The contribution of Marlowe on English Literature英語畢業(yè)論文

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1、Abstract Marlowe was regard as the most gifted of the “University Wits”, who was first used the “blank verse” in the drama. And his masterpiece is “The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus”. His works are all reflect his ambitious and voice of himself. His achievements is that he produced the blank v

2、erse and creates the Renaissance hero for English drama and his works are highly praised the Renaissance spirit. Key words: Marlowe, Renaissance, significance, achievement 摘要 馬婁被認為是最出名的“大學才子”，他是第一個使用無韻體。他的經典之作是《浮士德博士》。他所有的作品都反映了他的抱負和他自己本身。他貢獻在于他創(chuàng)造了無韻體，并應用于創(chuàng)造文藝復興期的英雄主義，

3、并且高度贊揚文藝復興精神。 關鍵字：馬婁，文藝復興，重要性，貢獻 Contents Abstract……………………………………………..…………………i 摘要……………………………………………….……………………ii I. Introduction……………………………………….…………...……1 II. Brief introduction on Marlowe’s life and his works……………...2 2.1 Marlowe’s Life …………………………………………………….2 2.2 Marl

4、owe’s Works ……………………………………………….…3 III. Social Significance of Marlowe’s Plays and His Literary Achievement ………………………………………………..…………7 3.1 Social Significance of Marlowe’s Play……………..…………….7 3.2 His Literary Achievement ………………………………….…...10 3.2.1 Marlowe’s greatest achievement lies in that he pref

5、aced the blank verse and made it the principal medium of English drama………………………………………………………………..10 3.2.2 His second achievement is his creation of the Renaissance hero for English drama………………………………………………..…11 3.2.3The themes of his works are the praise of the Renaissance spirit. ………………………………………………

6、………………...12 IV. Conclusion……………………………………………………….15 References …………………………………………………….…….16 Acknowledgements…………………...………….………………….17 I. Introduction After the end the Hundred Year’s War with France (137-1453), England was again blown into The Wars of the Roses (1455-1485). After that Henry

7、VII founded the Tudor dynasty, which met the needs of the rising bourgeoisie and so won its support. At the same time, the international regime of the Roman Catholic Church had long been burdensome to the King of England in establishing and absolute monarchy. And Henry VIII supported to break with

8、Rome and confiscated the property of the Church to enriching the new bourgeois nobility. So the England was convulsed with the reformation and the Counter-Reformation for half a century until the Queen Elizabeth. Before the Reformation, the Latin Bible was universally used by the Catholic churches.

9、 The English translation of the Bible emerged as a result of the struggle between Protestantism and Catholicism. The first complete English Bible was translated by John Wycliffe and his follower William Tyndal worked on another English version. He translated the New Testament and portions of the Old

10、 Testament. The appeared the Authorized Version, which was made in 1611 under the auspices of James I and so was sometimes called the King James Bible. All earlier English versions were submitted to these new translators. These Bibles are monuments of English language and English literature. Durin

11、g the Middle Ages, England was a rural country with a lot of wool for export. And the increase in the export of cloth stimulated the greed of the moneyed classes to seize more and more land out of the hands of the peasants in order to turn the arable land into pasture. So the Enclosure Movement was

12、carried on heartlessly in England. In the commercial expansion, Spain was the rival with England over the sea. The struggle between England and Spain occupied the last third of the 16th century. At last a war broke out in 1588 with the triumph of England. Form then on, England became the giant of

13、 the sea. II. Brief introduction on Marlowe’s life and his works. 2.1 Marlowe’s Life Marlowe (1564-1593), who was regard as the most gifted of the “University Wits”, was the son of a Canterbury shoemaker. He first entered the King’s School in 1578, when he learned a favorite Renaissance method o

14、f teaching boys to speak Latin. This counted for something in Marlowe’s development. And then, he studied at Cambridge for 6 years and got his B.A. and M.A. degrees. He had lots of interests, but his chief interest was in classical poetry. He read the Greek epics in Latin translation. He ever practi

15、ced poetic art in Latin. A Cambridge contemporary said “Marlowe has a rare scholar and made excellent courses in Latin”, Marlowe’s life was short, wretched and he was killed in a quarreled over a tavern bill at the age of 29. In his life time, he totally produced 6 plays and after his death, his fri

