The Hundred Years’ War: From Edward III to Henry V

The Hundred Years’ War

Henry V by William Shakespeare (1599)

Westmorland: O that we now had here…But one ten thousand of those men in England.

King: What’s he that wishes so? My cousin Westmorland?

Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, written in 1599. It tells the story of King Henry V of England, focusing on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt (1415) during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453).

The situation is that the French army is much bigger than the English

Read More

18th-Century Spain: Enlightenment, Neoclassicism, and Societal Shifts

Enlightenment and Neoclassicism

The European Enlightenment

In the 18th century, also known as the Enlightenment, the figure that represents the desire to modernize society according to rational standards appeared in France. Its origins are:

  • Descartes: Reason was the only way to knowledge of reality.
  • Locke and Bacon: Observation and experimentation are essential methods to analyze the world.

The main manifestation of the free spirit of enlightenment was published in France by Diderot and d’Alembert. In

Read More

Understanding Literary Devices and Poetic Structures

Literary Devices: Definitions and Examples

Allegory: A prolonged correspondence of symbols or metaphors.

Alliteration: The repetition of one or more phonemes in different words, with a perceptible rate.

Anadiplosis: Repeating the last part of a syntactic unit or a verse at the beginning of the next.

Anaphora: A series of phrases or fragments of sentences that begin the same way.

Antithesis: Also called contrast, consisting of two opposing ideas.

Apostrophe: Directly addressing a loved word, animate or

Read More

Pre-Renaissance Spain in the 15th Century: Society, Culture, and Poetry

ITEM 10: The Pre-Renaissance (15th Century)

1. Historical, Social, and Cultural Context

The crisis of medieval society was enhanced significantly in the 15th century, although it was already evident in the 14th century. It was a period considered a time of transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (which is modeled on classical thought).

Man recovers his faith in himself and becomes aware of his own individuality (anthropocentrism). Encouraged by a pagan and materialistic spirit, he believes

Read More

Spanish Poetry: Modernism to the Civil War (1900-1939)

Item 1: Spanish Poetry of the 20th Century Until 1939

Introduction

From the advent of modernism to the Civil War, Spanish poetry experienced a golden age. The writers of this stage are considered part of the Silver Age, or the second golden century of Spanish poetry.

Historical Context

  • Late 19th Century: The national politics and ideology were shaken by the disaster of 1898.
  • 1902: The reign of Alfonso XIII began. Spain became involved in a bloody war with Morocco, the effects of which culminated in the
Read More

Spanish 18th Century: Bourbon Dynasty, Enlightenment, and Culture

Historical and Cultural Context of 18th-Century Spain

Political Issues Following the Death of Charles II

Following the death of Charles II without issue, there was a change of dynasty. The Bourbons took the throne of Spain. The Bourbon monarchs were French, reformist supporters of enlightened despotism. Don Felipe, grandson of Louis XIV, was named King of Spain with the name Felipe V. This situation triggered the War of the Spanish Succession between the monarchs and the Archduke of Austria. Felipe

Read More