Difference in General Writing Characteristics between Famous Dramatists during English Renaissance

楊曉麗

The Renaissance is a cultural movement，which started in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe.It had a great influence on literature，philosophy，art and other aspects of intellectual inquiry.

Drama is a performing art and primarily written for theater.Actors and the directors not only use words but also depend on the power of spectacle to bring out the desired effect of the play and to realize the intended goal of the dramatist.The Renaissance period in England saw a great growth in drama as an art form and public entertainment.Renaissance playwrights Christopher Marlowe，Ben Jonson，and William Shakespeare are considered by scholars to be among the greatest writers in history.They，respectively，have their own writing characteristics.

Christopher Marlowe was one of the earliest popular playwrights of the time.His work mainly dealt with tragic subjects，characterized by heroes brought down by their ego.Experts believe his plays contain magnificent passages of prose and poetry，and include Tamburlaine，The Jew Of Malta，and The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus.

Possibly Marlowe's greatest gift to English literature was his metre.Marlowe was the real creator of the most famous unrhymed decasyllabic line called blank verse.What Marlowe did was to revise the internal structure of the single line and he created lines with four，three even two groups of sounds.By using these devices，Marlowe transformed blank verse from a stiff and monotonous to a varied and flexible metre，which gave the author more creative freedom than any other before or since.

Marlowe's writing is reflective of the spirit of the Elizabethan age in a number of ways.His subject matter and characters in his plays often question the validity of the church.He has been criticized for being an atheist，for example he was accused of blasphemy in his portrayal of Helen in Dr.Faustus.Lastly，Marlowe contributed greatly to English literature.His works are excellent on their own； though he also revitalized the tragedy as well as developing blank verse.He used drama as his chief form of writing，and his subject matters were demonstrative of this age，for example the loss of belief in the church，and he wrote in iambic pentameter which became very popular before the end of this age.

The best known comedian of the English Renaissance was Ben Jonson，who had great success in the London theater scene in 1598 with the comical Every Man In His Humor.Frequently satirizing political officials，Jonson often found himself arrested or threatened by officials throughout his career.

Jonson's plays show the touch of a conscientious artist with great intellectual ability.His vast erudition is constantly apparent.He is a towering literary figure at his time，and his influence is enormous for he has been described as one of the most vigorous minds that ever added to the strength of English literature.His artistry exerts a lasting impact upon English poetry and stage comedy.Besides，Jonson's satirical comedies and his theory and practice of“humor characters”is extremely influential，providing the blueprint for many other comedies.

Among the shortcomings of his plays，there is a lack of feeling and of universality.He fails to comprehend the nature of woman.He is not a sympathetic observer of manifold life，but presents only what is perceived through the frosted glass of intellect.His art is self-conscious.He defiantly opposed the romantic spirit of the age and weakened the drama by making it bear the burden of the classical unities.

Besides following the popular forms of his day，Shakespeare's general style is comparable to several of his contemporaries.His works have many similarities to the writing of Christopher Marlowe，and seem to reveal strong influences from the Queen's Men's performances，especially in his history plays.His style is also comparable to Francis Beaumont's and John Fletcher's，other playwrights of the time.

Shakespeare's works express the complete range of human experience.His characters were human beings who commanded the sympathy of audiences when many other playwrights' characters were flat or archetypes.Hamlet knows that he must avenge the death of his father，but he is too indecisive，too self-doubting，to carry this out until he has no choice.His failings cause his downfall，and he exhibits some of the most basic human reactions and emotions.Shakespeare's characters were complex and human in nature.By making the protagonist's character development central to the plot，Shakespeare changed what could be accomplished with drama.

The works of the Renaissance playwrights were revolutionary in their choice of subject matter and use of poetic language.Productions of their plays have remained popular since the 16th century，and continue to constitute a large portion of live theater repertoire.