THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE OR THE ELIZABETHAN ERA

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 14 th 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 Catherine of Aragon m Divorced Mother of Mary Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn m Executed Mother of Elizabeth I Jane Seymour Jane Seymour m Died Mother of Edward VI Anne of Cleves Anne of Cleves m Jan. - July Divorced Kathryn Howard Kathryn Howard m Executed Katherine Parr Katherine Parr m Widowed

Elizabeth I and the Elizabethan Era  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  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  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  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  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 ( )  published the first medical diagrams of the systems of the human body that were actually based on human cadavers.  William Harvey ( )  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:  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  Could not get a divorce, vote, hold political office, or speak and write freely  Could not live alone  Single women were frequently accused of witchcraft  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