Characteristics of Modernism/ Modernist Literature

• What is Modern? When we say 'Modern', it automatically signifies that there was something ancient or old. Then we can differentiate that things which are not ancient or old or traditional are modern.

• Dictionary gave me meaning of the word Modern:-

• Pertaining to a current or recent time and style, not ancient.
• Synonym- contemporary.
• 
  
• Antonym- dated, old, pre modern, ancient.

●"The Modern Age"(1901-1950).A.C. Ward- the Setting        

• It is very difficult to differentiate when particular movement in history began or ended. We cannot give exact dates. But then even various critics have tried to put Modern age into different periods.

• When any new thing starts in history it doesn’t became particular movement rapidly. But after a long time people realizes the traces, seeds of that movement or age/epoch, which later on recorded by historians by keeping in mind particular references. The same case happens with all the great ages or says The Modern age also.

• Categorizing is very much western idea. They see in linear way like rail bogies, whereas for Indians everything is in cyclical nature (life-death-rebirth). My point is that thus they differentiate history also in various compartments.

• Literature captures fluctuations of time/ society. Literature is affected/ influenced by society. So whatever was happening in early 20th century that time is captured in The Modernist Literature.

• Modernism:-

• Although the term “modernism” generally refers to the collective literary trend in the early twentieth century, it more precisely applies to a group of British and American writers—such as James Joyce, Ezra Pound, and T. S. Eliot—who crafted carefully worded images in colloquial language. In the broader sense of “modernism,” early- twentieth-century writers broke up the traditional plot structure of narratives, experimented with language, fragmented ideas, played with shifting perspectives, and drew self-conscious attention to the very nature of language itself. Postmodern writers playfully create allusions, contradictions, meta-narratives, and linguistic games in order to disrupt reader expectations of fixed, objective references. (online literature.com)

• In Modernism Experimentation and individualism became virtues, where in the past they were often heartily discouraged In contrast to the Romantic world view, the Modernist cares rather little for Nature, Being, or the overarching structures of history. Instead of progress and growth, the Modernist intelligentsia sees decay and a growing alienation of the individual. The machinery of modern society is perceived as impersonal, capitalist, and antagonistic to the artistic impulse. War most certainly had a great deal of influence on such ways of approaching the world. Two World Wars in the span of a generation effectively shell-shocked all of Western civilization.

• It is a literary & artistic movement that provided a radical break with traditional modes of western art, thought, religion, social convention & morality. Major theme of this period include the attack on notion of hierarchy, experimentation in new forms of narrative such as stream of consciousness, doubt about the existence of knowledge, objective realty, attention to alternative viewpoints & modes of thinking, and self referentiality as a means of drawing attention to the relationship between artist and audience, and form & content.

●How this age is important for Europeans?

• It is the age when human race moved faster forward and backward than during perhaps fifty generations in the past. It brought progress and regress both. (Scientific revolution-aero plane, other means of mass slaughter in two world wars, with nuclear power bring threat of universal destruction) (In peace time motor car & motor cycle gave almost unlimited mobility to millions).

▪Victorians V/S Modernist

• in the study of literature few things are most interesting than to consider periodic changes of outlook which sway the human mind and spirit, and to observe those fluctuations of value which cause the truths and certainties of one generation to appears as superstitions and baseless conventions in the eyes of the generation following. (Ward)

• Young men & women during 20th century looked back upon the (Victorian Age) as dully hypocritical.

• -Victorian ideals appeared mean and superficial and stupid.

• From 1901 to 1925 English Literature was directed by mental attitudes, moral ideals and spiritual values at almost the opposite extreme to the attitudes, ideals & values governing Victorian literature.

• The old certainties were certainties no longer.
• Everything was held to be open to question.

Question

Examine

Test→ watchword of Modern Age.

• Standard of artistic craftsmanship and of aesthetic appreciation began to change fundamentally.

• What he Victorians had considered beautiful their children and grandchildren thought hideous.

