SECTION A: INTRODUCTION
English drama had its origins in the religious performances of the Middle Ages. Mystery plays, miracle plays and morality plays dominated medieval theatrical culture. Although these forms provided an important foundation, Renaissance humanism gradually changed the character of English literature and drama. The Renaissance brought renewed interest in Greek and Roman classical literature, human individuality, secular learning and artistic experimentation. English writers began to study classical models while attempting to create a distinct national drama. The growth of London as a cultural and commercial centre, together with the increasing popularity of public theatres, created favourable conditions for professional dramatists. Before William Shakespeare reached the height of his dramatic genius, a group of educated and talented writers had already begun transforming English drama.
These writers are traditionally known as the University Wits. They were mainly university-educated playwrights and poets associated with Oxford and Cambridge Universities who wrote during the later sixteenth century. Their dramatic activity helped English theatre move away from the medieval tradition of religious and morality plays toward the sophisticated secular drama of the Renaissance. Their university education exposed them to classical literature, rhetoric and humanist thought. At the same time, their involvement with the commercial theatre encouraged them to write plays for a popular audience.
Who Were the University Wits?
* Christopher Marlowe — Cambridge University.
* Robert Greene — Cambridge University.
* Thomas Nashe — Cambridge University.
* John Lyly — Oxford University.
* George Peele — Oxford University.
* Thomas Lodge — Oxford University.
* Thomas Kyd is often included in lists of the University Wits, although he did not attend a university.
The group was not a formal literary society. The writers differed greatly in style, subject matter and dramatic technique. What united them was their participation in the intellectual and theatrical culture of Elizabethan England and their contribution to the transformation of English drama.
The University Wits played a crucial transitional role in English literary history. They transformed drama from relatively simple medieval and early Tudor forms into a more sophisticated Renaissance art. They contributed to:
~ the development of blank verse
~ the growth of secular drama
~ the development of English tragedy
~ the development of revenge tragedy
~ stronger characterization
~ more ambitious dramatic plots
~ richer dramatic language
~ the use of classical and Renaissance themes
~ the expansion of public theatre
~ the preparation of the Elizabethan stage for Shakespeare
Their works demonstrated that English could become a powerful language for serious dramatic poetry.
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe is generally considered the greatest dramatist among the University Wits before Shakespeare. He studied at Cambridge University and became one of the most influential dramatists of the Elizabethan age.His major plays include Tamburlaine the Great, Doctor Faustus, The Jew of Malta and Edward II. Marlowe revolutionized English dramatic verse through his powerful use of blank verse. Ben Jonson later famously referred to Marlowe's dramatic verse as the “mighty line.” His protagonists are often ambitious individuals who attempt to exceed ordinary human limitations. Tamburlaine seeks limitless political power, while Faustus seeks unlimited knowledge and supernatural power. Marlowe's heroes therefore embody the Renaissance spirit of individualism, ambition and aspiration, but their excessive desires frequently lead to destruction. His dramatic achievement lies particularly in combining powerful characterization, poetic language and grand themes.
Robert Greene
Robert Greene, a Cambridge-educated writer, was another important University Wit. His major dramatic work includes Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, which combines magic, love, ambition, political conflict and national history. Greene's drama is notable for its romantic, lyrical and pastoral elements. His characters often experience conflicts between desire and duty. His interest in magic and supernatural power connects his drama with the Renaissance fascination with knowledge and the unknown. He was also an important prose writer. His prose romance Pandosto later influenced Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. His literary career demonstrates the close relationship between prose romance and Elizabethan drama.
John Lyly
John Lyly, an Oxford-educated writer, is best known for his prose work Euphues, from which the term Euphuism derives. Euphuism is characterized by elaborate rhetoric, balanced constructions, antithesis, alliteration and decorative language. Lyly brought this highly artificial style into his dramatic writing. His important plays include Endymion and Campaspe. His drama is associated particularly with the courtly audience and contains elements of mythology, romance and allegory. Lyly's contribution is significant because he helped refine dramatic dialogue and prose style. His influence can also be seen in the development of witty and sophisticated dialogue in later Elizabethan drama.
George Peele
George Peele, educated at Oxford, contributed to the development of romantic and historical drama. His best-known works include The Old Wives' Tale and Edward I. Peele's dramatic style is lyrical and decorative, and his plays demonstrate the increasing variety of Elizabethan theatrical forms.
