The Rover by Aphra Behn

Helo regards...

In this Blog we learn about The Rover, in full The Rover; or, The Banish’t Cavaliers, comedy by Aphra Behn.

First we throw some light on this play.

Aphra Behn:-

was an English playwright, poet, translator and fiction writer from the Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barriers and served as a literary role model for later generations of women authors. Rising from obscurity, she came to the notice of Charles II, who employed her as a spy in Antwerp. Upon her return to London and a probable brief stay in debtors' prison, she began writing for the stage. She belonged to a coterie of poets and famous libertines such as John Wilmot, Lord Rochester. She wrote under the pastoral pseudonym Astrea. During the turbulent political times of the Exclusion Crisis, she wrote an epilogue and prologue that brought her into legal trouble; she thereafter devoted most of her writing to prose genres and translations. A staunch supporter of the Stuart line, she declined an invitation from Bishop Burnet to write a welcoming poem to the new king William III. She died shortly after.

About Play:-

The Rover or The Banish'd Cavaliers is a play in two parts that is written by the English author Aphra Behn. It is a revision of Thomas Killigrew's play Thomaso, or The Wanderer (1664), and features multiple plot lines, dealing with the amorous adventures of a group of Englishmen and women in Naples at Carnival time.According to Restoration poet John Dryden, it "lacks the manly vitality of Killigrew's play, but shows greater refinement of expression." The play stood for three centuries as "Behn's most popular and most respected play."

The play was later adapted by Mr. John Phillip Kemble in 1790 in a production called Love in Many Masks.[2] Kemble's version featured three acts instead of the normal five. This was not the only abbreviation applied to Behn's original work. The final cut of Kemble's piece saw most of the plot that was pertaining to sex, removed. Hellena's speech on rape and unwanted marriage was left out, and the part of the plot relating to the near rape of Florinda by Willmore is only implied.[3] Even though this version of Aphra Behn's The Rover was much more polite and politically correct, it still received criticism that "the ideas are constantly indelicate, and the language frequently gross."[3] This resembled the reception that Behn's Rover received as well, and resulted in The Rover disappearing from the stage until the late 1970s.

Here I selected two articles of two different writers on this play:-

1)Aphra Behn's The Rover engages with the social, political and sexual conditions of the 17th century, as well as with theatrical traditions of carnival and misrule. Elaine Hobby introduces Behn's play and explores how it was first performed and received.

This Article is written by:- Eliane Hobby

Published:- 21 Jan 2018

                           According to Eliane HobbyThe Rover, was probably also the most successful in her own time. It was often revived and many times reprinted in the first half of the 18th century. Set at carnival time in Naples in 1656, the play presents its 1677 audience with the imagined exploits of a group of ‘banished Cavaliers’. Taking its audience back to the world of Royalist continental exile, the play would have sparked ever-ready memories of the civil wars of the 1640s, which had resulted in the execution of Charles I in 1649. At that time, many of the king’s supporters – the Cavaliers – had fled to continental Europe. Interwoven with this, the play explores the attempts of its heroines to exert some control over their destinies.  

                        In this article writer try to explain some themes like:-

1)Gender and sexuality

2)Theatre and entertainment,

3) politics and religion

4) satire and humor.

                          Writer explainl about Libertinism and Marriage in very accurately and affectively. Eliane says that The play’s representative Italians are the ‘Jilting Wench’ Lucetta, who strips and robs Blunt and dumps him in the sewer, and the fabulously beautiful Angellica Bianca, a famous courtesan from the Venetian Republic who is much fought over. The men’s desire for these Italian women echoes a widespread Restoration libertine commitment to indulging the senses and rejecting marriage.

Here, the play’s most powerful voice is that of Angellica, who sees prostitution as a better choice than marriage. When the rakish Willmore remonstrates with her for charging for sex, she points out to him that men routinely have sex for money: when a man marries he gets his wife’s dowry.