• Intellectuals and artists at the turn of the 20th century believed the previous generation’s way of doing things was a cultural dead end.  They could foresee worlds events were spiraling into unknown territory. The stability and quietude of Victorian civilization were rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

• The post Victorian generation disliked the furnishings of Victorian households; they were even more contemptuous of the furnishings of the Victorian minds.

• In the Victorian age there was a widespread and willing submission to the rule of expert.
• The voice of authority was accepted in religion, in politics, in literature, in family life.

Victorians

Modernist

hypocritical, artificial emotional literature-simple traditional narrative technique (Aristotle) Hardy, Dickens etc. never broke the tradition of writing-way of telling. Religion Bible Without questioning willing submission to the rule/voice of expert/authority/religion. Bible -Adultery is a sin. 'MASK' old morality Believer Living in a house built on unshakable foundations and established in perpetuity. sense of stability. Home, constitution, Empire, religion are the best form. Permanence of institutions. Our empire will never shaken.

Realistic Rational all broken (Fragmented) stream of consciousness ( experimentation) no respect for tradition science 'Origin  of species', 'Interpretation of Dreams' Faith in Freud & Darwin- book (The Descent of Man) than the voice of God in book of Genesis. &evolution Freud-it is just bodily need. Removed that MASK New Morality Skeptical- (somebody denying knowledge is possible) doubtful- question everything Agnostic-(somebody denying God's existence is provable). H.G.WELLS- MEANWHILE UNIVERSAL MUTABILITY NOTHING IS PERMANENT Camp side-modernist idea Body is home- we've to leave it. All these Victorian ideas challenged. You Victorians were wanted to eat fruits of garden of entire world- their own generation.  the great Victorian and Modernist conflict Morally and mentally frustrated great Britain. Tess of D’Urbervilles- Hardy Victorians don’t see the beauty of heart but see bodily beauty. Hardy-Tess-a pure woman Criticized earlier now classic. If you question, then you are bad (religion, father, guru. etc.) G. B .SHAW-Question, examine old superstitions. 'INTERROGATIVE HABIT OF MIND' Major Barbara-quote-you will upgrade things but not thinking &morality. G.B.SHAW &H.G.WELLS-PIONEER Conflict with forefathers. MASSMAN became important in 20th century. Mass production & threat/death of craftsmanship. Reader Response Theory emerged↓ Author is dead Craftsmanship is not important. Reader: i will generate my meaning. JAMES JOYCE-ULYSSES T.S.ELIOT-THE WASTE LAND V.WOOLF-JACOB'S ROOM- ------Esoteric (abstruse) Difficult to understand. requires high intellect to understand deep-philosophical,  feeling of uneasiness, restlessness

• ♣ Characteristics of Modernism / literature

•  High degree of complexity in structure
• Anxiety and interrogation
• reworks tradition (Kumar)
•  Works are intensely self-reflexive, exploring the process of their own composition.
• Are often Fragmented and nonlinear, breaking up time frames and plots.
• Some critics identify a sense of apocalypse & disaster in modernism.
• City based.
• It is also located in the context of Empire and world wars, of advanced military technology.
• A great deal of experimentation with language and form.
• An interest in subjectivity and the working of the human consciousness.
• Often rejects realism & the idea that art has to capture reality.
• Modernist fiction defamiliarizes or makes strange what is common.
• MAKE IT NEW- is the Modernist slogan.
• Highly elitist because it was complex and used allusions and classical references that called for great erudition- which was available only to certain classes of people.
• FRUSTRATION
• FRAGMENTATION
• ISOLATION
• BROKENNESS
• NOTHINGNESS     Characteristics of modernist Literature.

‘Evaluate/discuss salient literary features of renaissance

vIntroduction:-

During Elizabeth’s reign in Milton’s word we suddenly see England “ a noble and puissant nation, rousing herself, like a strong man after sleep and shaking her invincible locks”. With the queen’s character, a strange mingling of frivolity and strength which reminds one of that iron image with feet of clay.

