第4章15世纪(1400～1550)4.1 复习笔记Ⅰ. Historical background（历史背景）(1) The Hundred Years’ War（百年战争）The Hundred Years’War continued and in 1415 at the Battle of Agincourt King Henry Ⅴ (1413～1422) defeated the French army and claimed himself the heir to the French throne.百年战争还在持续，在1415年的阿金库尔战役中，亨利5世（1413～1422）战胜了法国军队，并宣布自己是法国的继承者。
(2) The War of the Roses (1455～1485)（玫瑰战争）The War of the Roses, or the Thirty Years’ War, was a series of civil wars fought between the two great families, both of which claimed the right to the English throne. It lasted for thirty years until King Henry Ⅶ defeated Richard Ⅲ(1483～1485) at the Battle of Bosworth and ended the civil war.玫瑰战争，又叫三十年战争，是发生在两个家族之间的一系列内战，他们都宣称自己有权统治英国。
它持续了30年，直到亨利7世在博斯沃思战争（1483～1485）中打败理查德3世，内战宣告结束。
(3) The discovery of America and the new sea routes（美洲大陆和新航海线路的发现）In 1492, a Genoese mariner, Christopher Columbus (ca.1436～1506) who believed that he could reach India by sailing west, landed in America with thesupport of the Spanish sovereigns Ferdinand and Isabella.1492年，热那亚水手克里斯托弗·哥伦布相信只要一直向西航行就能到达印度，在费迪南和伊莎贝拉的支持下，他登上了美洲大陆。
(4) Reformation of the church（教会的改革）During his reign Henry Ⅷ (1509～1547) took decisive measures to break away from the Church of Rome. In 1534 he passed through Parliament the Act of Supremacy which regarded him as the supreme head on earth.在亨利8世统治时期，他采取了果断措施来摆脱罗马教会的统治。
1534年，他颁布了国会最高权力法案，宣称自己是最高统治者。
Ⅱ. Popular ballads（民谣）A ballad is a narrative poem that tells a story.民谣是讲述故事的叙事性诗歌。
(1) There are certain basic characteristics common to a large number of ballads:民谣通常具有以下几个特点：①The beginning is often abrupt as the listeners must be familiar with the characters and the story of the ballad.开头通常是开门见山的，因为听众一般都熟悉民谣中的人物和故事。
②There are strong dramatic elements. Usually a ballad deals with a single episode.具有很强的叙事元素。
通常一首民谣讲述一个事情片段。
③The story is often told through dialogue and action.经常通过对话和动作来讲述故事。
④The theme is often tragic, though there are a number of comic ballads.通常是悲剧主题，尽管也有为数不少的喜剧民谣。
⑤The ballad meter is used.运用节拍。
(2) The subject matter of the ballads（民谣的主题）The subject matter of the ballads is of great variety, from war and bloodshed and superstition to domestic affairs and outlawry. A group of ballads dealing with blood strife on the English-Scottish border are known as “border ballads”. Of special significance are the Robin Hood Ballads that deal with the famous outlaw Robin Hood and his men and their activities. Robin Hood was a legendary hero who was supposed to have lived during the reign of Richard the Lion Hearted (1189～1199). He and his men lived in the forest of Sherwood. They fought with oppressors and were righteous defenders of the poor and the oppressed.民谣的主题种类繁多，有战争，流血，迷信到家庭事务到放逐等等一系列。
其中有一类关于英国苏格兰边界流血冲突的民谣，被称作“边界民谣”。
另外重要的还有罗宾汉民谣，它是关于好汉罗宾汉和他同伴的活动。
罗宾汉是一位传奇性的英雄，他生活在狮心王理查德的统治时期（1189～1199）。
他和伙伴们一起住在舍伍德森林。
他们和压迫者作斗争，是穷人和被压迫者正当权益的捍卫者。
Ⅲ. Sir Thomas Malory (ca.1405～1471)（托马斯·马洛礼）Sir Thomas Malory, the author of Le Morte d’Arthur, or The Death of KingArthur, was important in the fact that it was he who finally compiled together the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table which were scattered in a number of French romances and made great contribution to the development of English prose. The Death of King Arthur tells the whole life of King Arthur, but the finest part in the book is about the death of King Arthur. Malory looked back to the age of chivalry with sentimental regret. However, thanks to Malory, who left such a legacy to later writers that many of them used his materials as subject matter in their writings. Among them the most famous piece was written by Tennyson.托马斯·马洛礼是《亚瑟王之死》的作者。
他的重要性在于作者将分散在法国骑士传奇中关于亚瑟王和他的圆桌骑士的故事汇集到了一起，并且为英国散文的发展作出了巨大的贡献。
《亚瑟王之死》讲述了亚瑟的生平。
马洛礼怀着感伤的遗憾回顾骑士时代。
然而，马洛礼也为后世的作者提供了一笔遗产，后来的作家们将此素材作为主题进行创作。
其中最著名的是丁尼生的作品。
Ⅳ. Early English plays（早期英国戏剧）By the 14th century the liturgy had developed into mystery plays and miracle plays. There are no sharp distinctions between these two kinds of plays, though the former are chiefly based on stories from the Bible, and the latter on the lives of Christian saints. The vernacular had taken the place of Latin and laymen the place of clergymen. The guilds actively took part in the performances and each guild played the role that was related with its profession. For example, the part of Noah building the ark was played by the guild of shipbuilders or carpenters.到14世纪，祷告文已经发展成了神秘剧和奇迹剧。