forms of activity. It is partly from this new freedom
of the mind that the Age of Elizabeth received its great literary stimulus.
2.Impact of Renaissance on Elizabethan Literature. Or, Elizabethan age is the golden age of
English Literature.
The Renaissance is a French word which means re-birth, revival or re-awakening. The Renaissance
was both a revival of ancient classical mythology, literature and culture as well as a re-awakening
of the human mind, after the long sleep of the dark Middle Ages, to the wonder, the glory and the
beauty of the human body and the world of nature. “It was a re-discovery by mankind of himself
and of the world.” In the words of the M.H. Abrahams Renaissance is “the birth of the modern
world out of the ashes of the dark ages.” Renaissance began with the fall of the Constantinople in
1453. Mohamad-II, the sultan of the Ottoman Turks and a crusader defeated the Christians in 1453
and occupied Constantinople. It was the capital of Byzantine Empire and the center of classical
learning. The scholars of ancient learning fled away to Italy and different other countries with their
books and knowledge. They tried to spread their knowledge there. This revival of the classical
knowledge is called Renaissance. Its salient features are– curiosity about more knowledge, desire
for unlimited wealth and power, love of adventures, own country, beauty, humanism and the past.
It was a period of great enlightenment in the life of humanity. It was a revival of the trendy of
beauty, “the beauty of woman, the beauty of nature, the beauty of art and literature.” It began in
Italy as early as the 14th century with the works of Petrarch and others and was greatly inspired by
the fall of Constantinople in 1453, by the invention of printing in Germany about this time. Its
influence reached England as late as the last years of the 15th century and the opening years of
the 16th century. Renaissance is also the supreme Romantic Movement in English literature of
language. It had transformed not only English but also European life.
The Medieval world was curiously limited and narrow. It was limited spiritually, intellectually and
physically. Geographically it’s bound by the frozen seas, to the west by the Atlantic; and to the
South and East by the Mediterranean. However, even as early as the 14th century, this limited
narrow world had begun to decay. It was specially so in Italy. In England the Renaissance
influences were aided and strengthened by the wise policies of Queen Elizabeth. She was herself
cultured and refined; she patronized men of letters and encouraged literary activity. She followed
a wise policy of compromise and religious peace was restored to the country. Similarly, her
political policies resulted both in internal peace and freedom from the fear of external
attack. Literature and art are peace-time activities, and the policies of the glorious queen did much
to promote art and literature.
Thus both influence of the Renaissance and the influence of the Queen combined to make the
age, “the golden age of English Literature.” The revival of ancient Greco-Roman culture had a
profound impact on the ideas of life. The ascetic ideal of the middle Ages was replaced by the new
ideal of the enjoyment of life. This new ideal reflects everywhere in Renaissance literature. The
test for life automatically and naturally found its expression in song. England was transformed into
a true nest of singing birds. Men longed for entertainment and in response to this demand; there
came the drama and the novella. The drama and the short story are the characteristic modes of
expression in the Elizabethan era.
3. Elizabethan Prose.
During the fifteenth century, Latin was the medium of expression, and almost all the important
prose works were written in that language. It was in the sixteenth century, particularly in its later
half, that the English language came to its own. With the arrival of cheap mass printing English
prose became the popular medium for works aiming both at amusement and instruction. The
books which date from this period cover many departments of learning. We have the Chronicles of
such writers as Stowe and Holinshed recapturing the history of England, though mixed with
legends and myths. Writers like Harrison and Stubbs took upon themselves the task of describing
the England not of the past but of their own age. Many writers, most of them anonymous, wrote
accounts of their voyages which had carried them to many hitherto unknown lands in and across
the Western Seas. Then, there are so many “novelists” who translated Italian stories and wrote
stories of their own after the Italian models. There are also quite a few writers who wrote on
religion. And last of all there is a host of pamphleteers who dealt with issues of temporary interest.
Though the prose used by these numerous writers is not exactly similar, yet we come across a
basic characteristic common to the works of all: that is, the nearness of their prose to poetry. “The
age,” says G. H. Mair, “was intoxicated with language. It went mad of a mere delight in words. Its
writers were using a new tongue, for English was enriched beyond all recognition with borrowings
from the ancient authors, and like all artists who become possessed of a new medium, they used it
to excess. The early Elizabethans’ use of the new prose was very like the use some educated
Indians make of English. It was rich, gaudy and overflowing, though, in the main, correct.” A. C.