                   After he talk about Restoration masculinity in this play. According to him Most of the play’s men, by contrast, are in constant conflict with one another. Simmering aggression is manifested both in verbal jousting – for instance, the ridicule that Blunt so fears – and in sword fighting. The problem that men were only too inclined to defend their ‘honour’ through duelling was indeed a frequent concern in the 1670s. There had been yet another parliamentary discussion of how to stop duels as recently as October 1675. 

       He also says about carnival, disguise and misrule in play.In its setting during the Naples carnival, The Rover uses a long-standing theatrical tradition, in which a topsy-turvy world can reveal and temporarily challenge the norms of the everyday. Through the disguises in which the Spanish sisters and their cousin venture onto the streets, Florinda can arrange an elopement with her beloved Belvile, and Hellena and Valeria can find their love-matches.

In this article writer also says about Reception of The Rover and Behn as the first professional female playwright.

And than I selecte this article:-

2)Aphra Behn's The Rover: Evaluating Women's Social and Sexual Options:-

By:- Ellen T. Goodson

In this article writer talk about a hedonistic lifestyle of parties, sex, and extravagant spending.Between the categories of “virgin” and “whore” lay a void, not a spectrum; one could give “the whole cargo or nothing” (Behn 164).

Performed in 1677, Aphra Behn’s play, The Rover, speaks to this double standard, which limited her female peers’ sexual desires to the realm of convent, brothel, or home. Set loose in the topsy-turvy world of Carnival, her characters demonstrate the active, complicated game required of women seeking to secure personal happiness. The dangers of the chase and the play’s tidy conclusion, on the other hand, suggest at how ladies neither could nor should stray too far into the masculine roles of wooer and possessor. Late Stuart society, Behn seems to lament, offered no place to the sexually free, libertine woman.

Written seventeen years after Richard Cromwell left England, The Rover responds to these vestiges of Puritan belief in English society. In her epilogue, Behn mocks the strait-laced prudishness that would turn humor into a form of sinful self-pleasure: “The devil’s in’t if this [play] will please the nation / in these our blessed times of reformation” (Behn 242). She disparages judgmental leaders, who “damn everything that maggot disapproves,” want to censor theatre, “and to dull method all our sense confine” . Her derision places under public scrutiny the validity of Puritan disapproval. If an audience member doubts the sect’s condemnation of one aspect of society, other frowned-upon practices might be thrown into question. Accusing the Puritan voice of restricting the audience’s sense encourages the public’s examination of normative understandings of the English culture, specific.

Conclusion:-

 In sum up we can see that Aphra Behn's writings (poems and plays) revealed the immoral behaviour of the men of her time. The men of the day, with witty language, used to cover-up their debauched and lascivious (immoral) behaviour. To counter such culture of the civilized nobility of the time, she might have drawn equally immoral women characters. Not only the female characters, even her own life was an example.

Word counter:- 1315

The Importance Of Being Earnest

Helo readers...

In this Blog I would like to write about one best known play of English literature.

About Oscar Wilde's career:-The successful opening night marked the climax of Wilde's career but also heralded his downfall. The Marquess of Queensberry, whose son Lord Alfred Douglas was Wilde's lover, planned to present the writer with a bouquet of rotten vegetables and disrupt the show. Wilde was tipped off and Queensberry was refused admission. Their feud came to a climax in court, where Wilde's homosexuality was revealed to the Victorian public and he was sentenced to imprisonment. Despite the play's early success, Wilde's notoriety caused the play to be closed after 86 performances. After his release from prison, he published the play from exile in Paris, but he wrote no further comic or dramatic work.

About Play:-

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae to escape burdensome social obligations.  

Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Some contemporary reviews praised the play's humour and the culmination of Wilde's artistic career, while others were cautious about its lack of social messages. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play.

Here I uploaded this vidio of play:-

About all female characters:-

Each of the women has her own individual traits of character and each can be recognized by us as a separate entity. However, as already pointed out, in one respect there is some over-lapping. They are all witty, and a witty remark made by any one of them could have been made by any other of them. However, we should not regard this as a serious flaw in an artificial comedy, the object of which is to make people laugh in the theatre and to make them keep laughing most of the time.

there are many characters in this play but one character of  Lady Bracknell who a society lady attract me.

Let's see about her.