Thomas Nashe
Thomas Nashe, a Cambridge-educated writer, is better known as a satirist, pamphleteer and prose writer than as a dramatist. His famous prose work The Unfortunate Traveller is an important example of Elizabethan prose fiction. Nashe also collaborated with Ben Jonson on The Isle of Dogs, a controversial play that contributed to official hostility toward the theatre. Nashe represents the energetic, satirical and often rebellious spirit of Elizabethan literary culture.
Thomas Lodge
Thomas Lodge, an Oxford-educated writer, was a poet, prose writer and dramatist. His famous prose romance Rosalynde later became an important source for Shakespeare's As You Like It. He also collaborated with Robert Greene on A Looking Glass for London and England. His contribution demonstrates how Elizabethan drama was connected with contemporary romance, poetry and prose fiction.
Thomas Kyd and Revenge Tragedy
Although Thomas Kyd did not attend a university, he is frequently discussed alongside the University Wits because of his major contribution to Elizabethan drama.
His masterpiece, The Spanish Tragedy, is one of the most influential early revenge tragedies in English literature. The play contains several features that became characteristic of revenge tragedy: murder, revenge, madness, ghosts, violence, delay and the play-within-the-play device. Its central character, Hieronymo, seeks revenge for the murder of his son.
Kyd's achievement was particularly important because he established a dramatic model that strongly influenced later writers, including Shakespeare.
University Wits and Shakespeare
The University Wits are particularly important because they helped create the theatrical environment in which William Shakespeare emerged.
Shakespeare did not simply copy them; rather, he inherited and transformed many of their innovations.
Marlowe demonstrated the power of blank verse and the dramatic potential of the ambitious individual. Kyd developed revenge tragedy. Greene and Lodge contributed romantic plots and prose traditions. Lyly refined witty and rhetorical dialogue.
Shakespeare brought these developments together and expanded them through extraordinary psychological depth, structural complexity, poetic variety and characterization.
Thus, the relationship between the University Wits and Shakespeare can be understood as one of preparation and transformation. The University Wits opened many dramatic possibilities that Shakespeare later developed to their fullest potential.
IN CONCLUSION, the University Wits occupy a crucial position in the history of English drama. They stood between the older medieval theatrical tradition and the mature Renaissance drama of Shakespeare. Through their university education, classical learning, rhetorical skill and engagement with the professional theatre, they transformed the possibilities of English drama. Christopher Marlowe gave dramatic blank verse extraordinary power; Robert Greene enriched drama with romance and magic; John Lyly refined courtly language and Euphuism; George Peele contributed romantic and historical drama; Thomas Nashe brought satire and intellectual energy; Thomas Lodge connected prose romance with drama; and Thomas Kyd, though not a university graduate, established the powerful tradition of revenge tragedy. Their greatest achievement was not merely the production of individual plays but the creation of a new dramatic language and imagination. They prepared the Elizabethan stage for Shakespeare and helped establish English drama as one of the great literary traditions of Europe.
For UGC NET and SET preparation, the most important associations to remember are:
1. Marlowe — Cambridge — Mighty Line — Overreacher — Doctor Faustus
2. Greene — Cambridge — Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay
3. Lyly — Oxford — Euphuism — Endymion
4. Peele — Oxford — The Old Wives' Tale
5. Nashe — Cambridge — Satire — The Unfortunate Traveller
6. Lodge — Oxford — Rosalynde — As You Like It
7. Kyd — No university — The Spanish Tragedy — Revenge Tragedy
SECTION B: MCQs WITH EXPLANATIONS
1. Who are generally known as the “University Wits”?
A. A group of Puritan poets
B. A group of educated Elizabethan dramatists
C. A group of Metaphysical poets
D. A group of Jacobean dramatists
Answer: B
Explanation: The term University Wits refers to a group of late-16th-century English dramatists who were university-educated and helped develop English drama before and around the emergence of Shakespeare.
2. Which two universities were particularly associated with the University Wits?
A. Oxford and Cambridge
B. Cambridge and London
C. Oxford and London
D. Cambridge and Edinburgh
Answer: A
Explanation: Oxford University (John Lyly, Thomas Lodge, and George Peele) Cambridge University (Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene, and Thomas Nashe)
3. Which of the following was NOT traditionally included among the University Wits?
A. Christopher Marlowe
B. Robert Greene
C. Thomas Nashe
D. William Shakespeare
Answer: D. William Shakespeare
Explanation: Shakespeare was not a university graduate and is therefore not traditionally classified as a University Wit, although he was greatly influenced by the dramatic developments associated with them.