Ward observes in Illustrated History of English Literature, Vol. I: “Our modern view of prose is
strictly and perhaps-too narrowly practical and utilitarian or functional. Prose, we hold, has ajob to
do and should do it without fuss, nonsense, or aesthetic capers. It should say what it has to say in
the shortest and most time-saving manner, and there finish.” But we find Elizabethan prose far
from this commonly accepted principle. It is colourful, blazing, rhythmic, indirect, prolix, and
convoluted. Rarely does an Elizabethan prose writer call a spade a spade.
The-prose works of the Elizabethan age fall into two categories:
(i)         Fiction
(ii)        Non-Fiction.
4. Elizabethan Poetry
• Elizabethan age was a great age of English literature. During this time the writing of poetry was
the part of education among the educated people. That is why many books of poetry by different
writers appeared during this age. • The proper Elizabethan literary age began in 1579, but before
that year, Sir Thomas Wyatt and Earl of Surrey made their poetic contributions. • Sir Wyatt
brought the sonnet form Italy and made it popular in England. He followed the tradition of the
Petrarchan sonnet with octave and sestet. • There was later changed into English sonnet style by
Shakespeare, who divided the sonnet into three quatrains summed up by a couplet. The Earl of
Surrey wrote the first blank verse in English. The Elizabethan age produced many beautiful lyrics.
One of the finest lyricists was Sir Philip Sidney.
Lyrics of the Elizabethan Age- The Elizabethan age produced many beautiful lyrics. One of the
finest lyricists was Sir Philip Sidney, who was a courtier, statesman, soldier and a poet.The famous
dramatist Marlowe has also written some fine lyrics. Sonnets • Perhaps the best-known innovation
of Elizabethan poetry is the Elizabethan, or English, sonnet. Elizabethan sonnets are written in
iambic pentameter and consist of 14 lines, often divided into three quatrains and a couplet. • The
lines rhyme using a scheme: abab cdcd efef gg. The first eight lines are called the “octet” and the
final six lines are the “sestet.” • Elizabethan sonnets often feature a turn, or “volta,” between the
octet and sestet, where the material introduced in the octet is seen from a different perspective in
the sestet. Elizabethan sonnets also appear in the drama of the time, such as at the beginning of
“Romeo and Juliet.” Blank Verse- Although iambic pentameter had been used in English poetry
since the Middle Ages, the Earl of Surrey used it in a new way in his translation of Virgil’s “Aeneid”:
He left the lines unrhymed. This poetic form, called “blank verse,” has the advantage of freeing
poets from the burden of rephrasing thoughts so that they rhyme and was held by some to be the
purest approximation of natural human speech. In the Elizabethan era proper, blank verse was
Shakespeare’s and Christopher Marlowe’s meter of choice for drama; it gave speech a serious,
elevated tone, while leaving prose to be used for those with lower social rankings and for comedy.
Blank verse persisted in popularity far past the Elizabethan era, used by such notable works as
John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” and William Wordsworth’s “Prelude.”
5.ELIZABETHAN DRAMA
The reign of queen Elizabeth 1(1558-1603) ushered in an era of well being ,new discoveries and
artistic pursuits in England. The theatre (as Elizabethan Drama) as entertainment flourished and be
come very popular.
1.Elizabethan Society:- In the Elizabethan Time, Drama became the national passion with a wide
variety of people from merchants to peasant ,vied for a place in the social order and stability in the
Elizabethan. The new Elizabethan introduced a hero who was not ascertained of his fate and was
full of doubts and passions that catapulted drama as the favourite pass time for many. The use of
expansive metaphors in text and performances were so successful lead to the opening of the first
public theatre known as The Theatre by a carpenter James Burbage. This was the spark that ignited
the passion that led to Christopher Marlowe ,Ben Jonson and William Shakespearean his famous
The Globe (a theatre) This age is also known for experiment station leading to new discoveries
which provided rich content for drama ,poetry and prose.
2.Elizabethan Theatre Facts:-Renaissance period influenced many properties of the theatre like
actors were attached to companies that performed throughout the country.
3.Forms of Drama:- The tragedy with spectacular and violent deaths of the protagonist. Revenge
became the ultimate pursuit in must tragedies with Romance as the main objective. Historical
Plays also ended in catastrophe or in triumph with the nation projected as the hero. Histories
vaporized patriotism, often of Jingoistic nature. Comedy was the third form. The main aim was to
make people laugh but they were not as prominent as the other two genres.