        Under her administration the English national life progressed by gigantic leaps rather than by slow historical process, and English literature reached the very highest point of its development.

·      Literary features /characteristics of this age*

•  Abundance of output:-

•  The New Romanticism:-

• ü Poetry:-

• Renaissance age

• Ø Humanism

• Ø Nationalism

• Ø A new approach to life

• Ø A new spirit in art

• Ø Architecture

• Ø Literature and learning

• Ø The growth of the vernaculars and

• Ø Scientific investigation.

• 

ü New Classicism:-

By the time of Elizabeth the renaissance had made itself strongly felt in England. In particular, there was an ardent revival in the study of  Greek, which brought a dazzling light into many places of the intellect. The new passion for classical learning, in itself a rich and worthy enthusiasm. In all branches of literature  Greek and Latin usages began to force themselves upon English, which results not wholly beneficial. English did not emerge unscathed, from the contest but applied to this slight extent, the new classical influence were a great benefit. They tempered and polished the earlier rudeness of English literature.

As we have pointed out, the historical situation encouraged a healthy production. The interest shown in literary subjects is quite amazing to a more chastened generation. Pamphlets and treatises were freely written and literary questions became almost of national importance.

        The Romantic quest is for the remote, the wonderful and beautiful. All their desires were abundantly fed during the Elizabethan age, which is our first and greatest romantic epoch. On the one hand, there was revolt against past, on the other there was a daring and resolute spirit of adventure in literary as well as other regions. And most important of all , there was an unmistakable buoyancy and freshness in the strong wind of the spirit. It was an ardent youth of eng. Literature and achievement was worthy of it.

Though the poetical production was not quite equal to the dramatic, it was nevertheless of great and original beauty. As can be observes from the disputes of the time, the passion for poetry was absorbing and the outcome of it was equal to expectation.

ü Prose:-

For the first time prose rises to a position of first rate importance. The dead weight of Latin tradition was passing away. English prose was acquiring a tradition and a universal application. And so the rapid development was almost inevitable.

ü The Drama:-

The drama made a swift and wonderful leap into maturity in this age, yet it has still many early difficulties to overcome. On more than one occasion between 1590 and 1593 the theaters were closed owing to disturbances caused by the actors. In 1594 the problem was solved by the licensing of two troupes of players. Another early difficulty the drama has to face was its fondness for taking part in the quarrels of the time.

        In spite of such difficulties, the drama reached the splendid consummation of Shakespeare’s art but before the period closed decline was apparent.

ü Religious tolerance:-

        The most characteristic feature of the age was comparative religious tolerance, which was due largely to the queen’s influence. Upon her accession Elizabeth found the whole kingdom divided against itself, the north was largely catholic, while the southern countries were as strongly protestant.

        Elizabeth favored both religious parties, and presently the world saw with amazement Catholics and protestant acting together as trusted counselors of a great sovereign. The defeat of Spanish armada established the reformation as a fact in England. And at the same time united all Englishman, in a magnificent national enthusiasm. For the first time since the reformation, the fundamental question of religious toleration seemed to be settled. And the mind of man, freed from religious fears and persecutions turned with great creative impulse to other forms of activity. It is partly from the new freedom on the mind that the age of Elizabeth received its greatest literary stimulus.

 Social contentment:-

        It was an age of comparative social contentment. The rapid increase of manufacturing towns gave employment to thousand who had before been idle and discontented. Increasing trade brought enormous wealth to England.

        The increase of wealth, the improvement of living, the opportunity for labor, the new social content- these are factor, which help to account for the new literary activity.

 Age of dreams,adventure and unbounded ENTHUSIASM:-

        It is an age of dreams, of adventures, of unbounded enthusiasm springing from the new lands of fabulous riches revealed by English explorers. Drake sails around the world, shaping the mighty course which English colonizers shall follow through the centuries, and young philosopher Bacon is saying “ I have taken all knowledge for my province”.       “ THE MIND MUST SEARCH FARHTER THAN EYES”. With new rich lands opened to the sight, the imagination must create new forms to people the new worlds. While her explorers search the new worlds for the fountain of youth, her poets are creating literary work that are young  forever. Cabot, Gilbert, Raleigh- a score of explorers reveal a new earth to  men’s eyes, and instantly literature creates a new heaven to match it. So dreams and deeds side by side and THE DREAM IS EVER GREATER THAN DEED. That is the meaning of literature.