4. Who is generally regarded as the most important dramatist among the University Wits?
A. Robert Greene
B. Thomas Lodge
C. Christopher Marlowe
D. Thomas Nashe
Answer: C. Christopher Marlowe
Explanation: He was an influential English playwright and poet of the Elizabethan era. He reshaped early English drama through his mastery of blank verse (often called "mighty lines") and intense, ambitious protagonists who pursued power and knowledge, setting a new standard that profoundly shaped William Shakespeare and later drama
Major Works:
~ Tamburlaine the Great (1590): Reformed stage language by replacing rhyming lines with dynamic blank verse.
~ Doctor Faustus (1604): Explored human ambition and the tragic cost of overreaching desires for limitless power.
~ The Jew of Malta (1633): Introduced complex, morally ambiguous main characters.
~ Edward II (1594): Advanced historical tragedy and structural focus
5. Which of the following pairs is INCORRECT?
A. Christopher Marlowe — Doctor Faustus
B. Robert Greene — Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay
C. Thomas Kyd — The Spanish Tragedy
D. Thomas Nashe — Tamburlaine
Answer: D. Thomas Nashe — Tamburlaine
6. Which University Wit wrote "Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay"?
A. Christopher Marlowe
B. Robert Greene
C. Thomas Kyd
D. George Peele
Answer: B. Robert Greene
Explanation: The play deals with magic, ambition, love, and political power.
7. Which University Wit wrote "The Old Wives' Tale"?
A. George Peele
B. Thomas Nashe
C. John Lyly
D. Thomas Lodge
Answer: A. George Peele
Explanation: George Peele wrote The Old Wives' Tale, a romantic and humorous play that combines elements of folklore, romance, and comedy.
8. Which play is associated with the revenge-tragedy tradition and contains the character Hieronimo?
A. Doctor Faustus
B. Tamburlaine
C. The Spanish Tragedy
D. Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay
Answer: C
Explanation: Hieronimo, the protagonist of The Spanish Tragedy, seeks revenge for the murder of his son Horatio. The play helped establish the conventions of English revenge tragedy.
9. Arrange the following writers according to their approximate order of birth, from earliest to latest:
1. John Lyly
2. Thomas Kyd
3. Christopher Marlowe
4. Thomas Nashe
A. 1–2–3–4
B. 2–1–3–4
C. 1–3–2–4
D. 2–3–1–4
Answer: A
Explanation: John Lyly was born around 1554, Thomas Kyd around 1558, Christopher Marlowe in 1564, and Thomas Nashe in 1567. The chronology is useful for NET/SET questions on the development of Elizabethan drama.
10. Which University Wit is particularly associated with “Euphuism”?
A. John Lyly
B. Thomas Kyd
C. Christopher Marlowe
D. George Peele
Answer: A. John Lyly
Explanation: Euphuism, an elaborate prose style characterized by balanced sentences, antithesis, alliteration, similes, and classical references. His prose work Euphues gave the style its name.
11. Which of the following is correctly matched?
A. Marlowe — The Old Wives' Tale
B. Greene — Doctor Faustus
C. Kyd — The Spanish Tragedy
D. Peele — The Spanish Tragedy
Answer: C
Explanation: Thomas Kyd wrote 'The Spanish Tragedy'. Marlowe wrote Doctor Faustus, Greene wrote Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, and Peele wrote The Old Wives' Tale.
12. The expression “mighty line” is particularly associated with:
A. Shakespeare
B. Christopher Marlowe
C. Ben Jonson
D. John Lyly
Answer: B. Christopher Marlowe
Explanation: The expression “mighty line” is particularly associated with the Elizabethan playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe, coined by Ben Jonson to describe the powerful, majestic, and rhythmically bold use of blank verse.
13. Which of the following combinations contains only writers traditionally associated with the University Wits?
A. Marlowe, Greene, Peele, Nashe
B. Shakespeare, Marlowe, Jonson, Kyd
C. Spenser, Greene, Donne, Lyly
D. Shakespeare, Spenser, Marlowe, Greene
Answer: A
14. Which of the following was a University Wit?
A. Edmund Spenser
B. Thomas Nashe
C. John Milton
D. John Donne
Answer: B. Thomas Nashe
Explanation: Thomas Nashe, educated at Cambridge, was associated with the University Wits. He was particularly known for his prose satire and pamphlet writing.