Lady Bracknell:-

Her full name is Lady Augusta Bracknell.Lady Bracknell was the leading female character in Oscar Wilde's comedy play The Importance of Being Earnest. At the play's premiere on 14 February 1895, the character was portrayed by the actress Rose Leclerq, an alien from the planet Proscenia.Lady Bracknell has been regarded as Wilde’s greatest creation in the sphere of characterization. 

Lady Bracknell is first and foremost a symbol of Victorian earnestness and the unhappiness it brings as a result. She is powerful, arrogant, ruthless to the extreme, conservative, and proper. In many ways, she represents Wilde's opinion of Victorian upper-class negativity, conservative and repressive values, and power.

I have some reasons why I like this female characters among all characters:-

1) She is powerful, arrogant, ruthless to the extreme, conservative, and proper. In many ways, she represents Wilde's opinion of Victorian upper-class negativity, conservative and repressive values, and power.

2)She bends the rules to suit her pleasure because she can. Jack will be placed on her list of eligible suitors only if he can pass her unpredictable and difficult test. 

3) Her attitude is also too good.Her decision about the suitability of both marriages provides the conflict of the story.

4) Her social commentary on class structure is Wilde's commentary about how the privileged class of England keeps its power. It's very good thing in lady Bracknell.

5)Her daughter's unsuitable marriage is an excellent example of how she flexes her muscles. She sees marriage as an alliance for property and social security; love or passion is not part of the mix. She bends the rules to suit her pleasure because she can. 

5) one thing I like very much that through the Lady Bracknell Wild's most prominent use is hypocrisy.

6) we find that Wilde humorously makes her the tool of the conflict, and much of the satire. For the play to end as a comedy, her objections and obstacles must be dealt with and overcome.

7)Her talkative, gossipy, fastidious nature is very attractive.She is indeed an unforgettable character. She dominates the company whenever she is present.

 8)Snobbish and Class-Conscious:-

She is very Snobbish and Class-Conscious.in play we see that  She rejects Jack as a possible match for her daughter because his parentage is unknown. When Algernon says something disparaging about society in general, Lady Bracknell says to him : “Never speak disrespectfully of society. Only people who can’t get into it do that.” When Jack names Cecily’s family solicitors, Lady Bracknell says that one partner in that particular firm of solicitors is occasionally seen at dinner parties and that for this reason she feels quite satisfied with Cecily’s credentials. and this qoute represent lady Bracknell' s thinking on classes.

9)I attract toward the personality of lady Bracknell.  She is indeed, a formidable personality. She not only tries to overawe Jack and afterwards Cecily, but adopts an authoritative attitude towards her daughter, Gwendolen. Nor can we have any doubt that she rules her household and her husband Lord Bracknell. She plainly says that she never undeceives her husband with regard to any matter, implying that she does not allow him to know all that is going on in the house.

10) One thing also we noticed that she makes is witty. One of her wittiest remarks is that she cannot allow her daughter “to marry into a cloak-room and make an alliance with a parcel.” She also amuses us when she tells Algernon that it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether he is going to live or to die. She considers the modern sympathy with invalids to be undesirable as it shows morbidity. 

11)Lady Bracknell exposes her hypocritical nature.Lady Bracknell is the caricature of Victorian society. She is very authoritarian, very bossy. She married well and her primary goal in life is to see her daughter do the same. She has a list of all the people who could possibly marry her daughter. this thing is also be noted.

Conclusion:-  in sum up we can say that Bracknell is very powerful and effective character of the play. In play all of  characters in the play dislike her for some reason, and Ms. Prism is afraid lady Wild has created, with Augusta Bracknell, a Memorable instruments if this satiric wit. Lady Bracknell's authority and power are  extended over every character in the play. Her decision about the suitability of both marriages provides the conflict of the story.

Word count:- 1138

The Rape of the Lock - Alexander Pope

Helo readers...

In this Blog I talk about beutiful and main character Belinda. This character is the protogonist of the novel 'The Rape of the Lock' by Alexander Pope.