        To sum up, the age of Elizabeth was a rime of ‘intellectual liberty’, ‘of growing intelligence’ and ‘comfort among all classes’, ‘of unbounded patriotism’ and ‘of peace at home and abroad’.

In the age of Elizabeth literature turned instinctively to the drama (rise of drama) and brought it rapidly to the highest stage of its development.

The characteristics of renaissance are…

The renaissance stood for Humanism, the sympathetic and devoted study of mankind, instead of the theological devotion of the middle ages. Petrarch is regarded as the father of Humanism. this movement could be regarded  for the turning away from the medieval tradition of asceticism and theology towards an interests in man’s life on earth.

        The rise of rational spirit and of scientific investigation gave rise to a new approach to life whereas the medieval approach was based on reason. It laid emphasis on the importance of critical examination and evaluation of ideas and principles.

   

     The Renaissance led to  significant results. It brought about a transition from the medieval to the modern age. The period witnessed the end of the old and reactionary medieval spirit, and the beginning of the new spirit of science, reason and experimentation. The Renaissance gave a great impetus to art, architecture, learning and literature which reached tremendous heights.

Hamlet by Shakespeare

It is said that "HAMLET" is the second most ever read book in the world, the first is Bible. This shows how great the text is. It is also said that there are three texts most debated and discussed by scholars & critics again and again is Oedipus, HAMLET and Waiting For Godot. Because there is SOMETHING for which we have to go there again and again.

"TO BE OR NOT TO BE THAT IS THE QUESTION." No one can forget this line who have study the masterpiece of Shakespeare.even after hundreds of year of "HAMLET" publication, the book is still alive because of Psychological depth given to the play.

"HAMLET" - a play is a tragedy of a thinking man. Thinking  and  thinking and never putting into action. Hamlet constantly remain in dilemma that whether to take revenge or not.

 Hamlet is the prince of Denmark, the title character, and the protagonist, about thirty years of age at the start of the play. Hamlet is the son of the queen Gertrude and the late king Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king Claudius. We can say that Hamlet is a play concerned with son’s revenge for the murder of his father. It is a story concerned with murder, sudden violence and the slower but more deadly reaction to that violence.

dual personality, to be or not to be

Ø      Salient features of Renaissance in ‘HAMLET

Hamlet – a Renaissance character in a medieval world.

                     In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Fortinbras and Leartes are medieval characters. As character of this era they are driven by chivalry and hence the duty of revenge through murder. However, in the medieval world that comprises the setting of the play. Hamlet represents a character of an altogether different age. Shakespeare shapes Hamlet as a thinker who questions and examines the world around him in his own pursuits of revenge. Thus, because of his fundamentally different approach to the world than the medieval character of Fortinbras and Leartes, Hamlet can be considered as a Renaissance character. More specifically Hamlet’s renaissance view on his worlds develops him both as an Elizabethan ere Humanist and Nihilist. Thus, through Hamlet, Shakespeare illustrates humanity’s struggle with the purpose and meaning of man.

ü      HUMANISM:-

As an Elizabethan character, Hamlet is part of Renaissance era movement, which believes in worth of all humans and that truth can be found through introspections.

  

     Another aspect of Renaissance thinking was what modern society would call NIHILISM, which proposes that human existence in fact has no meaning and thus there is no purpose to life. These two philosophy of renaissance, an appreciation that life is essential meaningless cause Hamlet’s inner strife and set him apart from the medieval characters, who are solely driven by chivalry.