16、ends got his poems and play printed and they won the praises of Shakespeare and other writers of the time. 2.2 Marlowe’s Works Form the first half of the 16th century, the English Renaissance began to develop into a flowering of literature and then England became “a nest of singing birds”. Trans

17、lation occupied an important place in the English Renaissance. Another kind of literature prevailing at the time was the large amount of books describing discoveries and adventures. The vigor of the age, however, found better expression in the sphere of poetry. There were so many lyric voices in tha

18、t period that one could hardly listen to them all. The highest glory of the English Renaissance was unquestionably its drama. English drama had roots reaching back to the miracle plays of the Middle Ages. The “miracles” were simple plays based on bible stories, such as the creation of the world, Noa

19、h and the food, and the birth of Christ. Besides the miracle plays, and a little later, there were the morality plays. A morality presented the conflict good and evil with allegorical personages. The morality was therefore a somewhat dreary kind of performance with the endless speech-making of those

20、 abstract characters. Interlude, a short performance slipped into a play to enliven the audience after a solemn scene. The Classical Drama came into contact with Greek and Latin drama. From it they learned all the important rules in structure and style, the more exact conceptions of comedy and trage

21、dy. Miracle plays, morality plays, interludes and classical plays –such were the forms of drama prevailing until the reign of Elizabeth. These early plays did much in training actors and keeping alive the English dramatic tradition, and paved the way for the flourishing of drama. The audience also b

22、ecame the most important elements of the background. No matter gentlemen and the common people went to the theatres. The playwrights were hard workers. They revised old plays and wrote new ones. The rise of the bourgeoisies soon showed its influence in the sphere of cultural life. The result is an i

23、ntellectual movement known as the Renaissance, of, the rebirth of letters. It sprang first in Italy in the 14th century and gradually spread all over Europe. Two features are striking of this movement. The one is a thirsting curiosity for the classical literature. Old manuscripts were dug out. There

24、 arose a current for the study of Greek and Latin authors. While people learned to admire the Greek and Latin works as models of literary form, they caught something in spirit very different from the medieval Catholic dogma. So the love of classics was but an expression of the general dissatisfactio

25、n at the Catholic and feudal ideas. Under this circumstance, Marlowe’s wrote his the most famous plays. Marlowe’s best includes three of his plays “Tamburlaine” (1587), “Doctor Faustus” (1588) and “The Jew of Malta” (1592). In his first play, “Tamburlaine” refers to the Mongol conquer Tamburlai

26、ne who was a shepherd and finally became a Khan. Tamburlaine is a play about an ambitions and pitiless. Tamburlaine displayed a high-aspiring mind that was self –created and carried by love and dreams beyond the limits of moral existence. His victories were a triumph of immense natural energy and of

27、 ruthlessness over equally cruel but weak and decadent civilizations. By depicting a great hero with high ambition and sheer brutal force in conquering one enemy after another, Marlowe voiced the supreme desire of the man of Renaissance of infinite power and authority. In fact, Tamburlaine is a prod

28、uct of Marlowe’s characteristically Renaissance imagination, fascinated by the earthly magnificence available to men of imagination power who have the energy of their convictions. Marlowe’s masterpiece is “The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus”, in which the old German legend is freely reshaped

29、. Faustus is a great scholar who has a strong desire to acquire all kinds of knowledge. He is bored of his present study on the academic curriculum and turns to black magic. He calls up Mephistopheles, the Devils servant. Faustus makes a bond so sell his soul to the Devil in return for twenty-four y

30、ears of life in which he may have the services of Mephistopheles to give him everything he desires. With the help of the Devil, Faustus brings his magical art into full plays and sees the Pope; Alexander the Great and even the beautiful Helen of Greece. Meanwhile Faustus has experienced much interna

31、l conflict, symbolized in the appearances of both Good Angel and Bad Angel. In the final scene, there remains only the terrifying soliloquy in which the anguish of the heros mind is poignantly expressed. The plays dominant moral is human rather than religious. It celebrates the human passion for kno

32、wledge, power and happiness. It also reveals man’s frustration in realizing the high aspiration in a hostile moral order. And the confinement to time is crueiest face of man’s condition. “The Jew of Malta” was another success. The protagonist Barabas-a rich merchant and a Tamburlaine in the narrowe

33、r sphere of finance is a Machiavellian villain. An evil hero was new to British drama of Marlowe’s time. In the opening scenes, Barabas wins own sympathy as he recovers his wealth from his Christian persecutors, but then he plots revenge using his daughter. He brings about her love’s death, at which

