1. Reformation and Counter-Reformation
Northern European Renaissance and England

2. Northern Humanists
More interested in the ancient texts of Christian religion than Greco-Roman period
Applied themselves to editing the Bible, and the writings of the Latin and Greek church fathers

3. Erasmus (1469-1536) Leading northern humanist
Lived in France, England and Switzerland
Felt ethics more important than elaborate systems of theology and philosophy
Church overemphasized ritual and outward shows of piety

4. What is a Christian? Too much distinction between clerics and laymen
Thought that doing God’s work in the world more important than being a monk
Prepared a new edition of the Greek New Testament in Latin: showed key passages had been mistranslated
Used the printing press, distributing manuscripts throughout Europe
Goal was to reform Christians and the Church
Christian belief had to be reflected in one’s life

5. Renaissance Life
Education primarily for upper classes or aristocracy, primarily men, few women
Clergymen see books as dangerous People who could read could form their own opinions
Women, weak-minded; should be kept away from books
By 1500, spirit of reform prevails in northern Europe

6. Martin Luther Thought that the church was distorting the Bible
Church councils, popes, and learned men considered equal to the scriptures
Felt each man should be able to read the scripture and decide for himself
Demanded to renounce his ideas, his refusal led to creation of his own religion

7. Areas of Concern Felt that could not “earn” salvation
Some were predestined for salvation
Church hierarchy is a man-made system, not ordained by God, and filled with corruption
No need for pilgrimages, penance, masses for the dead, or other church rituals

8. How Luther Passed His Ideas
Also used the printing press extensively
Translated the Old and New Testaments into German
Translation then became basis for modern German language
Composed hundreds of hymns and established the Protestant tradition of hymn singing in the church

9. Renaissance Drama Companies of professional actors begin staging plays
Licensed theater companies were formed: protected by a noble patron
Grow in popularity, despite Protestant disapproval
Theaters placed outside city limits to avoid limits placed by the city leaders
All classes of people go see the plays

10. John Calvin (1509-1564) Another Protestant reformer
Frenchman who worked in Switzerland
Made Geneva the center of Calvinism
Major difference: felt responsible for reforming society to make it acceptable for God
Against taverns, whorehouses, elaborate clothing

11. Counter-Reformation
By 1550, Protestantism had taken over England, over half of the German states, Scandinavia, the Low Countries, France and Poland
Only Catholic countries were Italy and Spain
Charles V ruled Spain, colonies in the New World, and as the Holy Roman Emperor: Germany, the Low Countries, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, parts of France and most of Italy

12. Council of Trent
Not only through the strength of the Spanish and Italians, Catholicism was aided by the church council held in Trent at various times in 1545 to 1563
This laid the groundwork for major reform
Defined clearly what Catholics should believe
Made administrative reforms
Raised the educational level of the clergy

13. New Agencies of the Church
Jesuit Order founded in 1540
Founded by Ignatius Loyola
Took vows of chastity, poverty and obedience to the pope
Elite group of men: intelligent, athletic, well-spoken, and deeply committed
Given superb education: became diplomats for the church and the pope
Also became known as the educators for the middle and upper classes of Catholic Europe
Established schools and universities

14. Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition set up by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1478 to check on Moors and Jews who had converted but were still practicing their original religions
Holy Office of the Roman Inquisition (1542) investigated charges of heresy throughout the Catholic world in Rome
Suspected heretics, even princes and cardinals, would be forced to renounce under threat of death or imprisonment

15. Rebirth of the Church
Through efforts of the Inquisition, the Jesuits, and changes made at the Council of Trent, backed by the power of Charles V, Catholic church rebounds
By 1600, Poland, France, Austria, Bavaria, and many German States are all Catholic

16. Role of Music
Palestrina: composer credited with saving music in the Catholic church
Council of Trent also established musical reforms
Music had become so elaborate that the words were lost
Missa Papae Marcelli or Pope Marcellus Mass music could be beautiful, but understandable
Music became clearer so the words could be understood

17. Changes in Society
Great economic expansion due to the increase of bullion, especially gold, from Africa
Exploration of the New World also fueled economy, agricultural and industrial production

18. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)
French thinker
Wrote essays on philosophical, personal, or social subjects
Of Cannibals a social criticism, comments on the false sense of moral superiority of Europeans over the peoples of the New World
Addresses the issue of what is savage?

