The English Renaissance:

Celebrating Humanity
1485-1625

THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD

Renaissance literally means rebirth ( Rebirth of classical
literature and art forms)

A Renaissance occurs when life is good (people are not fighting

for survival)

It is a high time for art and literature

The Renaissance started in Italy where wealth from trade

supported art learning.

A.
Here also modern capitalism was born.
Private individuals or companies, not the
government, owned businesses. The main goal is
profit.

B.
Republican government arose in most cities.
Citizens participated.

Humanism, a system of thought and action concerned

with human interests and values, was the dominant
movement of the Renaissance.

A.

Human beings have dignity and intelligence.

B.

They (we) can change the world and make it

a better place for all.

The ideal so-called Renaissance man was successful in

business, well-mannered, educated, athletic, and brave.

The goal of education became making people

well-rounded.

Religion remained important, but the authority

and some practices of the church began to be
questioned.

Life in Renaissance England

London expanded greatly as a city
People moved in from rural areas and
from other European countries
Strict class system

Busy and crowded;

lots of commerce,
craftsmen

Not a clean or safe cityThe

Thames was a beautiful sewer
(224) and disease and criminals
ran rampant

Grew into substantial port and

admired European city
Southwark: suburb known for its
vice theaters, gaming,
prostitution, etc.

Historically speaking
Exploration by sea: John Cabot, 1497
Religious rifts:
New sense of nationalism prompted many to
question ethics in and teachings of Church
Questioning of Papal authority and Scripture
Erasmus (Dutch) version of New Testament
Thomas More Utopia
Protestant Reformation sparked by Martin
Luthers 95 theses

British Monarchs of the Period

The Monarchy: strengthening themselves and the

nation.

THE TUDORS
Last of the Plantagenet Dynasty
War of the Roses 1455-1485
House of Lancaster
House of York
House of Tudor

HENRY VIII

From the Tudor line

Had SIX wives: Catherine of
Aragon(divorced), Anne
Boleyn(beheaded), Jane
Seymore (died), Ann of
Cleves(divorced), Kathryn
Howard (beheaded),
Katherine Parr (survived)
Divorced the Catholic Church
in order to marry his mistress
Wanted a male heir
Fathered two daughters
(Mary and Elizabeth) and one
son (Edward)
Was Catholic, Protestant,
Catholic, Protestant . . . .

PRINCE EDWARD
The

sole male heir to

Henrys throne
He was Protestant and
upheld this faith in the
country once in power
Was ill and died
shortly after gaining
the throne
Left behind no heir
(too young to do so)

BLOODY MARY
After Edwards short reign
and early death, Mary
took the English throne.
Devoutly Catholic and
looking to vindicate her
mother (Henrys first
wife), Mary vowed to wipe
out Protestantism.
Ordered the mass
execution of Protestants
to restore the Catholic
faith.
Died of cancer

QUEEN ELIZABETH I

Bastard Queen, daughter of

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
Was both acknowledged and
disowned by her father when
he was alive
Devoutly Protestant
Virgin Queennever
married, used her feminine
wiles to gain and maintain
power
The art of flirtation became a
lucrative enterprise during
her reign
Encouraged poetry and
theater
Powerful, wise, and
important monarch
Sustained many plots against
her life

KING JAMES
WasI Queen Elizabeths
Godson, inherited her
throne.
Patron of theater
Shakespeares Kings
Men were his favorite
acting troupe.
Solidified the
Protestant faith with
the creation of the
King James Bible

Some brilliant people lived during this time:

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Michelangelo Buonaroti (1475-1564)

Desiderius Erasmus (1469?-1536),

Raphael (1483-1520)

William Shakespeare ( 1564- 1616)

Important Dates

1485: Thomas More publishes Utopia

1534: Church of England established

1535: Thomas More executed

1549: The Book of Common Prayer issued

1558: Elizabeth I becomes Queen

1563: 20,000 Londoners die in Plague

1564: Shakespeare is born!

Important Dates (Cont.)

1594: Shakespeare writes Romeo and Juliet

1599: The Globe Theater opens

1603: Queen Elizabeth I dies; James I becomes

King of England.

1606: Guy Fawkes executed for Gunpowder Plot

1607: Royal Colony of Jamestown established

1611: King James Bible published

1620: Pilgrims land on Plymouth Rock

1625: King James I dies.

Renaissance Poetry
Lyric over narrative poetry

Sonnet cycle: A series of sonnets,

usually fit loosely together to form a
story
Heavy hitters: Philip Sidney, Edmund
Spenser, Shakespeare
Two major rhyme schemes:
Petrarchan/Italian and Shakespearean
Shakespearean rhyme scheme: abab,
cdcd, efef, gg

Renaissance Drama
Turned away from religious focus and toward classical Greek
and Roman tragedies and dramas
Christopher Marlowe: First major dramatist
(1580s)
Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Started as actor
Famous playwright by 1592
37 Plays: most can be categorized as
tragedy, comedy, or history
Deep understanding of what it
means to be human helps maintain
popularity

Renaissance Prose
Not as popular as poetry
Heavy hitters:
Sidney, Raleigh and Thomas Nashe
Sir Francis Bacon: essays, science, philosophy
King James Bible
Translated Latin Bible into English
Huge achievementprobably most important in
English Renaissance
54 scholars worked 7 years!
Influential, used to this day