34、 she goes into a nunnery and Barabas poisons her and the other nuns, struggling to avoid the consequences, he is installed as governor of Malta by the Jurks and perished in a Christian counterplot, we are in a world ruled by force and fraud; lip-service to religion is merely an instrument of policy

35、Jews Christians and Jurks art in the same ruthless way in the pursuit of policy wealth and power, what ever they avow, Barabas never attains the stature of Shakespeare’s shylock, though he may have been a model for him. Rather, as T.S.Eilot said it is a “savage farce”. Barabas is the medieval Devil

36、personified, but in Renaissance disguise. III. Social Significance of Marlowe’s Plays and His Literary Achievement 3.1 Social Significance of Marlowe’s Plays Tambulaine, Faustus and Barabas all speak the voice of Marlowe himself. No matter invincible Tamburlaine or learned Faustus or greedy Ba

37、rabas, they are all the best representatives of Marlowe’s humanism. Tamburlaine deals with the world and the flesh, but not with the devil; that is to be the sphere of Doctor Faustus. And somewhere between the microcosm of Tamburlaine and the microcosm of Doctor Faustus stands the Jew of Malta Barab

38、as. Tamburlaine is an amoral superman. In his world, there are no religions, no law and no society, there only exists the endless conquer; Dr.Faustus is superman who worships the power of the devil. No matter who can content his aspiration for knowledge, he will follow and abide him; The Jew Barabas

39、 is an immoralist, which acknowledges values by wealth. Contrasted with Dr. Faustus, he is more consistently and more superficially diabolical. But these three supermen have a common ground that is the courage and aspiration to explore and surpass human’s infinite capacity. They will never give up u

40、ntil fulfill their goals. This is just what Marlowe himself pursues. Despising human’s limitation, never being contented, doing the matters that cannot be realized, defying the conventions, surpassing human’s infinite capacities, all these are the common qualities of Marlowe and his supermen. And th

41、ese are just the quintessence of Marlowe’s humanism. In a way, Tamburlaine, Faustus and Barabas are all the spokesmen of Marlowe. What they do and what they desire for just reflect Marlowe’s inside and outside. For having a humble origin, Marlowe is eager for entering the upper class. He believes an

42、d also makes people believe that a man with humble origin can equally become a successful man. So he creates these common people who become great man through their untiring striving. Although he is a humble shepherd, Tamburlaine at last becomes the king. He is aloof from man as well as from God. His

43、 quest of power is only an entry into the affairs of the world; in its essence it is a lofty and remote aspiration that makes him the invincible conqueror. He does not consider himself a member of human society but stands for the unique being of the God. The most obvious example is his ruthlessness

44、to all who oppose his march towards the world dominion. In summary, Tamburlaine reveals Marlowe as primarily self-sufficient, change from a low birth to a high position. Similarly, Dr.Faustus is ever a poor and humble student. But he is at war with an inimical world order. In order to enjoy the endl

45、ess knowledge he barters his soul to the devil. His deed is far from the ordinary pursuits of man. Through his contract with the devil, he does everything that common people cannot reach it. So he also represents Marlowe’s heartfelt wish. His aspiration for knowledge is just like Marlowe’s eagerness

46、 for knowledge. Some critics ever think that the story of Dr.Faustus in a way is an autobiography of Marlowe himself; at last, for Barabas, although Marlowe is not a villain like Barabas, he has the same aspiration for wealth. After graduation from Cambridge, Marlowe should have been a priest. But c

47、onsidering its low pay, he keeps on his writing. So Barabas still stand for one side of Marlowe’s thoughts. Paul H.Kocher in his “A Study of Marlowe’s Thought, Learning, and Character” ever says: “Marlowe is here not a creator of character but a recorder of his own inner experience, which he distrib

48、utes among his dramatist should”. As a son of the Renaissance, Marlowe’s thoughts fully reflect and belong to that great age. His humanism breaks medieval people’s fears on life and death and shows the audience the elegant demeanor of people’s outstanding courage. All these reflect the Renaissance p

49、eople’s self-respects and self-confidence. This kind of self- respects and self-confidence is just the key point of the Renaissance humanism. So Marlowe’s humanism together with his humanistic supermen is an exotic flower that booms in the splendid literary garden of the Renaissance. 3.2 His Liter