4.Themes of Elizabethan Drama:-
a)Anti–Semitism:- Among the various popular themes was Anti-Semitism as the Elizabethan society
and is reflected in the plays of Christopher Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta and William Shakespeare”
The Merchant of Venice.
b)Revenge Tragedy:- Revenge was another popular theme. Be it a ghost-like in Thomas Kyd’s “The
Spanish Tragedy” or a prince in Shakespeare’s Hamlet The motive of revenge became the main
counter-motive in drama especially tragedies.
c)Supernatural Element: Another theme that was prominent was the supernatural as the society of
the time was highly superstitious with people believing in the supernatural forms. Ghosts became
the prime moving force in many tragedies.
d)Comedy of humours:-use of psychology was extensive and was founded on the theory of
humours inside a human body, namely, blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile Ben Jon’s Every
man is his humour is the best example of comedy of humours.
6.JACOBEAN DRAMA
Jacobean Drama was a dark form drama in English literature. It was a period of James 1 (1603-
1625), was also known as Jacobean Theatre. Although Shakespeare was still writing major works
until around 1611, the leading dramatist of this Jacobean period was Ben Jonson. Another noted
Jacobean playwright included John Marston, Thomas Middleton, Thomas Heywood, John Ford,
Thomas Dekker, Cyril Tourneur and Samuel Rowley. In comedy, the Elizabethan concern with
characterization and romantic love began to give way to avague for harsh satire and increased
realism from about 1610. Jacobean tragedy shows a similar obsession with the idea of moral
corruption; examples include Webster’s The White Devil (1612) and The Duchess of Malfi1619 ,as
well as Beaumont and fletcher’s The Maid’s Tragedy 1610. The plays which are horrifically violent,
display a generally cynical and pessimistic outlook on life. From 1605 Jonson collaborated with In
go jones to create the extra vagant and scholarly court masques beloved by James 1 and his
queen. Jacobean drama was period of a very short time in English literature which was not very
popular and also not received enough appreciation as Elizabethan dramas had gained. That’s why
the existence of Jacobean drama was vanished very quickly from the context of English literature.
The Elizabethan age was the golden age of English drama. But with the turn of the century. The
drama in English also took a turn. It does not mean that there were no dramatists left. There were
certainly a large number of them, but none of them could come near Shakespeare. In the
Elizabethan period ,drama was patronised by the feudal lords ,but from the time of the assession
of James 1, dramatists totally depend on the king ,the queen and the royal domination. The
dramatists wholly depend on the royal favour. In this way, the theatre was cut off from common
life and no longer remained a national institution as it was in the time of Shakespeare. The
dramatists of Jacobean period cared less for men in the street and women in the kitchen. They
delighted the court and king. After Shakespeare, there was no other dramatist who could fill his
space which naturally marked the decline of the Jacobean drama. The art of characterization was
poor in the drama of Jacobean playwrights. The dramatist repeated such characters as the cheats,
bullies, gambler sin stead of Shakespeare’s immortal characters like heroes, heroines, villains and
clowns. Jacobean dramatist also lacked in dramatic technique in his drama. The dramatist could
not maintain Marlow’s‘ mighty line’ that is known as blank verse. In the art of plot-construction,
with the exception of Ben Jonson’s Volpone and The Alchemistand The White Devil of Webster, we
find the sign of decline. Too often plot-constructions how scare less in details and want of
coherence. There are effective episodes but not structural growth. The Shakespearian always laid
emphasis on the balance between romance and realism which has been poorly replaced either by
narrow social activities or by romantic excess.
7.Rise of Puritanism and its impact on English literature.
Puritanism was a radical Protestant religious movement that originated in England in the late
sixteenth century with the goal of religious reform and to rid the English Church of the remains of
Catholicism. The spread of its ideas and the rise of its influence led to the outbreak of civil war in
England, and it took control of the reins of government for almost ten years (1649-1660).
This movement was characterized by strict religious intolerance and established ethical rules of
conduct, especially after taking control of England led by General Oliver Cromwell, where the
theatres and entertaining places were blocked, and the dark colour painted the country. The
conflict appeared republican-royal or Protestant-Catholic at first, but soon turned into a conflict
between the people supporting the monarchy and the new authority that supported the extremist
religious thought which was represented by people who rebelled against the authority of the
clergymen or the Anglican Church.
This paper seeks to know the causes of religious extremism in England during the emergence,
origin, and spread of the Puritan movement and its impact on the cultural circles at the time where
its ideas were supported by a number of English poets.

8. Great rebellion, English Revolution or War

The Civil War was, and remains today, one of the most controversial episodes in the history of this
country. Historians continue to argue about its causes and significance. Its historiography (the way
its historical interpretation has changed over the years) is still vibrant and fascinating.