       As a Humanist, education and individual thought bring Hamlet to examine the purpose of man’s existence. With the exception of Horatio, a fellow student from the Wittenberg. Hamlet is the only character in the play with academic and intellectual aspirations. Hamlet’s wish to go back to school in Wittenberg demonstrates his desire for Knowledge, a yearning not present in the vast majority of characters in Hamlet. Thus, with Hamlet’s humanistic intellectual pursuit, Shakespeare separates him from his medieval counterparts.

   

    Hamlet’s individual thought also leads him to exclaim to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern ‘what a piece of work is man, how noble of work in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god: the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals’.

       In his speech Hamlet asserts that he values man and states that he believes that man is marvel, close to perfection and thus through these lines, demonstrates Hamlet’s Humanism. however, Hamlet’s intellect and insight leads  to his self-doubt regarding the importance of man and brings about his conflicting nihilism, establishing him as a character at odds.

   

    Hamlet’s speech to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern concludes with an expression of his nihilism. He states “ and yet, to me what quintessence of dust? Man delights not me, no, nor woman neither”. these nihilistic sentiments questions the purpose of life, suggesting that all humanity will eventually become dust. Indeed, in a sense these statement is a contradiction of hamlet’s previous words of admiration for mankind, and Shakespeare use this passage to clarify the identify the two forces pulling in Hamlet- his Humanism and his nihilism. Hamlet’s nihilism once again becomes apparent in his character close to the end of the play in the scene with gravediggers, when he states, “Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returned  to dust; and dust is earth, of earth we make loam”. His nihilism  also brought him to conclusion that Alexander, Julius Ceaser and all human eventually died.

       Despite his wish to take revenge he is not able to kill Claudius because the inability to carry out the medieval style of revenge, because  his renaissance thought pattern represent a tension between the rhetoric of medieval society and reasoning of Elizabethan  era.

       The word renaissance literally means “rebirth”, in the context of the English renaissance , the rebirth refers to a renewal of learning, especially in terms of new beliefs and ways of doing things differently from the middle ages. Characteristics of renaissance include a renewal interest in classical antiquity, a rise in humanist philosophy( a belief itself , human worth and individual dignity) and radical changes in ideas about religion, politics and science.

Here are some characteristics which we found in HAMLET

ü      Classical Antiquity:-

       Hamlet has lot if references to classical Greek and Roman stories, characters and historical events. We can find a murderous king (Pyrrhus) and a queen in mourning over the murdered husband (HECUBA) which mirrors the main plot of the play.

ü      Humanist Philosophy:-

In act 2 , scene 2 , line 311, Hamlet asks: “ what a piece of work is man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties….”. in this speech we can see a clear assertion of humanist ideas about the uniqueness and extraordinary abilities of the human mind.

ü      Politics:-

       There were a big political changes taking place during the time that Shakespeare wrote  Hamlet. This Is reflected by Hamlet’s questioning of Claudius’s to ascend the throne in his father’s place. It was new idea to question anything having to do with the ‘natural’ hierarchical structures that maintain political power.

ü      Religion:-

In Hamlet’s most famous soliloquy , which begins ‘TO BE OR NOT OT BE’, he alludes to an unknown afterlife. “the undiscovered country”, strict belief that people either go to heaven or hell when they die.

ü      Science:-

This point is illustrated by  Shakespeare’s use of the ‘Play within Play’ in Hamlet. Here prince Hamlet’s play, THE MOUSETRAP  , is presented to the court supposedly as entertainment , but Hamlet’s intent is to go rather obvious evidence of Claudius’s guilt for the murder of his father. Says Hamlet “………the play’s the thing where I’ll catch the conscience of the king”

Ø      *Conclusion*

Thus , in many ways we can say that HAMLET is a Renaissance play

John Donne's Poetry

‘JOHNDONNE’(1573-1631)

Born: between 21 Jan. and 19 June, 1573, London, England.

Died: 31 march 1631 (aged 59) London, England.

Occupation: poet, Priest, lawyer

Alma mater: oxford university

Genre: satire, love poetry, elegy, sermons.