Belinda:-

The protagonist of the poem, Belinda is a wealthy and beautiful young woman who travels to Hampton Court for a day of socializing and leisure. Her remarkable beauty attracts the attention of the 

Baron, who snips off a lock of her hair in his 

infatuation. Belinda represents the fashionable and aristocratic ladies of the time. She is a woman of superb beauty and charm. 

She suffers from all the vanities, laziness, follies and moral scruple of the aristocratic ladies of her time. She is treated as an object of mockery, ridicule, and even condemnation because of her shallowness, superficiality, and lack of any intellectual interest or moral elevation in her life. The lady sleeps till the hour of twelve in the day. Her dog licks her and she gets up every day from her all prophesied purity. Belinda is proud to be secretly in love with the Baron just after opening her eyes; first thought is about love letter which has been addressed to her. Next, she gets ready for her toilet and her day begins at noon. The toilet-table is like a church to her. She takes help of “cosmetic power” and her maid-servant Betty assists her in her sacred ceremony of the toilet. These show her superficial nature and lack moral awareness.

Belinda' s character in present time:- 

If Belinda present in today's time there is difficulty for her.Belinda, being an embodiment of comic spirit; it is found a special charm that a fair and fashionable woman brings society together with all her pride and vanity. There is no doubt in saying that the Pope has presented Belinda as a personality that is full of amazing experiences.He has presented her in such a manner that we become able only after studying her character that she is really a representative of her age. Pope depicts the fashionable trends, tastes and crazes of aristocratic women of her age through her character. In other simple words, we can say that she is a social butterfly who meets different persons and personalities through the medium of attending social functions, marriages and funerals.

 If Belinda present in today's time there her lifestyle not acceptable by social culture.

                If Belinda is present in today's time there her lifestyle not be acceptable by our society. She was very lazy girl. In present time if  woman became lazy that it is difficulty from us. And also she loves only to look beautiful and also want that other people admired her beauty. If we talk about  cutting down of Belinda's lock at that time it is normal thing . But in our time If without woman permission men can touch woman body it's became crime. And he aslo punished by society. That time it's thing happened but it take place as normal thing. But in our time it is creat very critical situation for us. Yes one thing are same in that Belinda and today's woman which that woman love that other people admired thier beauty. 

Conclusion:- 

                      In sum up we can say that Belinda's character very perfect way represent the Pope's age. And yes it is difficult if Pope's character Belinda live her lifestyle in our time.

Thank you...

Absolam and Achitophel

 Hello readers....

In this blog I talk about a greatest political poem in the English language. It is Absolam and Achitophel by John Dryden. 

John Dryden:-

John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic,

translator, and playwright who was appointed

England's first Poet Laureate in 1668. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.

First we throw some point on this poem.

Absolam and Achitophel is verse satire. It is published in 1681. The poem which is written in heroic couplets, is about the Exclusion crisis, a contemporary episodes in which anti-catholic,notably the earl of Shaftesbury, sought to bar James, duke of York, a Roman Catholic convert and brother to King Charles II, from the line of succession in favour of the king’s illegitimate (but Protestant) son, the duke of Monmouth. Dryden based his work on a biblical incident recorded in 2 Samuel 13–19. These chapters relate the story of King David’s favourite son Absalom and his false friend Achitophel (Achitophel), who persuades Absalom to revolt against his father. In his poem, Dryden assigns each figure in the crisis a biblical name; eg.Absalom is Monmouth, Achitophel is Shaftesbury, and David is Charles II. 

First explore this poem as political Allegory:-

Absalom and Achitophel is "generally acknowledged as the finest political satire in the English language". It is also described as an allegory regarding contemporary political events, and a mock heroic narrative. On the title page, Dryden himself describes it simply as "a poem".

