BRITAIN 1625-l702

It's very important for us to have a clear idea of the religious make-up of the country.

There were 3 groups:

  The Church of England à this was the official state Church as established by Henry VIII and it didn't differ so much from the Roman Catholic Church. To many people it was a living symbol of the independence from corruption of the Pope.

  The Roman Catholic Church.

  Protestants à they believed that the way to salvation lay in a life of hard work.

à Charles I dissolved Parliament and ruled for 11 without one.

The Puritans didn't accept this discrimination, so the House of Commons became gradually

Puritan.

à Charles I tried to reopen Parliament to ask for taxes to finance a war in Scotland, but

Parliament refused to help him.

à Parliament took control of the army: the Civil War was inevitable.

à Parliament army won and Charles I was executed.

à    the 11 years of the Commonwealth, under Cromwell's control.

à Oliver Cromwell died, went back to the monarchy in the form of Charles II and he before

making decisions, consulted Parliament.

à James II came to the throne, and he wanted to establish Catholicism as the official religion

in the land.

à the Glorious Revolution ( victory of Williams III)

à Bill of Rights. 

The features of metaphysical poetry are:

  the use of conceits (it draws a ison between 2 strikingly things and it uses subjects from astronomy, geography..);

  the argumentative quality of the love poems: the poet tries to persuade his lover to share his point of view;

  the dramatic quality of the language: it seems a dialogue between the poet and his lover, God or himself;

  the use of wit (ingenuity in literary invention), paradoxes (statements that seem self-contradictory or absurd), puns (play on words).

Paradise Lost is a poem that observes the classical epic conventions:

  the hero is a ure of great importance: Adam represents the entire human race;

  the setting of the poem is ample: Earth, Heaven and Hell;

  the action involves superhuman deeds in battle and an arduous journey;

  it is narrated in elevated style, created by the use of Latinate, words and syntax;

  the narrator begin invoking a muse;

  the narrative starts when the action is at a critical point.

Comedy of Manners is the type of play created and performed during the Restoration:

  it reflected the life of the Court (immoral, elegant, intelligent..);

  critic of middle-class values and ideals, all above the institution of marriage;

  dialogues were prose rather than verse;

  new male characters were created: gallant (the hero of the play) and the fop (ure of fun);

  female characters had no feelings or morals, their only interest was fashion;

  the characters had name that underlined some aspects of their personality.