Subject: love, sexuality, religion, death.

Literary movement: Metaphysical Poetry

        Donne is considered the pre eminent representative of the Metaphysical poet. His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and include sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, song satires, and sermons.

     
   His poetry is noted for vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially to that of his contemporaries. Donne’s style is characterized by abrupt opening and various paradoxes, ironies and dislocation. These features along with his frequent dramatic or everyday speech rhythms, his tense syntax and his tough eloquence, were both a reaction against the smoothness of conventional Elizabethan poetry and an adaptation into English of European baroque and mannerist techniques. His early career was marked by poetry that bore immense knowledge of English society and he met that knowledge with sharp criticism.   

Another  important theme in Donne’s poetry is the idea of true religion, something that he spent much time considering about which he often theorized. He wrote secular poems as well as erotic and love poems. he is particularly famous for his mastery  of the metaphysical concepts.

Donne’s earliest poems showed a developed knowledge of English society coupled with sharp criticism of its problems. his satire dealt with common Elizabethan topics, such as corruption in the legal system, mediocre poets, and pompous courtiers. His images of sickness, vomit, manure and plague reflected his strongly satiric view of a world populated by all the fools and knaves of England. His third satire however, deals with the problem of true religion, a matter of great importance to Donne.

Donne’s early career was also notable for his erotic poetry, especially his elegies, in which he employed unconventional metaphors, such as a Flea biting two lovers being compared to sex. In his elegy ‘To His Mistress going to bad, he poetically addresses his mistress and compare the act of fondling to the exploration of America.

Donne is generally considered the most prominent member of the metaphysical poets, a phrase coined in 1781 by Samuel Johnson. In his book Johnson refers to the beginning of the 17^th century in which there ‘appeared a race of writers that may be termed the Metaphysical Poets.  

Donne is considered a master of metaphysical conceit, an extended metaphor that combines two vastly different ideas into a single ideas, often using imagery.

An example of this is his equation of lovers with saints in ‘the colonization’. Unlike the conceits found in other Elizabethan poetry, most notably Petrarchan conceits, which formed clichéd comparison between more closely related objects. Metaphysical conceits go to a greater depth in comparing two completely unlike objects. One of the most famous of Donne’s conceit is found in “A Valediction: forbidding Mourning” where he compares two lovers who are separated to the two legs of a compass.

Almost all the metaphysical poets made an attempt to display their learning by making use of the far-faced images and conceits. They didn’t depend upon easily available images. They brought their images from the various fields just like, science, engineering, architecture, geography, agriculture and many other fields.

The poems like ‘pulley’, ‘the church porch’, ‘to his coy mistress’, the sun riding’ are some of examples of far faced images for the expression of love and also for the expression of faith in god.

John Donne and his followers made a conscious attempt to differ from the poets of the previous age- the Elizabethan age. They believed in ‘go beyond something’, ‘to do something which no one had ever done before’.

All this are the characteristics of the renaissance in John Donne’s poem.

"Paradise Lost" by John Milton

 ‘Paradise lost’

-       John Milton (1608-74)      

Milton was born in Bread street cheapside, London. He was educated at St. Paul’s school, London, and at Cambridge.

The great bulk of Milton’s poetry was written during two periods separated from each other by twenty years.  (1) the period of his University career and his study at Horton, from 1629 to 1640 and (2) the last years of his life , from about 1660 to 1674. The years between were filled by few sonnets.

        Milton’s style of writing is very Grand,(lofty style) so he became difficult to reads than other poets. it Is said that there was nothing written or printed which was not read by Milton.

Paradise Lost is a long epic poem in 12 books. The story of the epic is taken from the Bible. Major theme of this poem is Disobedience. The time and place of poem where it was written is 1656-1674, England, which is regarded as a Renaissance era of our English literature. Milton was also located in that time so that we can see effect of renaissance in his work paradise lost also.