15. Who among the following studied at Cambridge University?
A. Christopher Marlowe
B. Robert Greene
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A nor B
Answer: C
Explanation: Christopher Marlowe studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, while Robert Greene studied at St John's College, Cambridge.
16. Which University Wit is associated with "The Unfortunate Traveller"?
A. Thomas Nashe
B. John Lyly
C. Thomas Lodge
D. George Peele
Answer: A. Thomas Nashe
Explanation: Thomas Nashe wrote The Unfortunate Traveller, or The Life of Jack Wilton (1594), often regarded as an important early English prose fiction.
17. Which statement about the term “University Wits” is most accurate?
A. It was the official name of a literary society established at Cambridge.
B. It refers exclusively to dramatists who studied at Oxford.
C. It is a retrospective label applied to a group of educated Elizabethan writers.
D. It was coined by Shakespeare to describe his contemporaries.
Answer: C
Explanation: “University Wits” is a modern critical grouping, not the name of a formal Elizabethan literary organization. The writers were not necessarily members of a single institution or organized school.
18. Which sequence correctly matches the work with its author?
A. Rosalynde — Thomas Lodge
B. The Unfortunate Traveller — Robert Greene
C. Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay — Thomas Kyd
D. The Old Wives' Tale — John Lyly
Answer: A
Explanation: Thomas Lodge wrote "Rosalynde", which later influenced Shakespeare's As You Like It.
~ The Unfortunate Traveller --- Thomas Nashe,
~ Friar Bacon --- Robert Greene
~ The Old Wives' Tale --- Peele
19. "Rosalynde" is particularly important in relation to Shakespeare because it:
A. provided the source for King Lear
B. influenced As You Like It
C. influenced The Tempest
D. provided the source for Hamlet
Answer: B
Explanation: Thomas Lodge’s 1590 prose romance "Rosalynde" is the primary and direct plot source for William Shakespeare’s comedy "As You Like It." Lodge's work itself derived from the medieval Tale of Gamelynm. Written during a sea expedition around 1586–1587 and published in 1590.
20. Which of the following is the correct chronological sequence?
A. Euphues → Tamburlaine → The Spanish Tragedy → Doctor Faustus
B. Tamburlaine → Euphues → Doctor Faustus → The Spanish Tragedy
C. The Spanish Tragedy → Euphues → Tamburlaine → Doctor Faustus
D. Doctor Faustus → Tamburlaine → Euphues → The Spanish Tragedy
Answer: A
Explanation: Euphues appeared in 1578, Marlowe's Tamburlaine around 1587, Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy around 1587–92, and Doctor Faustus around 1592.
21. Which University Wit is most strongly associated with the development of the English revenge tragedy?
A. George Peele
B. Thomas Kyd
C. John Lyly
D. Thomas Lodge
Answer: B. Thomas Kyd
Explanation: Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy is a foundational English revenge tragedy. Its conventions include revenge, madness, ghosts, violence, delay, and a play-within-the-play.
22. In "The Spanish Tragedy", the character who becomes an agent of revenge after the death of Horatio is:
A. Balthazar
B. Lorenzo
C. Hieronimo
D. Andrea
Answer: C
23. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic feature of Marlowe's dramatic heroes?
A. Overreaching ambition
B. Desire for extraordinary power
C. Intellectual or sensual aspiration
D. Complete submission to conventional social morality
Answer: D
Explanation: Marlowe's protagonists are typically overreachers (who reject traditional boundaries). Tamburlaine seeks world conquest, Faustus seeks limitless knowledge and power, and Barabas pursues wealth and revenge.
24. The term “overreacher” is particularly useful in discussing:
A. Marlowe's protagonists
B. Lyly's prose characters
C. Kyd's comic characters
D. Peele's pastoral figures
Answer: A
Explanation: Renaissance overreacher. They reject traditional moral, social, and cosmic boundaries to pursue absolute power, infinite knowledge, or total wealth.
25. Which work contains the famous opening ambition associated with “infinite riches in a little room”?
A. The Jew of Malta
B. Doctor Faustus
C. Tamburlaine
D. Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay
Answer: A
Explanation: The phrase is associated with Barabas in Marlowe's "The Jew of Malta", where wealth and commercial ambition are central concerns.