In the 19th century, the 'Whig view' was that this huge upheaval should be seen as constitutional
fight between two sides: an absolutist, reactionary, King and a reforming, democratic Parliament -
paving the way ultimately for the liberal democracy, Parliamentary sovereignty and a
constitutional monarchy such as the 19th century believed had been established.
Cromwell was seen as the great liberator of the English people; a hero of democracy.
This is history seen as an inevitable progress towards a glorious future: a pattern imposed on the
past with little thought of anachronism or the subtleties of events and personalities.
In the 1940s, another school of thought - espoused by Marxist historians - interpreted the events
of the ‘English Revolution' as a class war, with the merchant and commercial classes supporting
Parliamentary ‘liberty' and giving rise to a new Parliamentary class linked to protestant economic
expansion.
By the 1970s a new ‘Revisionist' school of thought had emerged which rejected both these views
and saw more complex issues behind the Civil War. These issues included consideration of local
interests and loyalties, the role of Charles I's character and kingship, and the importance of
widening the English Civil War to take in a ‘British' Civil war (or wars) including England, Scotland
and Ireland.
Some of the most recent work on the Civil War has looked at the complexity of religious belief
behind who fought whom between 1629 and 1660. Many historians now believe that it is religion
and not political or social aims which were the driving force behind events in the 17th century.
There is now a strong case for believing that the Civil War should be treated as English, or British,
Wars of Religion, which fits it neatly into a wider context of brutal European wars of religion
occurring at much the same time.
9.POETRY IN THE AGE OF MILTON
The Age of Milton. The principal feature of the age of Milton is the growth of Puritanism as a
moral and social force. The descendants of Wyclif and Lollards advocated very strict views
concerning life and conduct and were called Puritans. During the reign of James I, Puritanism
emerged as a great national power. After the civil war, it triumphed with the triumph of Oliver
Cromwell. The Influence of Puritanism upon the English life and thought was profound. The moral
and religious influences of Puritanism are combined with the spirit of Renaissance.
Milton's Poetry: In "Paradise Lost", Milton produced the greatest English poem. In this
masterpiece, he revealed his intellectual energy and creative power. The inspiration and the
subject matter of the poem come from Milton's Puritanism insists on Eternal Providence and
justify the ways of God to men. In "Paradise Lost", Milton setforth the revolt of Satan against God,
the war in heaven, the fall of the rebel angels, the creation of the world and man, the temptation
of Eve and Adam, and their expulsion from Eden. He introduces the divine work of redemption.
The dramatic poem, "Samson Agonistes" crown the labours of his closing years. In "Paradise Lost'",
Milton applies the principles of Greek tragedy.
Characteristics of Milton's Poetry: After Shakespeare, Milton is the greatest English poet. In him,
we have a wonderful union of intellectual power and creative power. He is the most sublime of
English poets. In grand style, majesty of thought and diction, he is unrivalled. His descriptive power
is excellent. In the opening books of 'Paradise Lost", the debate in the council of the fallen angels
shows Milton's extraordinary insight into motive and character. There is an intensity of
individuality throughout the poem. In the technical side of his poetry, his great beauty of style and
versification are noteworthy. Milton remains our greatest master.

UNIT-2 PARADISE LOST

“Paradise Lost” is an epic poem written by the English poet ‘John Milton’ and first published in
1667. The book ‘Paradise Lost’ is considered by many scholars to be Milton’s best work and
solidifies his place as one of the greatest English poet at all time. Poets such as William Blake,
William Wordsworth, and Thomas Hardy was much influenced by John Milton.
The story begins with Satan and his devils in Hell after they have been defeated by God’s army.
They discuss how they will continues their revolt against God. Beelzebub a devil of hell suggested
them corrupt God’s new creation. Earth and Satan agrees. As he leaves Hell he meets his children.
Sin and death who follow him and build a bridge from hell to earth. Satan comes to the garden of
Eden and its beauty causes his envy. He resolves that he will destroy the beautiful creation of God.
In the garden of Eden Satan sees Adam and Eve, the first human and ever hears them from eating
the fruit of the tree of knowledge. That night, while Adam and eve sleep then Satan comes and
whispering in Eve’s ear. The Archangel Gabriel finds Satan and confronts him. Satan considers
fighting but then sudden he floes. Eve wakes up from a dream about disobedience. God sends the
angel Raphael to warn Adam and Eve about Satan.
