Transcript Unit PowerPoint Notes - Phoenix Union High School District

THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE
OR
THE ELIZABETHAN ERA
1485 - 1660
Introduction of the Renaissance



renaissance is a French term
meaning “rebirth.”
The Renaissance began in
fourteenth-century Italy and spread
through Europe
 Didn’t reach England until the
late 14th century
People became more curious about
themselves and their world
 people in the Middle Ages had
been more focused on religion
and the after-life.
English vs. European Renaissance
England’s renaissance is often
called the Early Modern Period
 Italy’s Renaissance focused on
visual arts
 England’s focused on written works
 Both shared an interest in music
 Unlike Italy, England did not
experience a flourishing of
architecture

Major Changes


Changes occurred at an astonishing rate during a
relatively short span of time, from the 14th century to
the 17th century
Changes in . . .
 Religion
 Politics
 Navigation
and geographical exploration
 Science and medicine
 Literature
 Language
Religion

The Protestant Reformation
 Growing dissatisfaction with the
Catholic Church over its
widespread corruption was
spreading through Europe
 Martin Luther: wrote the 95
theses arguing for the
reformation of the Catholic
Church
 Puritans:

radical members of the
reformation who wanted to purify
the church of Roman practices
The Rise of Humanism

Humanists studied the humanities
(art, history, philosophy, literature)
 Looked
to the ancient classics for
wisdom and guidance



Focused on human ideas rather
than sacred ideas
Believed that humans had the
power to determine what was
good and right.
Were usually Christians, but they
often disagreed on religious issues.
The English Monarchy


The modern English period can be dated
from 1485, when Henry VII, the first
Tudor king of England, came to the
throne.
The House of Tudor
Lasted for 118 years
 Brought peace to the land
 Introduced the Reformation and
Renaissance to England
 Established English claims in America
 Began the spread of the English language
all over the world

Henry VIII
 Second
son of Henry VII
 Obsessed with having a male heir
to the throne
 In order to divorce his first wife and
marry Anne Boleyn, Henry broke
from the Catholic church and
declared himself the head of the
Church of England
 Known for having six wives
 only
one had one son with his third
wife
 His son died at age 15 and Henry’s
first daughter, Mary, became queen
The Wives of Henry VIII
Catherine of Aragon
m. 1509 - 1533
Divorced
Mother of Mary
Anne Boleyn
m. 1533 - 1536
Executed
Mother of Elizabeth I
Jane Seymour
m. 1536 - 1537
Died
Mother of Edward VI
Anne of Cleves
m. 1540 Jan. - July
Divorced
Kathryn Howard
m. 1540 - 1542
Executed
Katherine Parr
m. 1543 - 1547
Widowed
Elizabeth I and the Elizabethan Era

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




Third in line to the throne
Unwanted daughter of Anne Boleyn
Considered a bastard and a heretic
Established the Protestant Church of
England
One of the most powerful monarchs in
England’s history
Never married or had children
Supported overseas adventure
Patron of the arts
England flourished under her reign
Her death ended the Tudor dynasty
Women in a Patriarchal Society

typically had a child every two years

“the weaker sex” needed a male to look after them

could not attend school; could be tutored at home

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could work domestic jobs and write “appropriate”
literature
boys took women’s roles in plays
could not inherit titles (except for the crown), could
not vote, nor could they get a divorce (annulments
were possible)
Abusive husbands could be prosecuted and
prevented from living with his wife
Single women were often accused of witchcraft.
Language and Literature

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William Caxton introduced the printing
press to England in 1476
resulted in more than half of the population
being literate by 1530 (only 66 yrs later).
The Elizabethan court was a focus of
poetic creativity
 Elizabeth
I wrote lyrics herself and
patronized her favorite poets
 Poets competed to see who could write
the most polished poems
Key Texts and Authors
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Sir Thomas Moore – Utopia
King James I – commissioned the King James Bible
(the most influential version of the Bible)
William Shakespeare – Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello
John Milton – Paradise Lost
John Bunyan - Pilgrim’s Progress
Famous Poets:
 Christopher
Marlowe, Sir Walter Raleigh, Edmund
Spenser, and John Donne to name a few
Navigation and Inventions

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The invention of the compass and
advances in astronomy allowed ships
to navigate the seas
Columbus voyaged to the Americas
and brought back the news that there
were other lands across the ocean
New colonies were established around
the world by European countries.
Copernicus advanced the theory that
the sun rather than the Earth is at the
center of the solar system
Galileo confirmed what Copernicus
said in his Heliocentric Model of the
universe
Luxuries and Waste

New products would have an
enormous impact on European
society.


corn, chocolate, beaver and otter fur,
cotton, tobacco, and precious metals
changed the lives of Europeans
Such luxuries came at a price,
however:
forced enslavement of natives from
newly discovered lands
 diseases were carried by Europeans
to natives with no immunities

Science & Medicine


Andrew Vesalius (1514-1564)
 published the first medical diagrams
of the systems of the human body that
were actually based on human
cadavers.
William Harvey (1578-1657)
 disproved an earlier theory that the
heart was a sort of furnace dispensing
heat to the body.
 He demonstrated that the heart was a
pump that kept blood recycling
through the circulatory system.
Modern English

The Great Vowel Shift
A major change in the
pronunciation of vowels
 marks the change from
Middle to Modern English
 Believed to have been
brought about by the Black
Death
 Middle Ages spelling of words stayed the same while the
pronunciation changed

Review Question
1. What were some areas of change during the Renaissance?
A:
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Politics
Science
Religion
Navigation
Geographical exploration
Literature
Language
Review Questions
2. How did the English Renaissance differ from Europe’s
Renaissance? How were they similar? Why do some
argue that England didn’t experience a Renaissance?
A:
 English R. focused on literature and drama/ European
R. focused on visual arts.
 European R. experienced architectural flowering
 Both had an interest in music
 The English Renaissance came so much later than
Europe and many changes had actually occurred
much earlier.
Review Questions
3. Name an important member of the Tudor family.
You need to also know what they were responsible
for doing.
 A: Henry VII – introduced the Renaissance to England
Henry VIII – broke from the Vatican
Mary I – re-established the Catholic Church
following her father’s death
Elizabeth I – made England into a powerful
country, supported the arts
Anne Boleyn – mother of Elizabeth; initiated the separation
from the Catholic church
Review Questions
4. What were some of the changes occurring with
religion at this time?

A: The Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther and his 95 Theses
The rise of Humanism
Henry VIII breaking from the Catholic Church
The creation of the Church of England
Radial Puritans sought to purify the Church
Review Questions
5. What were some of the inventions and discoveries of
this time?

A:
Discovery of the Americas
 Copernicus and Galileo’s discovery of the sun being
the center of the universe
 Invention of the compass
 Harvey’s discovery that the heart was a pump
 Vesalius’ drawings of the bodily systems

Review Questions
6. Who were some of the key writers of this time and
what kind of writing were they doing?
A:
 Shakespeare – plays and sonnets
 Spenser – sonnets
 Raleigh – pastoral poetry
 Milton – poetry
 Marlowe – pastoral poetry and plays
 Donne – metaphysical poet
Review Questions
7. What are two facts about the role of women
during the renaissance?
A:

Controlled by the men in their life
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Could not get a divorce, vote, hold political office,
or speak and write freely
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Could not live alone
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Single women were frequently accused of
witchcraft
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Could not attend school
Review Questions
8. What are the three types of
appeals and the definitions for each
one?
A:
1.Logos – using logic or reason
2.Ethos- use of reputation/ character
3.Pathos- use of emotion