26. Which pair is most closely associated with the theme of magical or supernatural aspiration?
A. Faustus and Friar Bacon
B. Hieronimo and Jack Wilton
C. Rosalynde and Euphues
D. Barabas and Hieronimo
Answer: A
27. Which statement about "Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay" is INCORRECT?
A. It was written by Robert Greene.
B. Friar Bacon is associated with magical power.
C. It combines personal love with political and national concerns.
D. It was written by Christopher Marlowe.
Answer: D
28. Which University Wit is correctly matched with his university?
A. Marlowe — Cambridge
B. Greene — Cambridge
C. Lodge — Oxford
D. All of the above
Answer: D
29. Which work is best described as an important example of Elizabethan prose fiction rather than drama?
A. The Spanish Tragedy
B. Doctor Faustus
C. The Unfortunate Traveller
D. Tamburlaine
Answer: C
Explanation: Thomas Nashe's The Unfortunate Traveller (1594) is an important early English prose narrative and is often discussed in relation to the development of English prose fiction.
30. Which of the following represents the most significant dramatic progression associated with the University Wits?
A. Medieval morality → sophisticated Elizabethan drama
B. Restoration comedy → Romantic drama
C. Romantic poetry → Victorian novel
D. Classical tragedy → modernist drama
Answer: A
Explanation: The University Wits helped bridge the gap between medieval dramatic traditions and mature Elizabethan drama, developing more complex plots, characterization, rhetoric, and verse.
31. Which of the following statements about blank verse is most appropriate in relation to Marlowe?
A. He invented blank verse in English.
B. He made blank verse a powerful instrument of dramatic expression.
C. He rejected blank verse in favour of prose.
D. He used only rhymed couplets.
Answer: B
Explanation: Blank verse existed before Marlowe, notably in Gorboduc, but Marlowe gave it extraordinary energy, musicality, rhetorical force, and dramatic flexibility.
32. Which one of the following is the BEST distinction between Thomas Kyd and Christopher Marlowe?
A. Kyd is especially associated with revenge tragedy; Marlowe with heroic and overreaching protagonists.
B. Kyd wrote prose exclusively; Marlowe wrote prose exclusively.
C. Kyd was a university professor; Marlowe was a Puritan preacher.
D. Kyd wrote comedy exclusively; Marlowe wrote morality plays exclusively.
Answer: A
Explanation: Kyd → revenge tragedy → The Spanish Tragedy. Marlowe → ambitious/overreaching protagonists → Tamburlaine, Doctor Faustus, The Jew of Malta.
32. Which statement most accurately explains the relationship between the University Wits and Shakespeare?
A. Shakespeare was their official leader.
B. Shakespeare directly collaborated with all the University Wits.
C. Their experiments in drama helped prepare the literary and theatrical environment in which Shakespeare developed.
D. Shakespeare rejected everything written by the University Wits.
Answer: C
Explanation: Shakespeare was not a University Wit, but he inherited and transformed many developments associated with them—especially blank verse, ambitious characterization, complex plotting, and dramatic rhetoric.
33. Which University Wit is particularly notable for combining literary ambition with a career marked by poverty and financial difficulties?
A. Robert Greene
B. John Lyly
C. George Peele
D. Thomas Lodge
Answer: A. Robert Greene
Explanation: Robert Greene is famous not only for his literary output but also for his difficult and unstable life. His autobiographical work "Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit" he famously lamented the financial exploitation of university-educated dramatists by successful actors while dying in extreme poverty.
34. The phrase “upstart crow” occurs in:
A. The Spanish Tragedy
B. Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit
C. The Unfortunate Traveller
D. Euphues
Answer: B
35. Which work of Robert Greene is particularly important for its reference to Shakespeare?
A. Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay
B. Groats-Worth of Wit
C. The Scottish History of James IV
D. Pandosto
Answer: B
36. "Pandosto" by Robert Greene is significant because it provided a source for:
A. Hamlet
B. The Winter's Tale
C. Macbeth
D. Othello
Answer: B
Explanation: Greene's prose romance Pandosto influenced Shakespeare's 'The Winter's Tale'.
