The robin hood ballads

The Robin Hood ballads, numbering some forty separate ballads, were written down at various times but not earlier than in the 14th and 15th centuries. Robin Hood, England's favourite hero, is a character partly historical, partly legendary. He must have lived in the second half of the 12th century, during the reign of Henry n and his Son Richard I (the Lion-Hearted). The older ballads tell us much about the Saxon yeomen, who were famous archers and keen hunters. Being ill-treated by the Norman robber-barons, they longed to live free in the forests with Robin as their leader. The ballads always tell of persons who were robbed by the Church or the feudal barons, or imprisoned by the foresters and sheriffs. Robin is the relentless enemy of the Norman oppressors and always helps the country-folk in their troubles- Though the sheriff put a big price on Robin's head, not a Saxon in all Nottinghamshire betrayed him.

Robin is an outlaw and lives in Sherwood Forest, which in those days was quite near the town of Nottingham. He is smart and clever, "with a twinkle in the eye". Whenever the sheriff or the king sends out a party of men to catch him, Robin fights with so much vigor that his enemies, amazed at his bravery, confess themselves beaten' and stay with him in the forest. They become "the merry men of Robin Hood". His friends are Little John (he is 7 feet tall); Friar Tuck, a jolly monk; and Allan-a-Dale , a musical young man, who was a great singer.

In the 16th century many new episodes were introduced into the ballads. They were arranged in series, the most popular of which was "The Jolly Life of Robin Hood and His Merry Men in Sherwood Forest".' Here is one of the heroic Robin Hood ballads told in prose.

Lecture 8

The Theme: THE RENAISSANCE

The Plan

1. Historical Background.

2. Sir Walter Raleign (1552 – 1618).

3. Sir Thomas More. His life and work.

4. Christopher Marlowe (1564 – 1593).

Literature

1. Аракин В.Д. Практический курс английского языка. – М.: Владос, 1998. – 536 с.

2. Abbs B. Starting Strategies. - Longman, 1977. Aston H. Streets Ahead. - Book 1. - OUP,1990.

3. Bell J. Pre-Intermediate. - Longman, 1995.

4. Black V. Fast Forward 1 .- OUP, 1986. - P. 7.

5. Hartley B. Streamline English Departures. – OUP, 1978. - P. 2 - 6.

6. Richards J. Interchange 1/-CUP, 1990. - P. 2 - 8.

7. Sinclair B. Active Your English. Pre-Intermediate. - CUP, 1995/

8. Soars L. Headway. Elementary.- OUP, 1993/

9. Swan M. The New Cambridge English Course. - CUP, 1991/

10. Vimey P. Grapevine 1 .- OUP, 1989.

11. Volosova T.D., Rogoff V.V. English Literature. – M.: Prosvescheniye, 1994. – 240 p.

The renaissance

Historical Background. The Renaissance, or the Revival of Learning, which is another English term for it, was the period wlien European culture was at its height, a period unsurpassed by any other before or after it. The coming of this great and glorious epoch, which lasted from the 14th century till the 17th, was caused by complex economic and social conditions.

At that time the feudal system was being shattered by the bourgeoisie, which was getting stronger and stronger. The old social order didn't answer the demands of the new class that was rapidly gaining strength. The boundaries of different duchies and counties hindered the development of trade. It was more profitable for merchants to . be united under a single ruler. In opposition to feudal discord, absolute monarchy came into being, and feudal domains, once almost independent, came under one-man power. This led to the forming of nations in the. true sense of the word, and, as a natural consequence, to the creation of national languages. The first stage in the appearance of the bourgeoisie on the historical arena is called the.period of the pri­mary accumulation of capital.

New social and economic conditions called for a new ideology, because the Catholic dogmas did not correspond to the new trend of life. For that reason in many European countries different varieties of the Protestant religion sprang up and national Churches were established. Contrary to medieval concepts, according to which man was but an insignificant grain of sand whose every move was ordered by the will of God, the new ideology proclaimed the value of human 1 individuality, the value of individual initiative and enterprise, me value of man as such, whatever his birth and social standing. Instead of the blind faith ordered by the Catholic religion, great importance was assigned to intellect, to experience, to scientific experiment! 6'his new outlook was called Humanism. It could not accept the old theological views, and took the art and science of ancient Greece and Rome for its basis, hence the term "the Revival of Learning". When in 1453 the Turks captured Constantinople and the Empire of Byzantium ceased to exist, a number of Byzantine scholars fled to Europe and began teaching the Greek language and literature, which up to that time was unknown there. The time demanded positive, rational knowledge, and the demand was supplied in astronomy, by Copernicus; in medicine, by Vesalius and Servetus;¹ in philosophy, by More, Montaigne and Bacon; in philology, by Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam – to name but a few. Great geographical discoveries were made by Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Femando. Magellan and many others. Leonardo da Vinci put forth a new theory and practice ofar.

It was the greatest progressive revolution that mankind had a far experience, a time which called for giants and produced giants – giants in power and thought, passion and character, in universality and learning. The men who founded the modem rule of the bourgeoisie had anything but bourgeois limitations. On the contrary, the adventurous character of the time imbued them to a greater or less degree. There was hardly any man of importance then living who had not travelled extensively, who did not command four or five language, who did not shine in a number of fields. For the heroes of tint time had not yet come under the servitude of the division of labour, the restricting effects of which, with .their production of onesidednes, we so often notice in their successors. But what is especially chara:. teristic of them is that they almost all pursue their lives and activities in the midst of the contemporary movements, in the practical struggle; they take sides and join in the fight, one by speaking and writing, another with the sword, many with both. Hence the fullness and force of character that makes them complete men."

An example of a typical man of the Renaissance period was the famous Englishman, Sir Walter Raleigh.