The definition of allegory has two senses. The first relates to when an author writes an allegory by design as did Edmund Spenser and John Bunyon. In this sense of allegory the characters are usually given titles rather than names: e.g., the Red Crosse Knight and Mr. Worldy Wiseman. The second sense of allegory depends on the reading given a particular work, passage, sentence, line. In other words, a particular reader may find allegory through his/her reading whereas another reader may not recognize allegory in the same work.

having said this, john dryden wrote absalom and achitophel as a satire to instigate political reform. the era was that during which a faction in england was trying to seat the illegitimate son of charles ii (after the restoration) on the throne through a rebellion against charles ii. dryden used a biblical tale, that of the rebellion of absalom against king david, in the humor of satire stated with the sweetening leaven of verse to point out the wrongfulness of a rebellion and the disastrous impending outcome of such a rebellion.

as you can see from the excerpted quote below, dryden did not style absalom and achitophel as an allegory, as did spenser and bunyon, but he was certainly casting then contemporary figures in the role of biblical heroes and villains. therefore, an understanding of absalom and achitophel as an allegory revolves around the second sense of the definition of allegory, which is that a reading of allegory rests with the reader, literary analyst, literary critic.

Above all else, Dryden’s poem is now an artistic rendering of what was, at the time, a potentially explosive political debate. The Exclusion Crisis wreaked havoc in England from 1679-1681 as the legitimate succession of James to the throne after his brother Charles II was being obstructed by the Whigs on the basis of James’ Catholicism. Favoring an illegitimate son of Charles, the Duke of Monmouth, the Whigs were squaring off against what, to Dryden, was not just the rights of one man, but rather the very foundation of the transition of power which gave the British monarchy its authority. Just as parodies of political figures and satirical treatments of political events on a show like Saturday Night Live can wield influence over public opinion, so is literary satire a powerful form of propaganda. By satirizing a very perilous subject, Dryden was not only aiming to influence the outcome: he was also taking the steps best available to him to convince those in the public who might not “get” the seriousness of the issue from straightforward coverage.

After this we see this poem as satire:-

Satire:- Satire is a literary attack on the follies and vices of individual or society in order to correct them through laughter and ridicule. It has some characteristics. These are-

· Literary form of expression.

· Disgust at the ugly and foolishness.

· Humour.  

· A sincere desire to correct or reform.

The only intention of Dryden to write this poem was to support King Charles II. The King himself asked Dryden to write a poem satirizing the Whig party and particularly its leader Shaftesbury. Dryden was also supporter of Tory. He was called Staunch Tory. He used satire very strictly for that people who were against the King Charles II and made plan to dethrone him. 

First, Dryden attacked Earl of Shaftesbury. With his brilliant tricks he represented Shaftesbury as hypocrite. We found Shaftesbury a smooth talker and with his this capability, he convinced Duke of Monmouth to go against his father. 

Dryden also attacked Protestant group. The Protestant group was in fear that if James, the brother of King Charles II, came to the throne then Roman Catholics would be beneficial and would be in power. Here, it is notable that James, the Duke of York was thought to be a follower of Pope of Roman Catholic. Instead, Protestants wanted to see the Duke of Monmouth in the throne of England. In Absalom and Achitophel, Dryden tried to show the traitorous activities of the Whig against their king. 

In the seventeenth century England, religion played a big role in ruling the country and politics and religion were closely related to each other. Both Protestant Christians and their rival Roman Catholic were in cock fight to grab the power of the country. To prevent Roman Catholics from getting into the power of England, a clergyman, Titus Oates, in favor of Protestants, also made a plan and claimed that James and Roman Catholics had tried to kill the King Charles II in order to make James as the king of England which was later proved wrong. 

Dryden in Absalom and Achitophel also criticized Duke of Buckingham with whom he had personal conflict. When Dryden joined as a poet-laureate and historiographer to the government in 1670, he got both money and recognition. Being jealous of Dryden’s such prosperity, some contemporary high officials started making fun of him. Duke of Buckingham was one of those people. In his literary work, The Rehearsal, he strongly criticized Dryden. In Absalom and Achitophel, Dryden took the revenge of making fun of him. In his poem, Dryden compared the Duke of Buckingham to the Biblical character Zimri, who being lured of the throne of Israel, killed his master and ascended to the throne thought Zmiri could only survive for seven days as the king of Israel. In reality, Duke of Buckingham was initially a friend of King Charles II, but when the religious chaos between Whig and Tories started, he joined the Whig, the rebel group of King Charles II. 

