Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that in recent years, two related and overlapping schools of literary theory have emerged that have offered competing responses to the relationship between Renaissance drama and the political power of Tudor and Stuart Britain. To determine the differences in these perspectives, this paper provides an analysis of Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors," Ben Jonson's "The Alchemist," Thomas Kyd's "The Spanish Tragedy" and Heywood's "A Woman Killed with Kindness". The writer looks at these works from the perspective of two modes of criticism or theory, with various criticisms from the new historicist camp and cultural materialist camp being reviewed. An assessment of the complexities of these modes is also provided, taking into account the social, theoretical, and critical movements that informed them. A summary of the research and salient findings are presented in the conclusion.

Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors."
Ben Jonson's "The Alchemist."
Thomas Kyd's "The Spanish Tragedy."
Thomas Heywood's "A Woman Killed with Kindness"
Analysis
Conclusion

From the Paper
"This relationship between social contract and means of production becomes even clearer when its importance in the community was taken into account, with marriage representing both a socially acceptable framework in which people could live together and have children, it was inextricably related to how people earned their livings and what roles they played in this society. In this regard, Orlin emphasizes that although marriage ceremonies feature prominently in the opening and conclusion of the play, there is a difference between the celebratory nature of the occasion today and the implications the institution had during this period in history. There is no romantic comedy involved in the marriage of John and Anne Frankford, for example, and the opening scene ... "

Tags:ideology, perspectives, culture, historical

Abstract
The theme of the supernatural in Renaissance drama emerges more as a 'problem' than as a unified theology. This paper explains that the use of supernatural and characterization thereof, says more about the playwright's ability to use language to characterize, than about the ideology of the period. It explains that Shakespeare's stress on characterization results in more human fairies and spirits than in Marlowe's world.

From the Paper
"These questions of truth and reality become even more sharply defined in "Hamlet." Ironically, Hamlet begins the play wanting to go back to Faustus' Wittenberg to study-but ends up meeting the supernatural on his own doorstep. Rather than the comic Faustus, stewing over his books, Hamlet's meeting with his father is frightening, and causes Hamlet to consecrate his life to revenge. (1.3) But Hamlet is never sure if the ghost is true or false, hence he uses a play as a truth-test of his uncle's guilt, noting that the devil has a power to assume a pleasing shape. By the end of the play, the supernatural has virtually retreated from the play entirely-the ghost disappears after preventing Hamlet from killing his mother in anger, and Hamlet does kill Claudius, but without the satisfaction of revealing to the court with his own words, or before his mother what really happened to his father."

Tags:playwright, characterization

Abstract
Within John Webster's works, "The Duchess of Malfi" and "The White Devil", there are many messages about the results and realities of chivalry. Within these two works there is constant interplay between courtly reward and courtly desertion, with issues of class extremely volatile subjects. This paper shows, using Webster's works as examples, that the issue of courtly love in Renaissance drama is one utterly surrounded by high emotion, intrigue, and secrecy.

From the Paper
"Those men and women who overstep the boundaries of convention and disturb the honor code are friendless. There are many ways to overstep the role of the honorable, not the least of which is through flagrant acts of outranking love. The prince and the courtier, as well as the women who are often the objects of unquenchable desire are charged with the role of social police."

Tags:Antonio, prince, courtier

Abstract
This paper discusses how the ideas presented in "The Duchess of Malfi" are inequality, injustice, and corruption, which were in fact commentaries on the England of the Elizabethan-Jacobean era. The paper looks at how the tragedy of "The Duchess of Malfi "ends with the death of the members of the ruling class: Duchess, Cardinal and Duke Ferdinand; as well as the poor Antonio and Bosola. While the Duchess's soul lives through the voice Echo, her son from Antonio remains the only descendant. At the end of the play, Delio announces that the Duchess and Antonio's son will be the duke. The paper contends that this is the cultural materialist view that one day 'the lower' can win; even rule the state.

From the Paper
" When Ferdinand pretends to forgive the Duchess and offers his sister a dead man's hand instead of his own, and shows her wax figures that she mistakes for her murdered husband and children, it becomes a real psychological torture. Being a mother and a wife, the Duchess is shocked to see their death figures. Just after that moment, Ferdinand's calling Bosola marks the Duchess's torture being worse. She has lost his family and now, she is made to feel that she has lost her name too: When she asks Bosola "Who am I?", he replies, "Thou art a box of worm seed" (The Duchess of Malfi IV.ii.122-23). However, Duchess the sad mother is still strong and marks the Jacobean theatre as a rebellious woman in her lines: "I am Duchess of Malfi still" (The Duchess of Malfi IV.ii.139). "

Tags:ferdinand, patriarchy, malcontent, bosolo

Abstract
Using two plays, Christopher Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus" and John Webster's "The Duchess of Malfi," the paper explores the theater genres of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Through Marlowe's play, the paper explores Elizabethan theater and through Webster's play it studies Jacobean theater. The genres are looked at in the context of being considered the beginnings of the Renaissance and a shift from the Medieval period to a more human-centered view of the universe.

From the Paper
"The plays Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe and The Duchess of Malfi John Webster are both from one of the most productive eras in British drama, the period covering the Elizabethan theater and the Jacobean theater that followed. This period can also be considered the beginnings of the Renaissance and so a shift from the Medieval period to a more human-centered view of the universe."

