Aristocracy

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 591.

The culture of the Renaissance

Three periods of English Renaissance: 1) the rise under the early Tudors (1500-1558); 2) the height under Elizabeth I (158-1603); 3) the decline under the Stuarts (1603-1649). The Reformation of the Church of England. Painting: Hans Holbein, Jn. Architecture: the revival of classicism – Henry VIII's residences. The establishment of printing: William Caxton. Poetry and drama of the Elizabethan Age: T. Wyatt, Henry Howard (Earl of Surrey), Sidney, E. Spencer, W. Shakespeare. The beginning of Theatre: the first companies and playhouses. English supremacy on the seas: great seaports Plymouth and Portsmouth. Music and arts.

Questions

What provoked the appearance of the Renaissance?

What ideas did the Renaissance introduced?

What was the reason of English Reformation?

Give the examples of the Renaissance architecture.

What was the effect of the introduction of printing in Britain?

What were the chief poetic forms of the Renaissance?

Why is Elizabethan age called the Golden Age of English drama?

What kinds of theatres existed in the Elizabethan time?

Give the evaluation of Shakespeare's contribution into English Culture.

What are Portsmouth and Plymouth famous for?

British society still has a strong class system which is based on birth and social position. The upper class consists mainly of members of the aristocracy. The senior are the Royal family and members of the peerage. The peerage is divided into 5 main ranks: duke or duchess, marquess or marchioness, earl or countess (the oldest title of all), baron or baroness. Next are baronets, who have hereditary titles, but unlike some peers, are not allowed to sit in the House of Lords (he has the title “Sir” and his wife the title “Lady”. Below these there are various orders of knighthood.

Knights are appointed by the king or queen. The oldest and the highest order of knighthood, which is also the oldest order of chivalry in Europe, is the Order of the Garter. There are 25 knights of the Garter, in addition to the king or queen and the Prince of Wales. It was probably started in 1348 by king Edward III. According to tradition, it was named after an occasion when a woman in the presence of the king dropped a garter. The king saved her from embarrassment by picking up the garter and fixing it to his own leg, saying “Shame on anyone who thinks badly of this”. This phrase became the motto of the order. Other senior orders include Order of the Thistle, the Order of the Bath, the Order of the British Empire and the Royal Victorian Order.