Middle EnglishMiddle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century.For three centuries after Norman conquest , two languages were were used side by side in England , Latin and French were the languages of the upper classes, used in official and formal conditions.however the inflectional system of old English was weakened and a large number of French words had been absorbed.and many inflectional forms of the words were dropped and formal grammar simplified.RomanceRomance is a type of literature that was very popular in the Middle Ages.Romance , in the original sense of the word , means the native language,as opposed to Latin,and later it means a tale in verse, embodying the life and adventures of knights.John wycliffHe was one of the first man who demand to reform the church in order to do away with the corruption and rottenness, he was the one who translate the bible into standard english. His translation for bible is a great contribution to english literature ,as well as english lanuage. For he fixed a national standard for englsih prose to replace various dialects. His work owned him the title of father of english prose.William langlandHe is the author of Piers Plowman 《农夫皮尔斯》or the vision of piers plowman.The story takes the form of an allegory, but it gives a realsitic picture of 14th century England, (an allegory is a story or description in which the characters and events symbolize some deeper underlying meaning,and serve to spread moral teaching)in his work , within the scope of allegorical characters, the lives of the religious people and the laymen are vividly portrayed.the corruption and the rottenness of the church people are truthfully exposed.Chaucer （The Canterbury Tales）Geoffrey Chaucer, the founder of English poetry, father of English literature.was born, about 1340, in London.Chaucer's contribution to English poetry lies chiefly in the fact that he introduced the "heroic couplet"into English poetry, instead of the old Anglo-Saxon alliterative verse.Though drawing influences from French, Italian and Latin models, he is the first great poet who wrote in the current English language. His production of so much excellent poetry was an important factor in establishing English as the literary language of the country. The spoken English of the time consisted of several dialects, and Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the foundation for modern English speech.The Hundred Years' WarWas a series of wars fought between the english kings and French kings for the French throne, starting from the reign of Edward III and ending during the reign of Henry VI.in 1453 all engish territory in france was lost to the french and the english king had only a small port.the whole mankind was awakenging.The War of the RosesThe war of the roses, or the thirty years' war, was a series of civil wars fought between the two great families, the house of lancaster, the house of York ,both of which claimed the right to the english throne.it lasted for thirty years until King henry VII defeated richard III.Reformation of the churchHenry VIII declared the break with Rome and shook off the power of the Roman catholic Churrch , thus becoming the head of the church. The Protestant reformation was in essence a political movement in a religious guise, and the individualism was awakening .New sea routesItalian explorer in the service of spain who determined that the earth was round and attempted to reach Asia by sailing west from europe,thereby ,discovering American. Portuguese also sent his mariner. The english and french were not slow following th espanish example.the discovery of the new continent has increased people's confidence and this confidence has finally developed into humanism.Popular balladsBallad is derived from the latin "ballare", that is "to dance".A ballad is a narrative poem that tells a story.Sir Thomas MaloryThe author of The Death of Arthur, it was he who finally compiled together the stories of KIng Arhur and the Knights ot the Roud Table which were scattered in a number of french romances and made great contribution to the development of english prose.little knoen is about the life of Malory ,except the fact he was a knight.Early English plays1,In ancient Greece and Tome , drama was one of the most popular forms of entertainment.2,In the 9th and the 10th centuries , the catholic church allowed some of dramatic performances to be used as art of religious service3,By the 14th century the liturgy had developed into mystery plays and miracle plays . the former are chiefly based on stories from the Bible, and the latter on the livesof Christian saints.The paly was staged on a two decked cart, or pageant. The pageant consisted of an enclosed room and a second storey open to the sky on which the action was performed. the car towed round the town4,in the 14th and the 15th cnturies mystery or miracle plays were performed in about 40 different places in England. The early drama has developed rapidly by the help of religious.Enclosure movementWith the dixovery of the new sea routes , the English burghers made their fortunes by the wool trade. As the demand for wool increased , some of the nobles and burghers turned vast arable land into pastures and large numbers of peasants became landless men. Many peasants who were compelled to leave their land come to towns and cities as labourers. thus two opposite classes came into being, the capitalist class and the laboring class.HumanismThe Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth"; Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere "be born")[1] was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe.Is kind of movement which free the human from the bondage of religion. It was caused by