37. Which pair of works demonstrates the influence of University Wit prose on Shakespeare?
A. Rosalynde — As You Like It
B. Pandosto — The Winter's Tale
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A nor B
Answer: C
Explanation: William Shakespeare adapted Thomas Lodge’s 1590 pastoral romance 'Rosalynde' as the primary source for his comedy As You Like It, and Robert Greene’s 1588 prose romance 'Pandosto' as the main source for The Winter's Tale
38. Which of the following is most closely associated with John Lyly's dramatic writing?
A. Endymion
B. The Spanish Tragedy
C. Tamburlaine
D. Doctor Faustus
Answer: A
Explanation: Endymion, The Man in the Moon (written c. 1588, published 1591) is a brilliant court comedy blending classical myth and political allegory. It features the courtier Endymion's devotion to the moon goddess Cynthia (symbolizing Queen Elizabeth I) and the jealous machinations of the earth goddess Tellus
39. Which work is associated with John Lyly's prose rather than his drama?
A. Endymion
B. Campaspe
C. Euphues
D. Sapho and Phao
Answer: C
Explanation: Euphues is Lyly's influential prose work, while Endymion, Campaspe, and Sapho and Phao are dramas.
40. Which of the following best describes Euphuistic prose?
A. Simple conversational prose
B. Highly ornate prose using balance, antithesis and elaborate comparisons
C. Unrhymed dramatic verse
D. Religious prose based entirely on Biblical language
Answer: B
Explanation: Euphuism is characterized by elaborate rhetoric, balanced clauses, antithesis, alliteration, classical references, and extended comparisons.
41. Which of the following plays is NOT by Christopher Marlowe?
A. The Jew of Malta
B. Edward II
C. The Massacre at Paris
D. The Scottish History of James IV
Answer: D
Explanation: The Scottish History of James IV was written by Robert Greene\
42. Which Marlowe play departs most clearly from the pattern of a protagonist seeking unlimited personal power by presenting the historical rise and fall of an English king?
A. Edward II
B. Tamburlaine
C. Doctor Faustus
D. The Jew of Malta
Answer: A
43. Which of the following is the correct progression?
A. Medieval morality → Interlude → University Wits → Shakespearean drama
B. University Wits → Medieval morality → Shakespeare
C. Shakespeare → University Wits → Medieval morality
D. Restoration comedy → University Wits → Shakespeare
Answer: A
Explanation: English drama developed gradually from medieval religious drama and morality plays, through interludes and early professional drama, to the sophisticated work of the University Wits and finally the mature Shakespearean stage.
44. Which Shakespeare play was significantly influenced by Lodge's Rosalynde?
A. Twelfth Night
B. As You Like It
C. The Tempest
D. Measure for Measure
Answer: B
45. Which Shakespeare play has a major prose source in Greene's Pandosto?
A. The Winter's Tale
B. Cymbeline
C. Pericles
D. The Comedy of Errors
Answer: A
46. Which of the following writers is particularly important to the development of Elizabethan pamphlet literature?
A. Thomas Nashe
B. Christopher Marlowe
C. George Peele
D. Thomas Kyd
Answer: A
47. Which work is associated with the Nashe-Harvey controversy?
A. Pierce Penniless
B. Have with You to Saffron-Walden
C. Both A and B
D. Euphues
Answer: C
Explanation: Published in September 1596, Thomas Nashe's pamphlet Have with You to Saffron-Walden formed part of his attack on Gabriel Harvey. The controversy is an important episode in Elizabethan prose history.
48. Which of the following is NOT normally considered a characteristic of Marlowe's dramatic verse?
A. Powerful rhetoric
B. Heroic ambition
C. Blank verse
D. Deliberately plain and colloquial diction throughout
Answer: D
Explanation: Marlowe's dramatic language is renowned for its rhetorical power, imagery, elevated diction and expansive blank verse.
49. Which of the following pairs contains two protagonists who can be described as Marlovian overreachers?
A. Faustus and Tamburlaine
B. Hieronimo and Horatio
C. Rosalynde and Orlando
D. Euphues and Philautus
Answer: A
50. Which play is most directly connected with Senecan revenge tragedy?
A. Endymion
B. The Spanish Tragedy
C. The Old Wives' Tale
D. Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay
Answer: B
51. Which University Wit is particularly associated with courtly drama and mythological subjects?
A. John Lyly
B. Thomas Kyd
C. Thomas Nashe
D. Robert Greene
Answer: A
52. Which earlier play is important as an example of the use of blank verse before Marlowe?
A. Gorboduc
B. Doctor Faustus
C. The Spanish Tragedy
D. The Jew of Malta
Answer: A. Gorboduc
Explanation: Gorboduc, by Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville, is an important early English tragedy and is frequently cited in discussions of the introduction of blank verse into English drama.