50、ary Achievement 3.2.1 Marlowe’s greatest achievement lies in that he prefaced the blank verse and made it the principal medium of English drama. Marlowes greatest achievement lies in that he perfected the blank verse and made it the principal medium of English drama. Previous writers like Sackvil

51、le and Norton had adopted the blank verse, which, under their pens, was rather inflexible and could produce merely exotic effects. It is Marlowe who brought vitality and grandeur into the blank verse with his "mighty lines”, which carry strong emotions. To achieve this, Marlowe employed hyperbole as

52、 his major figure of speech, which, instead of referring to the exaggeration of the language, indicated the poetic energy and intensity conveyed through the verse. 3.2.2 His second achievement is his creation of the Renaissance hero for English drama. Marlowes second achievement is his creation of

53、 the Renaissance hero for English drama. Such a hero is always individualistic and full of ambition, facing bravely the challenge from both gods and men. He embodies Marlowes humanistic ideal of human dignity and capacity. Different from the tragic hero in medieval plays, who seeks the way to heaven

54、 through salvation and Gods will, he is against conventional morality and contrives to obtain heaven on earth through his own efforts. With the endless aspiration for power, knowledge, and glory, the hero interprets the true Renaissance spirit. Both Tamburlaine and Faustus are typical in possessing

55、such a spirit. They seek power and knowledge respectively. Tamburlaine, being a cruel conqueror, finds consummate happiness in subduing other kingdoms. No enemy, except Death, can defeat him. His death ends in glory although he finally admits his limitations of achievements and even his limitations

56、as a human being. In portraying Faustus, a more introspective and philosophical figure, Marlowe praises his soaring aspiration for knowledge while warning against the sin of pride since Festus’s downfall was caused by his despair in God and trust in Devil. 3.2.3The themes of his works are the prais

57、e of the Renaissance spirit. Renaissance is a great age in English literature. It is the age that creates numerous great people. These people write a splendid history. At the mean time, the writers of the Ages belong to it. So their thoughts, their characters undoubtedly are influenced by the whol

58、e Renaissance culture and traditions. Christopher Marlowe is not an exception. His thoughts especially his humanism also owe to the Renaissance. The Renaissance encourages ambition and achievement. It also advocates people to pursue what they need including personal dignity, individual glory and s

59、elf-interest. “In this Age, these high expectations of personal glory, and violent reactions or perceived slights by others, might have been attributed to pride, the swelling of self-conceit. The humanists of the Renaissance insist on the dignity and potential of each individual. They encourage ever

60、yone to consider him some what special. The spread of literacy and learning gives more men than ever before a reason to a reason to regard themselves as accomplished persons whose achievement command respect. The Renaissance is an age in which every apprentice may fight to defend his honor and benef

61、it. This intense desire for respect and honor is further encouraged by a society that increasingly based rewards on achievement rather that birth. Although family name and title still dominate the society hierarchy, wealth and education-particularly education-are more respected than ever before. A m

62、an with a special gift or talent could hope to gain recognition and advancement through his individual effort. A young gentleman or nobleman wishes to maintain or extend his power and influence “Praise and recognition with success, while shame, ridicule, or loss of reputation or honor eroded self-es

63、teem and, from the subjective perspective of the victim of such treatment. Individuals are encouraged to excel, but only in ways consistent with the paternalistic interests of the powerful. “To survive, an individual needed not only talent and ambition, but also a flair for self-promotion and at lea

64、st a moderate capacity of diplomacy, tact and duplicity”. Maybe this strong sense of self-respect and personal glory can be called “Renaissance individualism”. Another feature of the Renaissance is the keen interest in the activities of humanity. Humanism is the key-not of the Renaissance. Humanis

65、m reflected the new outlook of the rising bourgeois class, which saw the world opening before it. According to the humanists, both man and world are hindered only by external cheeks form infinite improvement. Man could mould world according to this desires, and stain happiness by removing all extern

66、al checks by the exercise of reason. Such a society may be expected to produce the positive results that the Renaissance often does produce: ambitious striving, planning on a grand scale, an enormous upsurge of creative energy, and brilliant individual achievement. Influenced by this renaissance individualism, Marlowe expects his heroes and also he to be an overreaches, to surpass human’s extreme. So Marlowe’s humanism attributes to Renaissance individualism. Though Marlowe is masterful