The restoration

History:

Charles 2:

Charles 2 landed in england in 1660. He was welcomed by the people who had never accepted republican ideals. A new parliament replaced the convention parliament in 1661. Charles passed the Test act imposing a strict anglicanism. All those who belonged to roman church were expelled. These acts were made by parliament only to defend its privileges and to ensure against any possible threat from the catholics. In 1664 a new dutch war broke out. At first england was victorious and obteined new amsterdam (renamed new york) but they gave up suriname.

1668 england signed a triple alliance with holland and sweden against france ruled by louis 14. But charles secretely made a treatry with france agreeding that, if holland would have been defeated, they would divide holland territories. Anyhow william of orange saved holland from the destruction.

To avoid the return of a chatolic king to the throne of england, parliament introduced the so callled exclusion bill to exclude james from the throne and give it to his daughter mary, wife of william of orange.

But charles dissolved parliament before the bill passed. Later bill was passed by house of commons. The reign of charles was marked by two terrible events: the great plague of 1665 in which 70,000 londoners died and the great fire of london in 1666.

The glorious revolution:

james the 2 tried to reintroduce catholicism into england and scotland. Rebelllions broke out in scotland and south west of england. Some eminent englishmen, altough hoped in the came of william of orange. So in 1688 they signed a official invitation to come over to england, where the general landed in november 5. At his arrive english people offered to him the throne and he was crowned with his wife queen mary2. In 1689 a important act passed, the toleration act, giving freedom of workship to dissenters but not to chatolics and the act of settlement deliberating that chatolics were excluded from the throne.

William 3 died in 1702. In the previous year the war of the spanish succession had broken out.

The war of spanish succession lasted until 1713 and covered almost all the reign of queen anne. England obteined nova scotia gibraltar minorca. During anne's reign the union of scotland and england was concluded by the act of union 1707 which stated to be one parliament sitting at westmister.

Socio-economic background.

The return of charles marked the end of puritan age and the beginning of the restoration. Cynism and libertism spread hand in hand with a certain taste for elegance and affectation. The habit of wearing masks or disguise became widespread by nobility as did the fashion for fans. The theatres were reopened and many forms of amusements were revived. The nobilty and the gentry spent much of their time in their country houses. One of the features of this period was the re discovery of country life. The result was a new attitude towards nature which was an important part of god's creation and the expression of his glory. The nobilty and the gentry however went to london on business.

There were however some positive aspects of the restoration. It was gave the title to the first scientific society of greeat britain. Many scientists contributed to the spread of new scientific methods which led to a more rational way of looking at life.

In religion the most illuminated minds asks for tollerance. In england however religion wasoften entagled with politics and this fact promoted controversy and intollerance.

Upper-classes women and lower-classes women had different functions in the social life of 17century. Women in general could not enter universities. As for economic rights women had very few or none. The demand for property rights for wives was recognized only for aristocratic women. Other women had no rights to the money they earned. They belonged to their husbands.

Literary production

We can say that the 17 century forged some of the philosofical and scientific principles which form the basis of our contemporary lifes.

All literature was affected by the new spirit of the time. Imagination was slowly replaced by reason.

Locke rejected methaphysics and declare knowledge trought experience. The ideal of knowledge was in certainty of mathematics. Locke considered both the body and the mind. The body needs to be hardened by costant exercise but also needs play and plentyful sleep. Mens sana in corpore sano.

Diarists:

the restoration also saw the flourishing of a new literary genre: the diary. The diary was a record of private thoughts in a simple telegraphic style.

Satire:

the purpose of satire in general is to attack something or somebody for various purposes, either to teach or to ridicule to denounce to moralize. techniques may vary as satire can make use of humor wit sarcasm irony or burlesque.

Samuel butler was the major satirical poet of the restoration.

Drama

The elizabethan platform stage was eliminated. Only 2 stages remained   

Restoration drama

The Restoration drama is divided into three parts: tragedy: heroic play and comedy of manners. Theatres had been closed from 1642 to 1660 (Puritan period).

Features of the theatre:

the platform stage was eliminated;

back and front stage remained;

there was a picture frame stage;

painted scenery in perspective began to be used;

two side entrances for the actors;

use of machinery to change the scene;

use of artificial lightning;

the audience was separated from the stage;

actors played one role at the time;

women play female role.

The audience:

The audience was composed of noblemen and members of the upper and middle classes: they wanted to enjoy themselves. So the theatre became the ideal place for gossiping, meeting people and feeling fashionable.

The heroic play:

developed from 1660 to 1680;

it was a very elaborate and elegant play written in imitation of epic poems;

it was a verse play in heroic couplets (rhymed iambic pentameters);

plots were complicated;

characters: heroes and heroines;

scenery: rich and over decorated;

language: high sounding(rindondante);

themes: love, honour and patriotism;

it represented the ideal of perfect heroism.

The tragedy:

It is a return to the Elizabethan theatre, but without the mix of tragic and comic elements. There was the strict observation of the three unites (Aristotle) and it was written in blank verse(unrhymed iambic pentameter verse).

The restoration comedy:

the best expression of the superficiality of the age;

it is written by and for nobles, so it reflects their vision of life;

it is a description of contemporary court society;

it shows the lack(mancanza) of ideals and the dissoluteness of the higher classes;

it is written in prose;

the style is too polite,licentious and irriverent

it wants only to  amuse(intrattenere) and to entertain(divertire);

Influences: Molière (dialogue, characters, style and language);

Calderon de la Barca (organized plot) ;

Commedia dell'arte (farcical elements);

Comedy of humors (Ben Jonson).

The characters: they have symbolic names which correspond to a precise social type:

the jealous husband;

the fop(aitante): elegant, witty(arguto) and cynical;

the lady of fashion.

Plots: complex with numerous subplots.

Setting: London, aristocratic houses.

Themes:

marriage: the means of setting rich or richer;

pursuit(ricerca) of sex and money

Features:  begins with misfortunes of the protagonist;

no death of the protagonist;.

it denounces vices and follies of the society it belongs to;

happy ending.

The Eighteenth Century

(1702-l798)

With the death of Queen Anne (1714), the Stuart family was extinguished. According to the Act of Settlement, the British throne could not go to a Catholic. The nearest Protestant relation was the Elector of Hanover (a German state on the Baltic Sea), who was the great grand son of James I: George I. He spoke German, not English, and had no knowledge of British customs or policy. He had to rely completely on the Whig party. This had important consequences, laying the foundations for that form of Parliamentary monarchy that has been existence ever since. The Prime minister is responsible to the king: there was the development of the cabinet. Parliament was formed by people chosen, not by the king, but by the major party. Sir Robert Walpole was the prime minister form 1715 to 1717. He was a capable leader; in fact there was a period of peace and prosperity. He was accused of corruption and of being a dictator. So there is the oligarchy: well-bred and educated gentlemen represented the interests of the establishment. Then became to the throne George II, son of George I, who ruled the country from 1727 to 1760. There was the war of Austrian succession, in favour of Marie Therese of Austria. The war started in 1740: Great Britain and Holland against France, Spain and Prussia. The war ended in 1748 with the peace of Aquisgrana: Great Britain had not advantages. Then there is the maritime war against Spain that leaves Great Britain in a difficult position; the Jacobite rebellion in Scotland to regain the throne defeated by British army. There is also the Seven Years' War: England and Prussia against all the rest of the world. They won the war and they took control of Senegal, Canada (from France), territories of East Mississippi, the Caribbean and the Louisiana. Also in India Britain had few commercial ports.