Raphael eats with Adam and Eve and then describes Satan’s was in Heaven. Raphael warns Adam
about Satan’s attempts to corrupt him. Raphael also tells the story of creation. The sun creates
light, then the stars and planets and then the plants, animal and humans. Adam asks Raphael more
about the cosmos but Raphael warns him about seeking too much knowledge. Adams tells Raphael
his first memories and admits his physical attraction to Eve and then Raphael returns to Heaven.
After seven days, Satan return to Eden and posses a serpent Meanwhile Eve suggests that she and
Adam work separately. Adam resists this idea but relents. Satan finds Eve and flatters her. She asks
how he learned to speak and Satan say’s he ate the fruit of the ‘Tree of Knowledge’. He suggests
the Eve should eat the fruit to prove her courage and to become a goddess and Eve hesitates but
then eats. She offers some to Adam. Who realizes Eve has fallen, but he eats the fruit so they
won’t be separated. The two experience lust for the first time and have sex.
God sends the Son to punish the Couple. The son punishes the serpent to slither on the ground,
Eve to have pain in childoirt and submit to her husband and Adam to labour for his food.
Meanwhile Satan return to hell and sends Sin and death to effect earth. Satan and the devils are
punished by being turned into serpents.
After the fall, the angels rearrange the earth to make it less hospitable and the animals became
carnivorous and unfriendly. Adam and Eve blame each other and fight and then Eve accepts the
blame and considers suicide. Adam suggests they have revenge on Satan by being obedient to God
and they both weep and repent.
God sends Michael to expel the couple from Paradise. Before doing so, Michael takes Adam to a
hill and shows him a vision of future, including his children’s crimes and the flood. When God kills
all human accept Noah’s family and ending with the birth of Jesus who will be the saviour of Man
adam is comforted and then he and Eve tearfully leave the Eden.
At the start of Book II, Satan sits on his throne like a Middle Eastern potentate and addresses the
assembled devils as to the course of action they should follow. Four of the devils speak with
Beelzebub being Satan's mouthpiece. Each speaker offers a different attitude concerning a solution
for their Hellish predicament: Moloch proposes open warfare on Heaven; Belial proposes that they
do nothing; Mammon argues that Hell may not be so bad, that it can be livable, even comfortable,
if all the devils will work to improve it; and Beelzebub, Satan's mouthpiece, argues that the only
way to secure revenge on Heaven is to corrupt God's newest creation: Man.
Beelzebub's (Satan's) plan carries the day, and Satan begins his journey up from Hell. At Hell's
Gate, he is confronted by his daughter, Sin, a being whose upper torso is that of a beautiful woman
but whose lower body is serpent-like. All around her waist are hellish, barking dogs. Across from
Sin is her phantom-like son, Death. Satan persuades Sin to open the gates, which she does, but she
cannot close them again. Satan ventures forth into the realm of Chaos and Night, the companions
that inhabit the void that separates Hell from Heaven. From Chaos, Satan learns that Earth is
suspended from Heaven by a golden chain, and he immediately begins to make his way there. As
Satan creates the path from Hell to Earth, Sin and Death follow him, constructing a broad highway.
1.DR.FAUSTUS
Doctor Faustus, a well-respected German scholar, grows dissatisfied with the limits of traditional
forms of knowledge—logic, medicine, law, and religion—and decides that he wants to learn to
practice magic. His friends Valdes and Cornelius instruct him in the black arts, and he begins his
new career as a magician by summoning up Mephastophilis, a devil. Despite Mephastophilis’s
warnings about the horrors of hell, Faustus tells the devil to return to his master, Lucifer, with an
offer of Faustus’s soul in exchange for twenty-four years of service from Mephastophilis.
Meanwhile, Wagner, Faustus’s servant, has picked up some magical ability and uses it to press a
clown named Robin into his service.
Mephastophilis returns to Faustus with word that Lucifer has accepted Faustus’s offer. Faustus
experiences some misgivings and wonders if he should repent and save his soul; in the end,
though, he agrees to the deal, signing it with his blood. As soon as he does so, the words “Homo
fuge,” Latin for “O man, fly,” appear branded on his arm. Faustus again has second thoughts, but
Mephastophilis bestows rich gifts on him and gives him a book of spells to learn. Later,
Mephastophilis answers all of his questions about the nature of the world, refusing to answer only
when Faustus asks him who made the universe. This refusal prompts yet another bout of
misgivings in Faustus, but Mephastophilis and Lucifer bring in personifications of the Seven Deadly
Sins to prance about in front of Faustus, and he is impressed enough to quiet his doubts.