19. England Under the rule of Elizabeth I, England became a world power
Defeated the Spanish Armada
Became unsurpassed in theater
Public theaters were disapproved of by the Puritans and so had to be placed outside the London city limits

20. Revival of Drama
Plays representing stories of the Bible become more elaborate: “mystery plays”
“Morality plays” replace them with stories of allegorical characters
Humanists bring back interest in the ancient Greek plays
Plays written in English combined the classical elements and medieval, Roman and English elements

21. William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
His plays have never been equaled in their dramatic power, philosophical depth, and characterization
His poetry has enriched and amplified the English language
A writer for all time

22. Influences and Types
Humanism: confidence in human powers as reflected in classical texts
Reformation: doubt that human endeavors amount to very much at all
Shakespeare’s plays fit four categories: tragedies, comedies, histories, and romances

23. The Sonnets Wrote 142 Sonnets
Changed and adapted the original format created by Petrarch
Ridiculed the traditional version of beauty, in favor of a more earthier version
Also used the sonnet for meditations about the passage of time

24. Renaissance Theater
The Globe built in 1599, many of Shakespeare’s plays performed there
No artificial lighting—plays had to be performed during the afternoon
Semicircular in shape with a platform stage that juts out into the courtyard
Lower-class people stand in the “pit”
Upper classes sit in the galleries above

25. More About the Theater Orchestra was generally on stage
Designed not just for the elite but for all classes of society
Few props, no backgrounds
Wore clothing of the time, usually donated clothes from the royal patron
No females, all female roles acted by males
Less formal, more like a nightclub than now

26. Othello First produced in 1604
Created a hero who falls without any hope of redemption: a tragic hero
Sets the play in Venice: a place of luxury and corruption, but full of people from faraway lands
Iago: the villain, is a Venetian
Othello: the hero, is black

27. Setting
As a center of trade, Venice was full of people from faraway places
Othello was a black Moor—someone from sub-Saharan Africa
Not uncommon in Renaissance England
Common biases were that they were uncivilized, highly sexed, without religion
Term “black”: unclean, ugly, evil — “white”: beautiful, ideal, pure

28. Black and White Symbolism
Symbolism plays on the audience’s misconceptions
Presents a black man who is inwardly pure, and a white man who is evil
Difficulty of distinguishing being from seeming is a major theme for the play
The alleged super-sexuality of Africans is also a misconception as Othello is faithful to Desdemona, but Iago is unfaithful to his wife

29. Tragic Hero
Othello is a typical tragic hero because he moves from a state of power and good to one of degradation where he can no longer endure his life
Like Oedipus he experiences a revelation of self-knowledge, and turns his hand on himself
Combination of fate and character is seen in the combination of Othello’s character and the plotted malice of Iago

30. Poetic Verse Play is written in “blank verse” or iambic pentameter
Consists of unrhymed lines of ten syllables: a weak stress is followed by a strong stress
Shakespeare also uses prose and rhyming lines in the play
Blank verse is usually reserved for the main characters, while prose is often used for the servants and lesser characters

31. Music in Othello
Shakespeare used music to establish the scene and help set the mood
Instrumental music: associated with the world of action
Vocal music: used for the inner world of the character
Music could show more effectively how the character was feeling than just the lines alone could

32. Madrigals Originally Italian
Compositions of part music, with words that spoke of love, war, birth, and death
Combined poetry with street songs
Accompanied by the lute
Used to entertain at court, streets, during carnivals and festivals, and at homes of middle class
Madrigalisms: musical sounds that correspond to the words sung—word “higher” would be sung higher

33. Music
Printing press made music available to the middle class at home and abroad
No longer need a court composer to create music just for you
Famous English madrigal composers were: John Dowland, William Byrd, and Orlando Gibbons
Favorite works of all time was Thomas Morley’s “Now is the Month of Maying”