1
The Renaissance 16th and early 17th
Century1485-1660

• A period of REBIRTH

2
The Gradual Change

• As in the past, the Medieval period did not come
  to an abrupt end, however, as time passed changes
  in peoples values, beliefs and behavior
  gradually occurred.
• This inspired a rebirth of the classic
  teachings everyone once knew and studied.
• The Classics Old writings/teachings from the
  Ancient Greeks/Romans etc..

3
A Renewed Interest in Learning

• The Classics inspired a renewed interest in
  learning and exploring for the first time people
  were thinking outside of the box.
• Creativity, exploration and experiment were now
  an option.

4
The Foundation of the Renaissance

• It all began w/ the Italian Renaissance
• 14th Century in Italy.
• B/C of three notable men
• Michelangelo
• Da Vinci
• Galileo
• and the use of their
• FREE WILL

5
Michelangelo and Free Will

• He, along with his colleagues, practiced the idea
  of free will.
• Michelangelo was the 1st to go the extreme" when
  he was commissioned to paint scenes from the
  Bible on the ceiling of the Vaticans Sistine
  Chapel.
• Why was this an extreme measure?
• How is his Free Will demonstrated?
• These men were very optimistic and willing to
  think and do what others were scared of trying.

6
HumanismAn intellectual movement

• The movement known as Humanism offered people a
  way/reason to use their free will in order to
  strengthen ones religious views.
• Humanists used the teachings of the classics and
  the Bible to answer questions such as
• What is a human being?
• What is a good life?
• How does one lead a good life?

7
Renaissance Humanists

• Two dominate Humanists were Erasmus and Thomas
  More.
• The two spread their teaching of the classics and
  of the church by writing poems, pamphlets and
  essays posting them in and around England.
• More will become widely known for his treatise on
  human society with his publication of Utopia.

8
Renaissance Writing and Literature

• The printing of books with moveable type and
  press began during the Renaissance.
• Johann Gutenberg invented the first printing
  press. He is also responsible for the first
  printed book__________

9
Renaissance Writing and Literature

• During the Renaissance period, writing was done
  in the _______________ or language of the people.
• Not French! ?

10
Renaissance Writing and Literature

• During the Renaissance period people became
  interested in their own language, of what it was
  and what it could be. (English rather than
  French)
• Grammar, vocabulary and style became intriguing
  and fun.

11
The First Grammars and Dictionaries

• The 1st English dictionary appeared at the
  beginning of the 17th Century.
• A Table Alphabeticall of Hard Usuall English
  Wordes.

12
The First Grammars and Dictionaries

• The earliest dictionaries made NO effort to list
  all the words in the English language.
• Words listed were those considered hardoften
  borrowed words that ordinary people may not
  understand. (Educated, higher class people often
  knew what these words meant.)

13
The First Grammars and Dictionaries

• The 1st dictionaries gave only a familiar synonym
  for each hard word.
• It wasnt until the late 18th century that
  scholars increased
• the number of words
• definitions of each word
• its origin
• its history
• its part of speech
• quotations illustrating its use
• and its pronunciation

14
Sentence Style during the Renaissance

• Style is how an author uses words, phrases, and
  sentences to form his or her ideas. Style is
  also thought of as the qualities and
  characteristics that distinguish one writers
  work from the work of others.

15
Sentence Style during the Renaissance

• There were two different styles or ways of
  writing during the Renaissance period.
• Ornate vs. Plain
• Ornate writing was embellished with a lot of
  borrowed words. Very fancy, detailed way of
  getting a point or story across.

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Sentence Style during the Renaissance

• Plain writing was simple, clear, straightforward
  and to the point.

17
Renaissance Prose and Poetry

• Prose
• Most Renaissance books were written in prose form
  with plots that dealt with
• church related material
• travel
• exploration and discovery.

18
Renaissance Prose and Poetry

• The principal achievement of English Prose was
  the King James Bible.

19
Renaissance Drama

• Drama a literary art form that recreates human
  life and emotions.

20
Renaissance Drama

• The 1st humanistic influence on drama came
  through the genre known as comedy.
• The three genres that the Renaissance writers
  capitalized on were
• Comedy
• Tragedy
• Romantic

21
Renaissance Drama

• Plays were taken out of the churches and moved to
  outside theaters.
• Churches began to lose patrons so in 1642 English
  Parliament shut down all outside theaters
  throughout London, banning plays from being
  performed.

22
Renaissance Drama

• Queen Elizabeth I is responsible for bringing the
  theaters back in England and played an
  influential role in Renaissance poetry, drama,
  and fiction.

23
Renaissance Poetry

• Renaissance poets wrote with one eye on the
  subject and the other on what preceding poets had
  said about that subject.

24
Renaissance Poetry Terms

• Narrative poem-- a poem that tells a story,
  usually fiction, used to entertain society.
• Epic poem
• SonnetWilliam Shakespeare is the most prominent
  sonnet writer known from the Renaissance period.
  He is credited for creating what is known as the
  Shakespearian English Sonnet
• 14 lined poem consisting of 3, 4 lined units
  (quatrains) followed by a couplet (2 lined unit)

25
Renaissance Poetry Terms

• Pastoral Poemsa poem portraying leisure and
  everyday occurrences.
• Epitaphsbrief poems about the deceased.