Armed with his new powers and attended by Mephastophilis, Faustus begins to travel. He goes to
the pope’s court in Rome, makes himself invisible, and plays a series of tricks. He disrupts the
pope’s banquet by stealing food and boxing the pope’s ears. Following this incident, he travels
through the courts of Europe, with his fame spreading as he goes. Eventually, he is invited to the
court of the German emperor, Charles V (the enemy of the pope), who asks Faustus to allow him
to see Alexander the Great, the famed fourth-century BCE Macedonian king and conqueror.
Faustus conjures up an image of Alexander, and Charles is suitably impressed. A knight scoffs at
Faustus’s powers, and Faustus chastises him by making antlers sprout from his head. Furious, the
knight vows revenge.
Meanwhile, Robin, Wagner’s clown, has picked up some magic on his own, and with his fellow
stablehand, Rafe, he undergoes a number of comic misadventures. At one point, he manages to
summon Mephastophilis, who threatens to turn Robin and Rafe into animals (or perhaps even
does transform them; the text isn’t clear) to punish them for their foolishness.
Faustus then goes on with his travels, playing a trick on a horse-courser along the way. Faustus
sells him a horse that turns into a heap of straw when ridden into a river. Eventually, Faustus is
invited to the court of the Duke of Vanholt, where he performs various feats. The horse-courser
shows up there, along with Robin, a man named Dick (Rafe in the A text), and various others who
have fallen victim to Faustus’s trickery. But Faustus casts spells on them and sends them on their
way, to the amusement of the duke and duchess.
As the twenty-four years of his deal with Lucifer come to a close, Faustus begins to dread his
impending death. He has Mephastophilis call up Helen of Troy, the famous beauty from the
ancient world, and uses her presence to impress a group of scholars. An old man urges Faustus to
repent, but Faustus drives him away. Faustus summons Helen again and exclaims rapturously
about her beauty. But time is growing short. Faustus tells the scholars about his pact, and they are
horror-stricken and resolve to pray for him. On the final night before the expiration of the twenty-
four years, Faustus is overcome by fear and remorse. He begs for mercy, but it is too late. At
midnight, a host of devils appears and carries his soul off to hell. In the morning, the scholars find
Faustus’s limbs and decide to hold a funeral for him.
2.THE SHOEMAKER’S HOLIDAY
The shoemaker’s holiday is a comedy by Thomas Dekker written during the reign of Elizabeth I in
England. He was on English Elizabeth dramatist, a realistic and prolific writer. Whose carrier
spanned several decade and brought him into contact with many of the periods most famous
dramatists. Dekker was a contemporary of Shakespeare and his play filled with love,
miscommunication, disguise and war. He is particularly known for “his lively depiction in
Shakespeare plays- Henry IV part 1, Henry IV part 2 and Henry V.
Present play “The shoemaker’s Holiday” was first performed in 1599. Play takes place during the
reign of Henry VI . When England is beading into war with France. Story start with ‘Rose
Oatley’ ,daughter of Sir ‘Roger Oatley’ the lord mayor of London and Roland Lacy, nephew of Sir
Hugh Lacy , the earl of Lincoln are deeply in love. However, acutely aware of class differences
between the two young people. Sir Hugh Vows to stop the wedding. To avoid any courtship. The
Hugh Lacy has nephew given a command to join the army at king Henry VI, who is preparing to
invade France.
But Roland has other ideas. He turns his command over to his cousin takes the disguise of as a
Dutch Shoemaker. Hans Meulter , and signs an as an apprentice with ‘Simon Eyre’ a London
Shoemaker. Who makes shoe for the king and other notable families. Meanwhile, Rose confined to
her father’s house in a London Suburb is pining for her love. At the same ,Simon is trying to
convince officials to allow Ralph, his journey man who has also been drafted into the war to stay
home with his new bride Jane. Ralph resigned to going, gives Jane a farewell gift of a pair of shoes
he had made for her. Some time later. Ralph has to go war and his wife Jane awaits his return
Hamman a wealthy London citizen confess his love to Jane , but she refuses to marry unless he
proves that her husband in dead. Then Jane declaring that she intends to remain single, but if she
ever remarried, she will accept his proposal.
However, Sir Hugh has learned from a servant that his nephew Roland is not in France with the
army, and he sends the servant to discover his whereabout. Meanwhile, Ralph wounded but not
dead , return to London. Seeking his wife, he tears that she left the Eyre household soon after he
forced off a war. He at first attempts to find her but eventually assumes she is either dead or has
left him.