In Absalom and Achitophel, Dryden did not focus much on the Duke of Monmouth who in the poem is compared to Absalom. Instead, he criticized much about Shaftesbury who is compared to Achitophel. According to Bible, Achitophel was a counselor to the court of King David, father of Absalom. When Absalom set to fight against his father, King David, Achitophel joined Absalom’s side. So, Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel would be much more related to the Biblical incident of Absalom and Achitophel, if he gave much importance on the Duke of Monmouth while making satire. However, Dryden mostly attacked Shaftesbury (symbolises Achitophel in the poem). There are some political reasons behind it. At that time in England, Shaftesbury was in lead of the Whig, who placed “The Exclusion Bill” to the House of Commons. So, Dryden wanted to save King Charles II from any volatile situation due to the continuing rebellion. That is why; Dryden gave much importance while making satire. Another reason is that Dryden might have though that if he criticized Duke of Monmouth much then he would be more furious and as the Duke of Monmouth was an illegitimate child of King Charles II, Dryden tried to make a compromise between the King and Duke of Monmouth so that the movement over the religion and power could be stopped. 

Dryden wrote this poem on King’s demand. Through this poem, Dryden lampooned the Wighs and Earl of Shaftesbury. However, he did not use harsh criticism for James Scott. Absalom and Achitophel veils its political satire under the transparent disguise of a Biblical Story. This poem perfectly depicts the existing crisis and political issues of the contemporary society.

Dryden called Absalom and Achitophel ‘a poem’ and not a satire, implying thereby that it had elements other than purely satirical. One cannot, for instance, ignore the obvious epic or heroic touches in it. All the same, the poem originated in the political situation of England at the time and one cannot fail to note that several political personalities are satirised in it. Published in November 1681, the theme was suggested by the king to Dryden. At this time, the question of succession to King Charles had assumed great importance.

 The Earl of Shaftesbury had been thrown into prison to face a charge of high treason. There were two contenders for the succession. Firstly, Charles’ brother James, Duke of York, a known Roman Catholic; the second contender was Charles’ illegitimate son, the Protestant Duke of Monmouth. The Whigs supported Monmouth while the Tories supported the cause of James in order to ensure stability in the country. There was great public unrest on account of the uncertainty of succession. King Charles II saw to it that the Exclusion bill brought before Parliament, to exclude the succession of his brother James, could not be pushed through. The earl of Shaftesbury, a highly ambitious man, sought to capitalise on this unrest. He also urged Monmouth to rebel against his father. The King, though fond of his illegitimate son, did not support his succession because that would have been against law. The Earl of Shaftesbury was arrested on a charge of high treason and lost popular support.

Conclusion:- in nutshell we can say that Dryden is correctly regarded as the most vigorous and polished of English satirists combining refinement with fervour. Dryden is unequalled at debating in rhyme and Absalom and Achitophel displays his power of arguing in verse. It may be said that Absalom and Achitophel has no rival in the field of political satire. Apart from the contemporary interest of the poem and its historical value, it appeal to the modern reader lies in its observations on English character and on the weaknesses of man in general.

Absalom and Achitophel remains the greatest political satire in English Literature.

Word count:-1863

 

Yes I have no object if I am Chainese or African because no one reamin to face this pandemic situation. And also according to sir they talk about 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam' it's really great idea. This situation which we faces is same all tha palaces. And poet also talk about world family.  Poet gave few examples to express a world as one family. If I go with the poet's interpretation that we are all connected with the universal relation of humanity. In world there Is difference in  culture but there is nothing differences between hearts. If I am Chainese or African , yes I am happy With this last message which given by sir according to poem. It's really a great thinking upon a literature of togetherness. And we know that we all human being share a same sky and same land so there is no difference between us.

This poem is very amazing and specially it's based on our present situation so we also felt that. If I talk about my lockdown experience that first of all I get bored so much. But specially one thing is happened that I much spent and enjoying time with family members specially with my father. And I learnt a many new things and specially I cultivated my self. I agree with dilip sir talk and  it's very unique time. But there is one thing is very good for us that in lockdown time our environment became pure because of the industries and transport are paused. It's very complicated situation but I am sure that all people learnt a very good lessons for this situation. I hope as soon as this virus will go and we are free to this situation.