geographical discovery and capitalist production methods, they song in praise of man and of the pursuit of happiness in this life. As a result, it shattered the shackles of spiritual bondage of man’s mind by the Roman Catholic Church and opened his eyes to “a brave new world “in front of him.Edmund spenserEdmund Spenser "s first important work is "the shephearde's calender"a pastoral poem in 12 partsHis major achievement The Faerie Queene, is an unfinished allegorical romance.. Spenser also contributes gretly to the form and technique of poetry compositon. His verse lines are very melodious,he originated a nine-line verse stanza, now known as the Spenserian stanza. the rhyme scheme is ababbcbacc. Which creates a special musical effect.The flourishing of dramaThe flourishing of drama was explained by the reason that cities and owns grew rapidly in the 16th 16th century and since there was no other means of entrtainment than watching bear-baiting, executions and hangings at Newgate,drama naturally became the only form of amusement to city dwellers and noblemen.marloweElizabethan poet, dramatist, and William Shakespeare's predecessor in English drama,His first play 《帖木儿》Tamberlaine the great is about the story of Timur the Tartar《浮士德博士的悲剧》the tragic history of Doctour. Faustus adapted from apopular old German legend《马耳他岛的犹太人》The Jew of MaltaAs a dramatist marlowe has limitations , his pot construction is loose and his characters are merely embodiments of ideas. But he is the only dramatist of the time who is ever compared with Shakespeare.Marlowe's greatest achievement lies in that he perfected the blank verse and made it the principal medium of english drama. Marlowe's second achievement is his creation of Renaissance hero for English drama,who embodies Marlowe's humanistic ideal of human dignity and capacity.he hero interprets the Renaissance spirit.ShakespeareShakespeare's writing career may roughly divided into four stages1,The early years were years of his apprenticeship, dating from 1592-1594.During this period he wrote his early history plays r histories and a group of comedies. King Henry VI, Love's Labour Lost2,The second Period is a period of rapid growth and development, dating from 1595to 1600. Romeo and Juliet , The Merchant of Venice3,The third period is a period of gloom and depression, dating from 1601to1608.It is a period of his tragedies. Such as Hamlet ,Othello,King Lear, and Macbeth4,The fourth period is a period of restored serenity , from 1608-1612,it is a period of calm after storm. The TempestAchievement1,shakespeare represented the trend of history in giving voice to the desires and aspirations of the people.2,shakespeare's humanism,, more important than his historical sense of his time ,shakespeare in his plays reflects the spirit of his age. Humanst outlook prevails in his comedies as well as his late tragedies.3, shakespeare's originality.his plays are original because he instilled into the old material a new spirit that gives new life to his plays.the best example is Hamlet 4,shakespeare's as master of the english language.many of his quotations and phrases have been absorbed into the english language.he was especially sucdessful in handing the different meanings of the same word,or words having the same sound but different meanings.SonnetA sonnet is a lyrical poem of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter with various rhyming schemes.Sonnet 18although life is so short ,he thinks poetry will bring eternity to life. as log as there is human being,there is the beauty of life..it shows the confidence of shakespeare as a poet.and An awestruck and respectful heart to such art as poetry.HamletHamlet's revenge is not only a personal matter. What troubles him most is the injustice,conspiracy,and betrayal in the society.三个打击(1) His father is murdered by his uncle, and his mother is married to his uncle right after his father’s death. The marriage of his mother is the first blow to him, as he had regarded her as a virtuous woman.(2) Then his former friends are dispatched by the king to spy on him. This is the second blow, for as a humanist, he sets great store by friendship.(3) Then his girl friend Ophelia is sent as a tool to find out whether or not he is really mad. This is something he can no longer endure.主题，意义Hamlet would have been a tragedy of “blood and thunder”if S had not imbued the play with this sort of philosophical thinking, this humanistic search for the value of man, and the disappointment of such ideals.性格Hamlet seems to understand that his mere revenge upon his uncle would in no way solve the problems that trouble & upset him. His responsibility is thus enlarged into a radical transformation of a society. But to realize this in his own time was beyond him. This, & this only, is the cause of his profound melancholy & his delay in action. So Hamlet’s melancholy expresses, in a way, the crisis of humanism at the end of the 16th century & the beginning of the 17th century Lose the name of actionWe finally got confused about action. we dont know what is the really meaning of action.To be ,or not to beTo continue to live, or to die.His melancholy and procrastination are also revealed. Here he is pondering on the question of life and death. He is thinking of committing suicide. But he hesitates for he doubts whether death can give him rest and peace. Besides, he is not sure whether the world of death would be better than this one. He gives the reasons why he wants to commit suicide. Apart from his personal revenge (not be mentioned in this soliloquy), he can’t bear the social injustices and grievances. He is conscious of his own weakness of thinking too much which makes him dilatory, allowing many opportunities to slip away.。