Rose , learning to Roland’s presence in the city arranges to see him an the pretext of having him fit
her far a pair of shoes. They finally meet each other again . Although Roland disguises as Dutch
Shoemaker, and they plan their wedding the next day at St. Faith’s Church. Upon hearing this Sir
Hugh thinking that his nephew will never be able to marry this middle class girl. However, Sir roger
is furious this time , thinking his daughter is now marrying beneath her class and now it is he who
vows to stop the wedding. Stepping up the confusion and the comedy , Sir Hugh later realizes the
Dutch Cobbler is his nephew and also vows to stop the wedding, hurrying out to St. Faith’s Church.
At the Shoe back in town a servant brings that a similar pair be made for another upcoming
wedding this one also in St. Faith’s church and also the next day. The assigned for the wedding
Shoe falls on Ralph who recognizes the shoes as those he gave Jane when he left for the wars. He
also quickly heads for the church, making his own vow to stop this wedding.
Ralph and his fellow shoemakers confront Hammon and Jane who had recently accepted her
husband death and decided to remarry Hamman resents the intrusion of the base craft men, but
Jane is confused and excited by the sudden realization that her husband is not dead.
Hammon offers Ralph twenty pounds to relinquish his wife, but Ralph refuses and takes Jane home
next. Sir Hugh and Sir Roger arrive having to stop the wedding of Rose and Roland. However, the
young couple has outfoxed everybody and been married at another church.
In a grand and hilarious finale. Simon Eyre, now the Lord Mayer of London gives a breakfast for all
London apprentices, and the king pardons Roland and Olessos him and Rose saying that “Dost
thou not know that love respects no blood cares not for difference of birth or state?”
So now we can say that, the drama gives a picture of the contemporary London Life and manners.
Simon Eyre, the shoemaker is the most entertaining character in the drama.

Puritanism was a radical Protestant religious movement that originated in

England in the late sixteenth century with the goal of religious reform and to rid the
English Church of the remains of Catholicism. The spread of its ideas and the rise of
its influence led to the outbreak of civil war in England, and it took control of the
reins of government for almost ten years (1649-1660).
This movement was characterized by strict religious intolerance and
established ethical rules of conduct, especially after taking control of England led by
General Oliver Cromwell, where the theaters and entertaining places were blocked,
and the dark colour painted the country. The conflict appeared republican-royal or
Protestant-Catholic at first, but soon turned into a conflict between the people
supporting the monarchy and the new authority that supported the extremist religious
thought which was represented by people who rebelled against the authority of the
clergymen or the Anglican Church
This paper seeks to know the causes of religious extremism in England during
the emergence, origin, and spread of the Puritan movement and its impact on the
cultural circles at the time where its ideas were supported by a number of English
poets such as: John Milton, Thomas Gray and Philip Sydney, and opposed by others,
namely, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Johnson.
Puritanism was a radical Protestant religious movement that originated in
England in the late sixteenth century with the goal of religious reform and to rid the
English Church of the remains of Catholicism. The spread of its ideas and the rise of
its influence led to the outbreak of civil war in England, and it took control of the
reins of government for almost ten years (1649-1660).
This movement was characterized by strict religious intolerance and
established ethical rules of conduct, especially after taking control of England led by
General Oliver Cromwell, where the theaters and entertaining places were blocked,
and the dark colour painted the country. The conflict appeared republican-royal or
Protestant-Catholic at first, but soon turned into a conflict between the people
supporting the monarchy and the new authority that supported the extremist religious
thought which was represented by people who rebelled against the authority of the
clergymen or the Anglican Church
This paper seeks to know the causes of religious extremism in England during
the emergence, origin, and spread of the Puritan movement and its impact on the
cultural circles at the time where its ideas were supported by a number of English
poets such as: John Milton, Thomas Gray and Philip Sydney, and opposed by others,
namely, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Johnson.
Puritanism was a radical Protestant religious movement that originated in
England in the late sixteenth century with the goal of religious reform and to rid the
English Church of the remains of Catholicism. The spread of its ideas and the rise of
its influence led to the outbreak of civil war in England, and it took control of the
reins of government for almost ten years (1649-1660).
