1. The Renaissance

2. Why ? The time of William Shakespeare, 1564- 1616 The origin of the Humanities / the scientific method / the idea of Humanism = the background of west European culture

3. Definition / Etymology Renaissance: from renaître meaning ”to be born again” = REBIRTH What is reborn? ➜ The Antiquity

6. The Antiquity, 750 BC-500 AD Greece and the Roman Empire Great ideas developed and discoveries made in the fields of: Politics Art Literature Philosophy Architecture Astronomy etc

7. Aristotele, 384-322 Arabic Astotle Greek Aristotle

8. The Middle Ages Christianity Feudalism Estates of the Realm

9. Feudalism

10. Realm of the Estates Those who work Those who pray Those who fight

11. The Crusades

12. The North Italian Citystates

13. Middle Ages vs Renaissance Middle AgesRenaissance Country life Feudalism Land Realm of the Estates Predestination City Life/urbanisation Trade and crafts Money economy Social mobility Individualism and humanism

14. Humanism and Christianity The Human is the center of the world God has created the world but given it to man The human is divine and a co-creator Human possibilities are endless The divine status of the world can be proven through scientific methods Certain golden/divine rules apply to nature and to art. Balance, harmony, symmetry The circle: the perfection of God

15. Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola, ”Oration on the Dignity of Man”, 1486 The nature of all other creatures is defined and restricted within laws which We have laid down; you, by contrast, impeded by no such restrictions, may, by your own free will, to whose custody We have assigned you, trace for yourself the lineaments of your own nature. I have placed you at the very center of the world, so that from that vantage point you may with greater ease glance round about you on all that the world contains. We have made you a creature neither of heaven nor of earth, neither mortal nor immortal, in order that you may, as the free and proud shaper of your own being, fashion yourself in the form you may prefer. It will be in your power to descend to the lower, brutish forms of life; you will be able, through your own decision, to rise again to the superior orders whose life is divine.''

16. Traits of Renaissance Art Realism Individualism Glorification of nature and the human being Light/shadowing/perspective Geometrical figures: The circle = divinity

17. Botichelli, ”The Birth of Venus”

18. Music Music also consists of divine proportions. Dividing a string in half (2:1) = creates a new tone that is an octave above the original tone. Eg. Shylock the jew in The Merchant of Venice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKhsbpDHfSo

19. Leonardo da Vinci, ”The Vitruvian Man” The ideal Proportions Of the human

20. Inventions http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz4xZSO_Oao&feature=related

21. Copernicus and the heliocentric world view, 1543

23. The English Renaissance, ca 1520-1620 The Elizabethan Era, 1558-1603 The heyday of English poetry, literature and music. Protestantism Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588 Colonial wars

24. Conclusion European identity:  The cultural legacy of Greece and Rome  Germanic tradition and culture  The Christian faith Kickstarted worldwide English supremacy The context/conditions of Shakespeare The birth of modern Europe: The term Europe not part of everyday vocabulary until the 16th century.