The Renaissance in English Literature

During the 15th century an intellectual movement called the Renaissance swept Western Europe. The word means "rebirth" and refers especially to the revival of ancient Greek learning. For centuries scholars in Italy, Spain, and elsewhere had been translating the ancient works into Latin. Printing from movable type, invented about 1450, provided the means for circulating the books widely. This spread of ancient learning kindled a new spirit of inquiry and hastened the overthrow of feudal institutions.
Some modern scholars have questioned whether a total rebirth of learning actually took place. There had been, for example, Latin scholars in the earlier medieval period. It is certain, however, that something did happen in the course of the 15th century which changed the history of Western civilization and the set of men's minds.
For England, the year 1485 is a convenient date for marking this change from medievalism. In that year two significant events took place: the Wars of the Roses ended on Bosworth Field and William Caxton printed Malory's 'Le Morte d'Arthur'.
The printing of 'Le Morte d'Arthur' was a radical departure from the past. Before Caxton established his first press in England, Johann Gutenberg and his partners had printed the Bible, in about 1455, in Germany; and printers were at work in several other European countries before the end of the 15th century. Caxton, however, turned to his native language rather than to Latin for his text. His first printed book was 'The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye' (1475), which he translated.
Before the end of the century he printed several more books in English, including Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' (1478). The number of presses quickly increased in England, and with them, of course, the number of printed books.
In England the Renaissance coincided roughly with the reigns of the Tudor rulers Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Under Elizabeth's brilliant rule England became a world power.

English Renaissance Poets

The three great poetic geniuses of Elizabethan times were Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, and William Shakespeare. All were typical Renaissance men, trained in the classics, fond of fine living, full of restless energy and a zest for ideas.
Writing was a social fashion of this time, a pastime enjoyed by the nobles as well as by men of lower stations. Henry Howard, earl of Surrey (1518?-47), and Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-42) are two striking instances of a talent for poetry existing in men of affairs. Though active in England's service, in their short lives the two became familiar with French and Italian verse forms. They adapted the Italian sonnet for English use, and Surrey introduced blank verse in his translation of the 'Aeneid'.
A third nobleman with a talent for writing was Sir Philip Sidney (1554-86). He wrote a beautiful sonnet series, 'Astrophel and Stella' (1591), and produced a tremendously long and somewhat tedious novel called 'Arcadia' (1590). These men wrote only for amusement, but they also gave money and encouragement to poor, struggling writers.

Spenser and Marlowe

Edmund Spenser (1552?-99), also active in public service, was much more the professional man of letters than Wyatt or Sidney. His 'Shepheardes Calender' (1579) is made up of 12 poems, one for each month of the year. These poems were more charming than any England had seen for 200 years. Spenser wrote many other poems, including a sonnet series called 'Amoretti' (1595).
'The Faerie Queene' (1589-96), Spenser's masterpiece, was left unfinished; but the 6 books written, out of 12 planned, are of great length. 'The Faerie Queene' is an elaborate allegory built on the story of a 12-day feast honoring the Queen of Fairyland (Elizabeth I). Spenser worked out a poetic stanza well adapted to telling a story, a special form which is now known as the Spenserian stanza.
Christopher Marlowe (1564-93) promised more greatness than he achieved. He died at 29, stabbed in a tavern brawl. A line from his own 'Doctor Faustus' is his best epitaph: "Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight." His plays, such as 'Tamburlaine' (1587?) and 'Doctor Faustus' (1588?), bring passion and tragedy onto the stage in lines of great force.