Renaissance Period ( ) By: Karim Muhammad Pastor T. Alondra Velasco Joanna Granados
Introduction Renaissance comes from the Latin word (renascor) meaning rebirth. Characterized by the adoption of a humanist philosophy. New literary genres such as the essay (Montaigne) and new metrical forms such as the sonnet (Petrarch) and Spenserian stanza made their appearance. Renaissance thinkers organized a new group of intellectual thinkers called humanities.
Humanities emphasized language, oratory, history, poetry, and moral philosophy. The dominant forms of English literature during the Renaissance were poem and drama. Among the many varieties of poetry one might have found in sixteenth century England were the lyric, the elegy, the tragedy, and the pastoral.
Famous Writers Authors Chapman, George ( ), poet, dramatist, translated classics like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey Bacon, Sir Francis ( ), philosopher, essayist--New Atlantis; 'The Advancement of Learning," Essays. Playwrights Shakespeare, William ( ) dramatist, poet--As You Like It; Hamlet; Macbeth; King Lear; The Tempest; and many other works. Beaumont, Francis ( ), dramatist--with John Fletcher, The Knight of the Burning Pestle. Poets Daniel, Samuel ( ), poet- -"Defence of Ryme." Shakespeare, William ( ), dramatist, poet--"Sonnets."
Popular Literature Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare published 1597 The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli published 1513 Hamlet by William Shakespeare published 1601 Macbeth by William Shakespeare published 1606 A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare published 1596 Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare published 1602
Author Contributions to Renaissance Shakespeare influenced the Renaissance by focusing on the individual traits that made up his characters. This individuality is further added to through his sonnets and their themes of what is most important to the individual. His plays left an indelible mark on the period because of their complex characterization, seen in characters such as Iago and Edmund, who were far more than flat villains, and their rich language, seen in Hamlet's musings and Othello's poetic self-defenses.
The Sonnets themes of beauty, youth, age, birth, death, immortality and, of course, love underscore the Renaissance worldview, which was principally concerned with the individual being, the material world and the liberal arts. Their densely compressed language and multivalent metaphors both lured and puzzled readers then and now.