Tags:Christopher, Marlowe, Doctor, Faustus, John, Webster, Duchess, of, Malfi, genre, Renaissance, Medieval

Abstract
The paper relates that the Middle Ages were a bridge between the Roman Empire and the eventual enlightenment of Western Civilization known as the Renaissance. The paper then explains why the common use of the term Renaissance to mean the cultural developments in Europe from the l4th to the 16th centuries is hazardous. The paper shows how there is no single answer to why the Middle Ages ended and there is no clear demarcation between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance. The paper questions the achievements of this period and concludes that the Renaissance was a mental and creative evolution, at best.

From the Paper
"It was the Church that literally ruled everything- from housing to education to social live to employment, to politics and even the arts- music and what literature there was. And, money! Given that there were so many dukes and lords, who was really in charge? Who really ran things and provided funds for everything from the crusades to daily commerce? "The greatest single provider was the Church. She had an unparalleled organization for raising funds" (Durant 616).
"While the medieval Church obviously pervades every chapter and every decade of this period, the Church was too conservative in most ways, dictatorial and repressive in many others, to permit Man's imagination to soar. So, when intellects first began to differ from the dictates of the Church, it was a struggle that would continue until the more enlightened Popes and Bishops of the fifteenth and Sixteenth centuries made it easier to be creative."

Tags:Church, humanism, creativity, enlightenment

Abstract
This paper explains that many of the writers of the Irish Renaissance often memorialized the new nationalist sentiments arising in Ireland and the increased tensions between Ireland and Britain in their writings. The paper notes that the Irish Renaissance was both a renaissance of Irish themes and a reminder that Ireland was not a full country with full autonomy, creating a tension that many of the writers would explore in their works.

From the Paper
"For example, William Butler Yeats is identified with the mythology of early Ireland, and his works feature the stories of the Irish hero Cuchulain in particular. This mythic background is part of what gives the poet his distinctive voice. At the same time, the poet often chafes against the mythology, as if the truths it shapes for him were false. Yeats made reference to other mythologies as well, notably those of the ancient Greeks and Romans, but he seemed less concerned with those references, perhaps because he knew that those mythic stories were better known to the world at large. He may have feared that his poetry was understandable only to the Irish and not to the world at large. Yeats expresses his love for his country and its people and does so in poetry that elevates nature while finding the other-worldly in that nature at the same time, which is often where the mythology enters as well."

Tags:synge, homeland, o'casey, theater, james, joyce, william, edwin, martyn, george, moore

Abstract
This paper examines the qualities deemed necessary for one to be considered a renaissance man or woman. These characteristics are taken from literary sources of the Renaissance. The features of the Renaissance man and woman suggest at once a superficial concern with appearances and at the same time an appreciation for the innate talents and abilities of every human being. The author takes issue with the lack of morality placed on the Renaissance man or women.

From the Paper
"Physical prowess and mastery of weaponry are essential skills for Castiglione's Renaissance man. Both men and woman are victims of their physical endowments. According to Castiglione, being too tall or too short can hinder the development of a man's athletic skills (p. 34). The Renaissance man is also literally well-rounded: he should be agile and strong, with "shapely" limbs (Castiglione, p. 30, line 26). Renaissance women must also fulfill specific requirements. Though they should develop their bodies as well as their minds, Renaissance women should not undertake strenuous activities, as even dancing too energetically can impede her "womanly sweetness," (Castiglione, p. 35, line 192). Neither men nor women should take sport--or anything else--too seriously because being well-rounded is more important than being a specialist. At the same time, both Castiglione and Alberti infer an appreciation for the diligent development of specific talents and skills, whether tennis, dancing, or archery. Therefore, the ideal person is not a dilettante. When the Renaissance man or woman becomes proficient at something, he or she can show that skill off in polite company, though without conceit. Being what modern people would call "cool" is a key component of the Renaissance ideal. Castiglione calls that feature "nonchalance," and the Renaissance man and woman should be talented and modest at the same time."

Tags:Renaisance, man, Renaissance, woman, culture

Abstract
This paper examines why the cultural, social and artistic elements of the Renaissance spread across Europe. It explores the emergence of the Renaissance as a rediscovery of the learning and art of the classical world. The author expands on the humanism of the Renaissance.

From the Paper
"The Renaissance was a period of rapid artistic and cultural development that celebrated the capacity and worth of each individual and returned the learning and beliefs of the classical world to a central position in European life. Given that much of the ..."

Tags:Renaissance, Italy, Europe, Middle Ages, printing press

Abstract
This paper examines social and cultural situation of the city of Florence during the 14th and 15th centuries showing how much of a decadent and self-indulgent municipality it was. By understanding the attitude of that time period, it makes it easier to comprehend the mayhem that was brought on during the time of Carnival - the obsession with food, culture and fun.

From the Paper
"There is hardly an event that occurs where food is not part of the main affair. Eating for the Italians is more than a physiological requirement; rather, it symbolizes many things, including faith, devotion, and family values. In no other ethnicity would one find such connection with emotion and sustenance to food as one does with the Italians. Implementing a Carnival celebration so many centuries ago just seems to epitomize what the Italian people of the time stood for."

Tags:carnival, decadent, florence, gras, history, italy, mardi, renaissance, food