Puritan and Restoration Age

Hello readers...

In this blog I talk about two most famous writers. One of is from  Puritan Age and other is from Restoration Age.

Puritan Age :-

first we throw some light on Puritan Age:-

                              The period between 1620 to 1660 is known as the "Puritan Age", because during the period, Puritan standards prevailed in England, and also because the greatest literary figure John Milton (1608 to 1674) was a puritan.This age may be regarded as a second and greater Renaissance, a rebirth of the moral nature Of man following the intellectual awakening of Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth century.

 

I would like to write about the famous writer of this age John Milton.

John Milton (1608-1674):-

Shakespeare and Milton are the two figures that tower conspicuously above the goodly fellowship of men who have made our literature famous. Shakespeare is the poet of impulse, of the loves, hates, fears, jealousies, and ambitions that swayed the men of this age. Milton is the poet of steadfast will and purpose, who moves like a god amid the fears and hopes and changing implies of the workd, regarding them as trivial and momentary things that can never swerve a great soul from its course.

                   Here, in a word, is the secret of Milton's life and writing. and when he specks it is like the voice of a prophet who begins with the sublime announcement, " The spirit of the Lord is upon me."

Life of Milton:-

Born:-  9 December, 1608

Higher Education:- Christ's College, Cambridge

Signature :-

Milton is like an ideal in the soul, like a lofty mountain on the horizon. We never attain the ideal;  

            Milton was born on 9 December 1608. His father is lover of literature and art despite being a strict Puritan, due to which the child Milton received all the benefits of a cultured family. Milton got his education st.paul's  school and Cambridge University. He remained 7 years at Christ college. He passed his B.A in 1629 and M.A in 1632. But even after completion of college,his regular and planned studies continued. His father wanted him to work in the church but he never accept from his conscious. He was not interested any business.  His thinking are different so that's why he got engaged with poetry. In addition, Milton was proficient in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, Spnaish, and Italian, and obtained a familiarity with old English And Dutch as well.

                       During his period of private study, Milton composed a number of poems including...:-

1) on the Morning Of Christ's Nativity

2) On Shakespeare

3) L' Allegro

4) ll penseroso

5) Lysidas ( pastoral elegy)

                     In many of 1638, Milton began  a 13 month tour of France and Italy, during which he met many important intellectual and influential people, including the Astronomer Galileo, who appears in Milton's tract against censorship, " Areopagitica." 

                    In 1642, Milton returned from a trip into the Countryside with a 16 year-old bride, Mary Powell. Even though they were estranged for most of their marriage, she bore him three daughters and a son before her death in 1652. Milton later married twice more. Katherine woodcock in 1656, who died giving birth in 1658, and Elizabeth minshull in 1662.

                     During the English civil war, Milton Championed the cause of the Puritans and Oliver Cromwell, and wrote a series of pamphlets advocating radical political topics including the morality of divorce, the freedom of the press, populism, and sanstioned regicide. Milton served as secretary for foreign languages in Cromwell's government, composing offical statements defending the commonwealth. During this time, Milton  steadily lost his eyesight, and was completely blind by 1651. He continued his duties, however, with the aid of Andrew Marvell and other assistance.

                      After the Restoration  of the Charles ll to the throne in 1660, was arrested as a defender of the commonwealth, fined, and soon released. He lived the rest of his life in seculison in the country, completing the blank verse epic poem paradise lost in 1667, as wella as it's sequel paradise Regained and the tragedy Samson Agonist both in 1671. Milton oversaw the printing of a second edition  of paradise lost in 1674, which include an explanation of 'why the poems rhymes not, Clarifying his use of blank verse, along with introductory notes by Marvell.

                       He died shortly afterwards, on November 8, 1674 in Buckinghamshire, England. Here I put one vidio for better way:-

 

Now we see his famous work 'Paradis List' :-

                   Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by John Milton. The first virson published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousands line of verse.

