What was the impact of renaissance on English literature? Think of it and write an essay (from 130 to 190 words).

Exchange your written works with your gruopmates. Discuss your ideas.

3. Translate the text [14] into Russian.

Contrary to popular misconception, the Middle Ages were not a “dark age” in our collective history. Not only is that term a Western-centric view of the world (while Europe and the former territories of the Western Roman Empire did indeed suffer long periods of social decline and disorder, many other areas of the world flourished during the same period, and the continuation of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, was at its most stable and influential during the so-called Dark Ages), it’s also inaccurate. The popular image of ignorant peasants and sequestered monks living in ignorance and superstition while the world fell into darkness is largely fiction.

The Renaissance was a period beginning in the later 14th century and lasting until the 17th century. Far from a sudden lurch back towards scientific and artistic achievement, it was really a rediscovery of the human-centric philosophies and art of the ancient world, coupled with cultural forces driving Europe towards social and intellectual revolutions that celebrated the human body and reveled in near-nostalgia for Roman and Greek works that suddenly seemed modern and revolutionary again. Far from a miraculous shared inspiration, the Renaissance was sparked in large part by the collapse of the Byzantine Empire and the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire. The massive influx of people fleeing from the East into Italy (most notably Florence, where political and cultural realities made for a welcoming environment) brought these ideas back into prominence. At almost the same time, the Black Death decimated populations across Europe and forced the survivors to contemplate not the afterlife but their actual physical existence, shifting intellectual focus to earthbound concerns.

 

WATCHING AND LISTENING

1. The Renaissance is often spoken about as the era of great painters and sculptors. (Name at least five). Yet, the Renaissance was also the period when new philosophy started to evolve. Listen to the audio [15] and find out what ideas were developed by Petrarch, Lorenzo Valla, Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, and compare your facts with those from the audio.

2. Listen to the audio and answer the questions:

1. What is the meaning of the suffix “ism”?

2. What is the concept of humanism? Give the definition.

3. What did medieval Europeans think about the position of man in the God’s world?

4. Why did the Renaissance humanists study Latin and Greek?

5. What were the cultural consequences of the fall of Constantinople in 1453?

6. What ancient values were spoken about a lot among Italian humanists?

7. What is secularism?

8. What was the general attitude towards religion and Catholic Church at that period?

9. What does the word “vernacular” mean?

10. What other countries was the philosophy of humanism spread in the XV-XVI centuries?

3. Insert the missing words in the sentences:

1. Europe is a _________ of ideas in action.

2. In the XIV century intellectuals began to _________ this purely religious view of life.

3. Suddenly the ideas of ancient writers become _________ to a whole new audience.

4. _________ families began to support the schools.

5. _________ is considered as a father of the Renaissance.

6. (He) wanted to restore Latin to its _________ position over the vernacular.

7. His studies brought to his _________ a thing called “The Donation of Constantine”.

8. (He) promoted the _________ known as Neo-Platonism.

9. Man represented the link between the material realm and _________ realm.

10. (He) believed that God had created _________ potential in people.

4. XVII century is considered the age when theatre had reached its heyday in Western Europe. You may have heard the names of Molière, Corneille, Lope de Vega and Calderon. Could you name any outstanding English playwrights? What were they famous for?

5. Watch to the video [16] and answer the questions:

1. Did the English aristocracy share the love of common people to theatre in XVI-XVII centuries?

2. Name several English theatres that existed in London at that time.

3. Why were the plays performed in the day-time?

4. What did Shakespeare describe in his play as “wooden O”?

5. Where there any traps in the floor of the stage?

6. How was a balcony used?

7. What is known about the scenery and the costumes in Globe the theatre?

8. Who performed women’s parts in Elizabethan theatres? Why?

9. What were the main responsibilities of the shareholders of theatre companies?

10. Who was the patron of Globe?

6. Watch the video again and insert the missing words in the sentences:

1. Theatre for Londoners of the Renaissance was the _______ of our plays, movies, television and YouTube all rolled into one.

2. Shakespeare confined his fights to the _______.

3. (Globe) was located on the _______ bank of the river Thames.

4. (The theatres) were almost entirely _______, clearly open to the elements.

5. Companies flew a flag above the theatre to _______ that there was a performance on that day.

6. The higher up one _______ the more expensive the seat.

7. Audience members talked freely to _______ and to the actors.

8. (The stage) was partially covered by a kind of canopy known as the _______.

9. Musicians were also positioned here to provide music _______ a play.

10. All companies were required by law to be _______ by a member of the aristocracy.

 

SPEAKING

4. Make a presentation on one of the given topics:

· Significant events of The Renaissance in Great Britain

· Great scientists of the Renaissance

· The Renaissance in France

· The Renaissance in Russia