Literatura e política: a dramaturgia shakespeariana e o humanismo na Inglaterra

Abstract

The historical context which William Shakespeare lived (1564-1616) was marked by political, religious and cultural changes during the reigns of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) and Jaime I (1603- 1625). England at this time still had some medieval remnants and was on its way to Modernity. This transition is marked by the historical events of the Protestant Reformation, Renaissance Humanism and the advent of the press, responsible for the process of rupture with medieval structures. The Protestant Reformation made possible the greater autonomy of man face spiritual matters, since it was no longer necessary a member of the Church to intermediately communicate with God. In addition, the Reformation paved the way for the subsequent schism with the Roman Catholic Church, which would occur through the Act of Supremacy of 1534, under Henry VIII when he instituted the Anglican Church, which strengthened the English monarchy and, consequently, the power of the King. This independence of Rome occurred in England was a striking feature when it comes to the formation of national identity. Another advent was the Renaissance humanism that was responsible for the rescue of the culture of Classical Antiquity, which in turn, also promoted the valorization of man as creator. Thus, in this period of transition to Modernity, man was no longer seen as a passive figure and was beginning to acquire the critical character. In this context, Shakespearean literature in the vernacular language with its peculiar humanistic political language participates in this moment of formation of national identity for promoting the English language to the detriment of Latin, for defending the monarchical model of government headed by a legitimate ruler capable of to maintain public order and to address the lives of kings of the English ancestor, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, which made it possible to create the idea of a common national past so important in the formatting of identity