 Renaissance features in paradise Lost

Ø Freedom

Ø Free will to exercise power

Ø Human choice (will power)

Ø Humanism

Ø Questioning spirit

Ø Adventure (of Eve)

Ø Love for human (humanism/ Adam- Eve)

Ø Wish/desire to become superior, powerful like God

Ø Challenge to God

Ø Not blind follower of Religion

Ø Ambition/aspirations

Original story of the Paradise Lost is taken from the Bible. Every character comes from the Bible. In the Bible all the characters are marginalized except god. It does not put fair emphasis on human and human perspectives. But Paradise Lost is a work of literature and literature always have human perspective. And as a result of human perspective Milton had scope to draw the characters freely. And Milton was situated in the renaissance era, so that Milton gave Paradise Lost a renaissance touch.

Renaissance spirit can be seen in the Paradise Lost. For example Eve’s quest for knowledge. Eve is not satisfied with what she had. Adam tells her many times that be careful about he Satan. But then even Satan succeeds in tempting Eve. And basic element in happening so is her desire, quest for knowledge. After so many warnings she ate forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. In her heart she had strong desire to get something more which is the basic spirit of renaissance.

        The renaissance is the rebirth of the human consciousness, the consciousness of being an individual, aspiring for the infinite. The renaissance was a breaking free from the restrained imposed by the feudal-ecclesiastical combine of the middle ages that reduced human being to cogs in the social machinery, enforcing a struck hierarchical and preventing upward   mobility for the imaginative journey.

The renaissance was therefore the rebellion of the free mind which would seek to realize its infinite potentiality and man of universalism. ‘nothing less than infinite can satisfy man’ declared Blake, the romantic imbued with the spirit of the renaissance. Satan imbued with the same renaissance ambition would rebel against god and thereby achieve infinite power such as Troletsch has pointed out ‘ the renaissance spirit would exploit his circumstances, the government as well as religious machinery  in order to ascend , socially, intellectually and spiritually.

        In telling the story of the fall of the man , Milton fully expresses the spirit of the renaissance . one of the fundamental attributes of Milton’s character was his love of freedom and the spirit of independence. In the story of the Adam there was the conflict between pre destination and free will. Without entering into theological controversy we can say that Milton was all for freedom, and pointed out how Adam plucked the fruit  out of his free will.(included no doubt by Eve) though he had been commanded by god not to do so. And as a result of Disobedience he fell under the heavy wrath of the god.

        Paradise Lost is great by reason of its vast imaginative range, and its deep moral earnestness. It was the influence of the renaissance, with spirit of humanism.

        After eating the first bite of the fruit from  the  forbidden tree of knowledge Eve thinks to became Equal and Superior to Adam. She also asks questions a lot to Adam.

“Are we free if we are inferior?”- EVE

 Eve also questions/ challenges god by telling them that Maker (God)  told them that they are free to do anything, but they constantly live under fear of Satan. In Paradise God told them to be happy but how can be they happy? Eve asked, where is happiness and free will if they have to live under fear?- wonderful question asked by Eve. ‘MAKER IS NOT PERFECT’. EVE challenges god . above all questions and arguments shows the questioning spirit of renaissance.

        Adam and Eve are also adventurous that they  dare to eat fruit which was forbidden be god. they  were aware about the heavy wrath of the heaven, though they eat, which is renaissance spirit.

        She taste the fruit because of desire to become God. she wanted to know more, to be more powerful. Adam and Eve are free to do anything, thus free will is also renaissance spirit depicted in the Paradise Lost.

Humanism/ love for human:-

When Adam comes to know about Eve’s taste of the forbidden fruit, he told that he can’t live without Eve. So he willingly takes step to eat the fruit. He knowingly disobey the god, for the sake of love. His intention was noble. Love for Eve (human) dragged him to do so. He sacrificed himself, thinks for other. He is not selfish. He prefers Eve over paradise and god. This all are the spirit of renaissance in the Paradise Lost.

Ø conclusion

        Thus quest for knowledge, Humanism, questioning spirit, desire to became god, ambition etc are the Renaissance characteristics in the Paradise Lost.