CELEBRATING HUMANITYUnit 2 – The English Renaissance

SHAKESPEAREAN QUOTE: (HAMLET)

“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculties! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel!”

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND• The Renaissance is an exciting time in

history.• It blossomed first in Italy.• Learning and support of the arts was

important.• It eventually spread north and led to the

English Renaissance (1485-1625)• English scholars wanted to bring about a

rebirth of civilization.

THE AGE OF EXPLORATION• A great burst of sea exploration began.• Navigators were aided by the

development of the compass and by advances in astronomy.

• Columbus arrives in the Western Hemisphere in 1492.

• John Cabot laid the foundation for English claims in North America.

RELIGION• A growing sense of nationalism led many

Europeans to question the authority of the Roman Catholic Church.

• Some felt the church was corrupt.• Some questioned the teachings and hierarchy.• A split occurs I the church in 1517 with a

German monk named Martin Luther.• This sparked Lutheranism – • The Protestant Reformation.

THE TUDORS• Tudor Dynasty begins in 1485.• The rise of monarchs assured stability –

increasing their power and undercutting the strength of the nobles.

• During the reign of monarchs, England goes from a small island nation to a world power.

• Henry VII was the first Tudor monarch.

THE TUDORS• The monarchy was depleted and

exhausted from civil war, but he restored the nations treasury and established law and order.

• He was succeeded by his athletic and handsome son Henry VIII.

• He was a Catholic and wrote a book against Martin Luther, which caused the Pope to grant him the title “Defender of the Faith”.

HENRY VIII• His good standing with the Pope did not

last long.• Catherine of Aragon >Catholic > Mary >

Divorce• Anne Boleyn > Protestant >Elizabeth >

Beheaded• Jane Seymour >Catholic > Edward > Died• Three more wives – little significance to

the monarchy.

THE WIVES OF HENRY VIII

THE CHILDREN OF HENRY VIII

RELIGIOUS TURMOIL• Henry the VIII’s son becomes King Edward

the VI at age nine – and dies at age 15.• Edward made many changes during his short

reign.• English replaced Latin in church rituals• Created the Anglican prayer book• The Common Book of Prayer – required in

public worship• England was on its way to being a protestant

nation.

MARY I• Mary – Edward’s half-sister took the

throne after Edward and tried to restore Roman practices to the Church of England.

• She also restored the authority of the Pope over the English Church.

• She ordered the execution of approximately 300 Protestants – earning her the name Bloody Mary.

ELIZABETH I• Mary died after a 5 year reign and was

succeeded to the throne by Elizabeth.• She received a Renaissance education.• She read widely in Greek and Latin.• She was a patron of the arts.• She kept company with all the great

writers of her time.

ELIZABETH I• Elizabeth put an end to religious

turmoil.• She reestablished the monarchy’s reign

over the Church of England.• She instituted a policy of religious

compromise, enforcing reforms that both moderate Catholics and Protestants could accept.

ELIZABETH I AND MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS• Because Catholics did not recognize the

marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn – they believed that Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland was the true heir.

• Mary devised many plots against Elizabeth and Elizabeth finally had her jailed.

• Ultimately, the Parliament insisted on Mary’s execution.

• She was beheaded in 1587.

OFF WITH HER HEAD!

STUARTS AND PURITANS• Elizabeth died in 1603.• The Renaissance continued to flourish

after her death.• Elizabeth named the son of her former

antagonist (Mary Queen of Scots) • the next in succession to the throne. • James I, however, was a Protestant.

JACOBEAN ERA• Jacobus, Latin for James.• The period during James rule.• He too was a patron of the arts. • He expanded England’s position as a world

power.• He demonstrated religious intolerance

towards Puritans in Parliament.• As a result, a group of Puritans left England

and migrated to America in 1620.

LITERATURE OF THE RENAISSANCE• Explosion of cultural energy.• Love songs• Poetry• Paintings• Sculptures• Literature expresses the same spirit of

the Renaissance as the art of the time did.

ELIZABETHAN POETRY• Lyric over narrative poetry.• Experimented with new poetic forms.• Perfected the sonnet.• 3 sonnets – Sidney, Spenser, and

Shakespearean. (further instruction later)

• Pastoral Poetry – idealizes the rustic simplicity of rural life.

ELIZABETHAN DRAMA• Playwrights turned from religious

subjects and began writing more complex and sophisticated plays.

• They drew on the classic models from Greece and Rome.

• Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are contemporaries of the period.

ELIZABETHAN AND JACOBEAN PROSE• Prose took a back seat to poetry.• The most monumental prose

achievement is found in The King James Bible.

• 54 scholars labored for seven years to bring this magnificent work to fruition.

RENAISSANCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS• The English Renaissance ushered out

the Medieval times into the modern world.

• No writers since have surpassed the literary achievements of Shakespeare or the King James Bible.

• They are the standard by which all English literature is judged.