Transcript The Renaissance and The Reformation

The
Renaissance
and The
Reformation
1485-1625
Renaissance
 Meaning
“rebirth”
 Characterized by innovations in
art,
 science,
 exploration,
 Rediscovery of long-neglected classical
works.
Began in Italy, gradually spread northward

Reformation
 Renaissance
scholars attempted to
reform Catholic church
 Martin Luther, though, initiated movement
of Reformation (which led to
Protestantism). Luther stressed Bible over
Pope
 Led to sharp religious divisions in Europe—
Anglicans, Calvinists, Lutherans.
Two Major Literary Works
 Shakespeare’s
plays (product of
Renaissance)
 King James Bible (product of Reformation)
Renaissance and Reformation
 Both
involved a return to old sources that
led to cultural innovations
 Key historical theme—Going Back to
Create Something New
Going Back to Move Forward
 The
renaissance sought to revive the
learning of ancient Greece and Rome.
 Encouraged voyages of discovery and
emphasized human aspiration.
 Dimensions of the world shifted and
enlarged


New parts of world discovered
Copernicus said sun, not earth
Drama, Drama, Drama
 Tumultuous
roller-coaster
 1485 Henry VII King (Tudor)
 Son, Henry VIII, inherited strong, stable
country.



Married older brother’s widow Catherine
Had Mary
Fell in love with Anne Boleyn, wanted male
heir. Had Elizabeth instead
Drama, cont’d
 Asked
Pope for divorce from Catherine
 Pope says, “fuggettaboutit”
 Irony alert! Before this incident, Henry
attacked Luther and known as “defender
of the faith”. But when denied divorce,
severed ties with pope.
 Established Protestant Church 1534.
made himself boss.
Drama, Cont’d
 Elizabeth
becomes Queen
 Ruled from 1558-1603
 Hard to get there, but became one of
greatest.
 Protestants and Catholics fighting for
control
 Spain tried to take England down; famous
armada lost
Elizabeth
 The
Virgin Queen
 Great politician
 Played both sides
well—a moderate
 Victory against
armada solidified
her place as ruler
Drama, As In Plays and Stuff
 Theatre
open to
every level of
Elizabethan society
 Ultimate source of
entertainment and
instruction
 Puritans hated it.
 Actors
“disreputable”
 The
Globe
 Outside city limits
 Home of
Shakespeare’s
troupe
Globe Theatre
Interior View
Country and City
 More
moving to city
 Once there, dreamed of country
 Popularity of the pastoral




Innocent garden world
Shepherds and shepherdesses
Simple life
All that stuff
What to Believe?
 Question
affected everything
 Colonizing New World; earth round not
flat
 Official religion changed 4 times in 30
years

What was true religion? Which Bible?
 Earth
not center of universe
 Mixture of politics/religion
Rise of Humanism
 Latin
never gone away.
 Classics offered something different than
Christianity.


Greek, Roman authors offered ethics
without doctrine, philosophy without
theology
Emphasized what is to be human
 Humanism
How did rediscovery lead to
originality?
 Humanists
wanted classics to reach wide
audience.
 Translated classics
 Brought back the sonnet to poetry
Remaking the Bible, in English
 King
James wanted standard English
version
 Used what was available at the time
 Created masterpiece of English prose
 Writers had gone back to traditional
sources and used them to make
something new and enduring