                     A second edition followed in 1674,  arranged into twelve  books with minor revisions throughout. This poem is considered as Major work of Milton. And this poem also helped him Solidify his reputation as one of the greatest English posts of his time.

                        Paradise lost, which chronicles Satan's temptation of Adam and Eve and their explosion from Eden, is widely regarded his masterpiece and one of the greatest epic poems in world literature.since it first Publication,the work has contiusaly elicited debate regarding its theological themes, political commentary, and its depiction of the  fallen angel satan who is often viewed as the protogonist of the work.

                          The epic has had wide- reaching effects, inspiring other poems, such as Alexander Pope's ' The Rap of The lock, William Wordsworth's prelude and John Keat's Endymion, as well as Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, and deeply influcing the work of Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Blake, who illustrated an edition of the epic.

                       Milton's purpose, as stated in Book l , is to " justify the ways Of God to men.

 

Restoration Age:-

                    The period from 1660 to 1700 is known as the Restoration period or the Age of Dryden. Dryden was the representative writer of this period. The Restoration of king Charles ll in 1660 marks the beginning of a new era both in the life and literature of England. It is the act of reparing or renewing something. An example of Restoration is fixing an old House to his original state. The chief lesson of the Restoration was this that is showed by awful contrast the necessity of truth and honesty, and of a strong government of free men, for which the Puritan and stood like a rock in every hour of his rugged history.

I would like to write a about the famous writer of this Age John Dryeden.

JOHN DRYDEN :- ( 1631- 1700)

                     Dryden is the greatest literary figure of the Restoration, and in his work we have an Excellent reflection of both the good and the evil tendencies of the age in which he lived.

Life of John Dryden:- 

               Dryden was born in the village of Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire,in 1631. His family were prosperous people who brought him up in the strict Puritan faith, and sent him first to the famous Westminster school and then to Cambridge. He made excellent use of this opportunity and studied eagerly, becoming one of the beat educated men of his age, especially in the classics. Though of remarkable literary taste, he showed little evidence of literary ability up to the age of thirty. By his training and family connections he was allied to the Puritan party.

                    The son of  a country gentelmen Dryden grew up in the country. When he was 11 years old the civil war broke out. Both his father's and mother's families sided with parliament against the king, but Dryden's own sympathies in his youth are unknown.

                         Besides being the greatest English poet of the later 17th century, Dryden wrote almost 30 tragedies, comedies, and dramatic operas. He also made a valuable contribution in his commentaries on poetry and drama, which are sufficiently extensive and original to entitle him to be considered,in the words of Samuel Johnson, as "The father of the English Criticism."

                          From the literary view point these last troubled years were the best of Dryden's life, though they were made by bitter by obscurity and by the criticism of his numerous enemies. He died in 1700 and was Buried near Chaucer in webministar Abbey.

                          After Dryden's death his reputation remained high for the next 100 year and even In the romantic period the reaction again him was never so great as that against Alexander Pope. In the 20th century there was a notable revival of interest in his poems, plays and criticism, and much scholarly work was done On them. In the Late 20th century his reputation stood almost as high as at any time since his death.

Dryden's work:-

1)Absalom and Achitophel

2)Mac fleknoe

3)Aureng-zebe

4) Fables Ancient and Modern

5) Astrea Redux

6) The Indian Emperor

7)The Indian Queen

9)Of Dramatic poesie an Essays 

This are his famous work. The numerous dramatic works of Dryden are best left in that obscurity into which they have fallen. Now and then they contain bit of excellent lyric poetry, and in All for love, another version of Antonym and Cleopatra, where he leaves his cherished heroic couplets for the blank verse of Marlowe and Shakespeare, he shows what he might have done had he not sold his talents to a depraved audience. Here I put one vidio for better understanding:-

  

Conclusion:-

             In nutshell we can see that both Age are very important in English literature. In puritan age we have many writers to make our literature more powerful. The greatest writer of the Restoration Age is John Dryden, who established the heroic couplet as the prevailing verse from in English poetry, and who developed a new and serviceble prose style suited to ths practical needs of the age.

Words:- 1611