The Renaissance: Art, Philosophy, Literature, and Technology
The Renaissance
Beginning in Italy in Florence in the 14th century by Lorenzo de Medici, and spreading to the rest of Europe by the 16th century, its influence was felt in art, philosophy, literature, music, science, and technology.
During the Renaissance, towns and cities started to grow and were key centers of production, exchange, political control, ecclesiastical organization, and cultural influence.
There was a new belief called humanism according to which human needs and values were more important than religious beliefs.
There was a rebirth based on the principles that man is the measure of all things.
More and more universities and schools were established as education was considered a driving force.
In Britain, there was a rapid increase in the number of grammar schools where students were often required to speak in Latin.
Thanks to its strategic location on the River Thames, London became an important center for trade, but it was also an important cultural and artistic center.
The Renaissance was also characterized by the invention of the printing press in 1440 in Germany by Gutenberg.
Printing: A Communication Revolution
The first metal mechanical press was developed by the goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg around 1440.
The Protestant Reformation would not have been possible without the capacity to make many copies of a document.
Martin Luther’s famous 95 Theses spread quickly across Europe thanks to the new technological device.
The impact of the printing press on European society was similar to the development of writing.
Printing entirely changed the social economics of reading and learning.
Thanks to the printing press, the community of scientists could easily communicate their discoveries through the establishment of scholarly journals.
Finally, thanks to printing, book production became a commercial enterprise, and the first copyright laws were passed to protect intellectual property rights.
Theatre in Elizabethan Times
Theatre in Shakespeare’s time was very different from today. During Shakespeare’s lifetime, acting was banned from the city center.
The authorities thought theatre had a bad influence on people.
They were structures made mainly of wood. The stage was higher, and there was an open pit in front of it where most of the people could stand. There was almost no scenery because the dialogue was the most important part of the play. Costumes were also very important and told the people about the status of a character.
Actors worked for the managers, and after some time, they became permanent members of the company.
Among the most famous theatres were the Globe, the Swan, and the Fortune.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, on April 23, 1564. His father was a successful merchant, and his mother was a local landed heiress. William attended the free grammar school in Stratford, where he learned Latin and Classical Greek. We do not know how long William attended the school, but certainly, the literary quality of his works suggests a good education.
The next documented event in Shakespeare’s life is his marriage to Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582. They had three children.
In 1583, William Shakespeare disappeared from all records and turned up in London in 1592. This period, known as the ‘Lost Years’.
Shakespeare may have had to flee Stratford after poaching some deer and rabbits.
Shakespeare arrived in London around 1588 and started to work as an actor and playwright. He was also a managing partner in the company.
Shakespeare’s plays are generally classified into comedies, tragedies, and histories.
- Comedies: Shakespeare’s comedies contain funny moments, though they generally involve some very dramatic storylines such as family conflicts and separations. Solutions are positive, and conflicts are resolved in the end. Love and marriage are the key themes. The language of comedies generally makes use of puns and wordplays, and songs and dances are often included.
- Tragedies: The plots are serious and dramatic with an ending that involves the death of main characters. Action develops from situations of tension and conflict and rises to a climax. Shakespeare’s tragedies provide a complex analysis of human nature, and rhetoric plays a key role in the life of his tragic heroes. Among the most known Shakespearian tragedies are Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet.
- Historical Plays: Focus on the history of English monarchs. They usually play upon Elizabethan propaganda. Politics are seen as a continuous struggle for power.
Romeo and Juliet
The story of Romeo and Juliet takes place in Verona.
At a costume party, Romeo falls instantly in love with Juliet, but he is sad to hear that she is the daughter of his family’s enemy. Romeo hides in the Capulet’s orchard while Juliet is on her balcony, and while he listens to her, he learns that she is in love with him too.
Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, starts a verbal quarrel with Romeo, which soon turns into a duel with Mercutio. Tybalt kills Mercutio, and Romeo kills Tybalt. Romeo is banished from Verona; in the meantime, Juliet’s parents inform her that she will marry Paris in a few days. Juliet refuses to comply. Friar Laurence gives Juliet a potion that will make her fall into a deep sleep similar to death and promises he will inform Romeo about this plan. But Friar Laurence’s letter fails to reach Romeo, who rushes to Juliet’s tomb and, in deep grief, drinks a vial of poison.
When Juliet wakes up and finds Romeo dead, she stabs herself with his knife.
Love is the most important theme in Romeo and Juliet. It is depicted as a powerful and overwhelming passion that urges the two young lovers to defy the social world around them. The themes of death and violence also pervade the tragedy and are always linked to passion.
Hamlet
Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is visited by the ghost of his father, the King of Denmark. The ghost tells Hamlet that his father was murdered by Claudius, the King’s brother, who then usurped the throne and married Hamlet’s mother. The ghost encourages Hamlet to take revenge.
Lord Polonius’ daughter is in love with Hamlet, but she is instructed by his father to reject Hamlet’s advances.
One day, Hamlet arranges for players to re-enact his father’s murder to study Claudius’ reaction.
Claudius realizes that Hamlet has discovered the truth about his brother’s murder and arranges for Hamlet to be shipped to England with his friends. Claudius has secretly sent orders for Hamlet to be killed on arrival in England, but Hamlet escapes from the ship and swaps his death order for a letter ordering the death of his friends.
In the meantime, Ophelia has killed herself as a result of Hamlet’s confusing behavior towards her. Hamlet is a revenge tragedy; its main focus seems to be on the main character’s indecisiveness and failure to act. One of Hamlet’s obsessions is death. His life is so miserable that he often longs for death but he fears what will come when life comes to an end.