【正文】 ，《哈姆雷特》、《威尼斯商人》及十四行詩分析； I. Historical background In 1485， the Wars of the Roses(14551485) came to an end， and following the invention of printing and Tudor dynasty which was established by Henry VII in 1485. Henry VIII， whose needs for the annulment of his first marriage in order to father a son and heir, ended the rule of the Catholic Church in England, closed (and largely destroyed) the monasteries which had for centuries been the depositors of learning, history, and culture and established himself as both the head of Church and the head of state. Protestantism became the official national religion. The Enclosure movement pelled peasants to bee the hired laborers for the merchants. The mercial expansion and the rise of bourgeoisie. The war with Spain: in 1588, the Spanish Armada was defeated. England had sovereignty over the seas. London developed in size and importance as the nation’s capital， and from the foundation of the first public theatre in London， the stage became the forum of debate， spectacle， and entertainment. Hand in hand with the growth in theatrical expression went the growth of Modern English as a national language. Ⅱ . Introduction to Renaissance Renaissance marks the transition from the medieval to the modern world. It first started in Italy in the 14th century and gradually spread all over Europe. The word “Renaissance” means rebirth or revival. In essence, it is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to get rid of those old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe and introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie, and to lift the restriction in all areas placed by the Roman Catholic Church authorities. Two features of renaissance: 1. It is a thirsting curiosity for the classical literature. People learned to admire the Greek and Latin works as models of literary form. 2. It is the keen interest in the activities of humanity. Humanism is the keynote of the Renaissance. It reflected the new outlook of the rising bourgeois class. Humanists emphasize the dignity of human beings and the importance of the present life and believe that man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders by removing all the external checks by the exercise of reason. They also expressed their rebellious spirit against the tyranny of feudal rule and ecclesiastical domination. III. English Literature in the Renaissance Period English literature in the Renaissance Period is usually regarded as the highlight in this history of English literature. In Elizabethan Period, English literature developed with a great speed and made a magnificent achievement, especially the drama. Thus appeared a group of excellent dramatists. They are John Lyly, Thomas Kyd, Gee Peele, Robert Greene, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. Next to the drama is the Lyrical Poetry. In that period, writing poetry became a fashion. England then became a nest of singing birds. The famous poets of that period were Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard, Philip Sidney and Edmund Spenser. There were not so many prose writers. In the beginning period, the great humanist, Thomas More, wrote his famous prose work Utopia, which may be thought of as the first literary masterpiece of the English Renaissance. In Elizabethan Period, Francis Bacon wrote more than fifty excellent essays, which make him one of the best essayists in English literature. Poetry in the Renaissance Period 1). Thomas Wyatt(15031542) He is the first to introduce the son into English literature. 2). Philip Sidney (155486) Astrophel and Stella 3). Edmund Spenser (1552 1599) Spenser is often referred to as the poets39。s love of Venus (natural love). ? pilgrimage is also treated as an event in the calendar of divinity, an aspect of religious piety which draws pilgrims to holy places. ? structure of this opening passage can be regarded as one from the whole Western tradition of the celebration of spring to a local event of English society, from natural forces in their general operation to a specific Christian manifestation. transition from nature to divinity is emphasized by contrast between the physical vitality which conditions the pilgrimage and the spiritual sickness which occasions the pilgrimage, as well as by parallelism between the renewal power of nature and the restorative power of supernature (divinity).. 5. It is a model of narrative pression, with an 18line periodic sentence that poses of a subordinate clause (line 111) of 79 words and a main clause (line 12 18) of 49 words, expressing the essential idea of the whole work. IV． Contributions ? 1. Forerunner of Humanism ? Chaucer affirms men’s and women’s right to pursue earthly happiness and opposed asceticism (avoiding physical pleasures and forts). He praises man’s energy, intellect, quick wit and love of life and he exposes and satirizes the social vices, including the corruption of the Church. ? 2. The founder of English Realism ? Chaucer, for the first time in English literature, presents to the readers a prehensive realistic picture of the English society of his time and describes a series of vivid characters from all walks of life in The Canterbury Tales. ? 3. Father of English poetry (called by John Dryden) ? Chaucer introduces from France the rhymed stanzas of various types to English poetry to replace the old English alliterative verse. He’s the first to use the rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter, which is to be called the heroic couplet. Thus, he lays the foundation of the English tonicsyllabic verse. ? 4. Master of the English language ? Chaucer is the first great poet who wrote in the current English.