This movement was characterized by strict religious intolerance and
established ethical rules of conduct, especially after taking control of England led by
General Oliver Cromwell, where the theaters and entertaining places were blocked,
and the dark colour painted the country. The conflict appeared republican-royal or
Protestant-Catholic at first, but soon turned into a conflict between the people
supporting the monarchy and the new authority that supported the extremist religious
thought which was represented by people who rebelled against the authority of the
clergymen or the Anglican Church
This paper seeks to know the causes of religious extremism in England during
the emergence, origin, and spread of the Puritan movement and its impact on the
cultural circles at the time where its ideas were supported by a number of English
poets such as: John Milton, Thomas Gray and Philip Sydney, and opposed by others,
namely, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Johnson.
Puritanism was a radical Protestant religious movement that originated in
England in the late sixteenth century with the goal of religious reform and to rid the
English Church of the remains of Catholicism. The spread of its ideas and the rise of
its influence led to the outbreak of civil war in England, and it took control of the
reins of government for almost ten years (1649-1660).
This movement was characterized by strict religious intolerance and
established ethical rules of conduct, especially after taking control of England led by
General Oliver Cromwell, where the theaters and entertaining places were blocked,
and the dark colour painted the country. The conflict appeared republican-royal or
Protestant-Catholic at first, but soon turned into a conflict between the people
supporting the monarchy and the new authority that supported the extremist religious
thought which was represented by people who rebelled against the authority of the
clergymen or the Anglican Church
This paper seeks to know the causes of religious extremism in England during
the emergence, origin, and spread of the Puritan movement and its impact on the
cultural circles at the time where its ideas were supported by a number of English
poets such as: John Milton, Thomas Gray and Philip Sydney, and opposed by others,
namely, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Johnson.
Puritanism was a radical Protestant religious movement that originated in
England in the late sixteenth century with the goal of religious reform and to rid the
English Church of the remains of Catholicism. The spread of its ideas and the rise of
its influence led to the outbreak of civil war in England, and it took control of the
reins of government for almost ten years (1649-1660).
This movement was characterized by strict religious intolerance and
established ethical rules of conduct, especially after taking control of England led by
General Oliver Cromwell, where the theaters and entertaining places were blocked,
and the dark colour painted the country. The conflict appeared republican-royal or
Protestant-Catholic at first, but soon turned into a conflict between the people
supporting the monarchy and the new authority that supported the extremist religious
thought which was represented by people who rebelled against the authority of the
clergymen or the Anglican Church
This paper seeks to know the causes of religious extremism in England during
the emergence, origin, and spread of the Puritan movement and its impact on the
cultural circles at the time where its ideas were supported by a number of English
poets such as: John Milton, Thomas Gray and Philip Sydney, and opposed by others,
namely, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Johnson.
Puritanism was a radical Protestant religious movement that originated in
England in the late sixteenth century with the goal of religious reform and to rid the
English Church of the remains of Catholicism. The spread of its ideas and the rise of
its influence led to the outbreak of civil war in England, and it took control of the
reins of government for almost ten years (1649-1660).
This movement was characterized by strict religious intolerance and
established ethical rules of conduct, especially after taking control of England led by
General Oliver Cromwell, where the theaters and entertaining places were blocked,
and the dark colour painted the country. The conflict appeared republican-royal or
Protestant-Catholic at first, but soon turned into a conflict between the people
supporting the monarchy and the new authority that supported the extremist religious
thought which was represented by people who rebelled against the authority of the
clergymen or the Anglican Church
This paper seeks to know the causes of religious extremism in England during
the emergence, origin, and spread of the Puritan movement and its impact on the
cultural circles at the time where its ideas were supported by a number of English
poets such as: John Milton, Thomas Gray and Philip Sydney, and opposed by others,
namely, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Johnson.
Puritanism was a radical Protestant religious movement that originated in
England in the late sixteenth century with the goal of religious reform and to rid the
English Church of the remains of Catholicism. The spread of its ideas and the rise of
its influence led to the outbreak of civil war in England, and it took control of the
reins of government for almost ten years (1649-1660).
This movement was characterized by strict religious intolerance and
established ethical rules of conduct, especially after taking control of England led by
General Oliver Cromwell, where the theaters and entertaining places were blocked,
and the dark colour painted the country. The conflict appeared republican-royal or
Protestant-Catholic at first, but soon turned into a conflict between the people
supporting the monarchy and the new authority that supported the extremist religious
thought which was represented by people who rebelled against the authority of the
clergymen or the Anglican Church
This paper seeks to know the causes of religious extremism in England during
the emergence, origin, and spread of the Puritan movement and its impact on the
cultural circles at the time where its ideas were supported by a number of English
poets such as: John Milton, Thomas Gray and Philip Sydney, and opposed by others,
namely, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Johnso