SECTION C: UNIVERSITY WITS — 20 ONE-LINER FACTS
1. University Wits were a group of late-16th-century educated Elizabethan writers who significantly contributed to English drama.
2. The term “University Wits” is a retrospective critical label, not the name of a formal literary organization.
3. The two universities most closely associated with the University Wits were Oxford and Cambridge.
4. Christopher Marlowe is generally regarded as the most important dramatist among the University Wits.
5. Marlowe studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
6. Robert Greene was educated at St John’s College, Cambridge.
7. Thomas Nashe studied at St John’s College, Cambridge.
8. Thomas Lodge was educated at Trinity College, Oxford.
9. George Peele studied at Christ Church, Oxford.
10. John Lyly is chiefly associated with Euphuism, an elaborate prose style.
11. Thomas Kyd wrote The Spanish Tragedy, a landmark in English revenge tragedy.
12. Christopher Marlowe’s “mighty line” refers to the power and grandeur of his dramatic blank verse.
13. Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus presents the archetypal Renaissance overreacher seeking unlimited knowledge and power.
14. Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great is celebrated for its heroic ambition and powerful blank verse.
15. Robert Greene’s Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay combines magic, ambition, love, and political themes.
16. Thomas Lodge’s Rosalynde was an important source for Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
17. Robert Greene’s Pandosto influenced Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.
18. Thomas Nashe’s The Unfortunate Traveller (1594) is an important work in the development of English prose fiction.
19. George Peele’s The Old Wives’ Tale is noted for its romance, folklore, humour, and lyrical elements.
20. The University Wits helped prepare the way for Shakespearean drama by developing characterization, dramatic structure, rhetoric, and the expressive possibilities of blank verse.
SECTION D: UNIVERSITY WITS — EXAM TIPS FOR UGC NET/SET
~ Marlowe – Greene – Peele – Nashe – Lodge – Lyly – Kyd
2. Master the Author–Work Pairs
* Marlowe → Doctor Faustus → Overreacher / supernatural knowledge
* Marlowe → Tamburlaine → Conquest / ambition
* Marlowe → The Jew of Malta → Barabas / wealth and revenge
* Kyd → The Spanish Tragedy → Revenge tragedy / Hieronimo
* Greene → Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay → Magic / ambition
* Greene → Pandosto → Source of The Winter's Tale
* Lodge → Rosalynde → Source of As You Like It
* Lyly → Euphues → Euphuism
* Nashe → The Unfortunate Traveller → Early prose fiction
* Peele → The Old Wives' Tale → Romance / folklore / spectacle
* Shakespeare was NOT a University Wit. However, the University Wits helped prepare the dramatic environment in which Shakespeare developed.
(This distinction is frequently useful in MCQs.)
* Lodge's Rosalynde → Shakespeare's As You Like It
* Greene's Pandosto → Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale
* Thomas Kyd is traditionally grouped with the University Wits, but he did not attend university.
6. Marlowe = Highest Priority
* Marlowe → Cambridge → Mighty Line → Blank Verse → Overreacher
Then connect:
* Tamburlaine → World conquest
* Faustus → Knowledge and power
* Barabas → Wealth and revenge
* Edward II → History/politics
* Thomas Kyd → The Spanish Tragedy → Hieronimo → Horatio → Revenge → Play-within-the-play
* Also remember Andrea's Ghost and Revenge.
* John Lyly → Euphues → Euphuism
* Euphuism = ornate prose + antithesis + balance + alliteration + classical references.
* Greene → Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay / Pandosto
* Nashe → The Unfortunate Traveller
10. Remember the Historical Importance
* The University Wits are important because they helped move English drama toward: Medieval drama → Early Elizabethan drama → University Wits → Shakespearean drama
Their major contributions include:
* Powerful blank verse
* Complex characterization
* Classical influence
* Rhetorical language
* Ambitious themes
* More sophisticated dramatic structures
*Marlowe = Mighty Line
*Kyd = Revenge
*Greene = Friar Bacon
*Lodge = Rosalynde
*Lyly = Euphuism
*Nashe = Unfortunate Traveller
*Peele = Old Wives' Tale
*Shakespeare = NOT a University Wit