【正文】 Renaissance periodBeowulf : the first English national epicI. The position of the Beowulf: the first English national epic story: (to simply narrate it ) Beowulf←→ Grendel and his motherBeowulf←→ Fire dragonIII. Its artistic features1. It’s a 3183line verse written in true epic style and in Old English。 2. the most evident feature: the use of alliteration。4. the use of understatements: the impression and a color of humor.△5. the mixing of pagan elements with Christian colouring.Geoffrey ChaucerI. life : 1. He was born in a wine merchant family in 1340。 was buried in Westminster Abbey, thus founding the “Poets Corner” .II. His Work: The Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury TalesThe General Prologue... The Prioress There was also a Nun, a Prioress,Whose name was gentle and full of guilelessness.“By St. Loy!” was the worst oath she would say.She sang mass well, in a being way,Intoning through her nose the words divine,And she was known as Madam Eglantine.She spoke good French, as taught at StratfordBowFor the Parisian French she did not know.She was schooled to eat so primly and so wellThat from her lips no morsel ever fell.She wet her fingers lightly in the dishOf sauce, for courtesy was her first wish.With every bite she did her skillful bestTo see that no drop fell upon her breast.She always wiped her upper lip so cleanThat in her cup was never to be seenA hint of grease when she had drunk her share,She reached out for her meat with ely air.She was a great delight, and always triedTo imitate court ways, and had her pride,Both amiable and gracious in her dealings.As for her charity and tender feelings,She melted at whatever was piteous.She would weep if she but came upon a mouseCaught in a trap, if it were dead of bleeding.Some little dogs that took pleasure feedingOn roasted meat or milk or good wheat breadShe had, but how she wept to find one dead Or yelping from a blow that made it smart,And all was sympathy and loving heart.Neat was her wimple in its every plait,Her nose well formed, her eyes as gray as slate.Her mouth was very small and soft and red.She had so wide a brow I think her headWas nearly a span broad, for certainly She was not undergrown, as all could see.She wore her cloak with dignity and charm,And had her rosary about her arm,The small beads coral and the larger green,And from them hung a brooch of golden sheen,On it a large A and a crown above。(2) To oppose the dogma of asceticism。 (2) the heartless of judge。(2) introduced rhymed five accents in iambic meter to English poetry (heroic couplet) 3. Founder of English realismThe prologue supplies a miniature of then English society (ways of narrating the stories and different social status of these pilgrims).4. His excellent works contribute a lot to establish English as the literary language of the country. (set an example for the poets of later generation )5. He made London dialect as the standard for the modern English speech. Renaissance PeriodWilliam ShakespeareI. Life1. born of trader family in StratfordonAvon in 1564, and his family got into financial troubles。Not to be: to die, to take action to fight against fate.That is the question: this shows Hamlet confronted with both body and moral dilemma: whether to suffer passively or to take action to fight.◆three reasons for his dilemma: receives Stoic philosophy: Forbearance is the noblest(順從是最高的美德).Ciceronian philosophy: Duty is most important.These two views of philosophy are quite contradictory for Hamlet. (to interpret in depth ) reason: fear of afterlife. (as obviously shown in this monologue: to die, to sleep)3. Odepus plex (monly called mother plex): this view was put forward by some critic, which conducted a psychological analysis based on the Fre