1. Renaissance Literature: Poetry
Ms. Eckman
English 12
Renaissance Literature: Poetry
“The Renaissance ”. Elements of Literature, Sixth Course. Literature of Britain. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston

2. Middle English Word endings changed b/c scribes became lazy
This caused the change in pronunciations
Language was no longer masculine or feminine but NEUTRAL
The Norman Conquest introduced French into England
French was used for law, gov’t, education & by the upper class
England was now BILINGUAL (used both French & English
1362 English became the official language of England
Some borrowed French words are:
*Baron * Duke
*Castle *Noble
*County *Government

3. The Renaissance Period: 1485 - 1660
Definitions:
Renaissance- rebirth
Renaissance Man- someone who is interested in science, art, literature, history and other subjects. Example: Henry VIII or Thomas Jefferson
Utopian- a perfect society
Humanism- Renaissance writer’s who were part of an intellectual mov’t which combined traditional Christian thought with Latin & Greek classics to teach people how to live; to study themselves
Reformation- The rejection of the Pope & church; to change the church & it’s politics

4. It began…..
.....with the changes in people’s values, beliefs and behaviors. …..in Italy in the 14th Century.

5. The Humanists
People moved away from “church” literature to Humanist literature to study themselves
Humanists studied human nature; one’s self
Erasmus was the most famous Renaissance humanist
Sir Thomas More was another famous humanist who wrote “Utopia”.
Both Erasmus and More helped shape European thought and history

6. What new technology helped bring about the Renaissance Period?
The Gutenberg Press which helped spread Humanist writing.
Before the press, all books were handwritten and hand copied.
The press (with movable type) was invented by a German named Johannes Gutenberg around 1455.
The first book he printed was the bible (on Latin).

7. The Reformation…..
….was a movement to REFORM the corrupt church & Pope. ….forced people to question the Catholic Church’s authority. ....made people object to the financial burdens placed upon them by the church.

8. Henry VIII
Started the Reformation mov’t b/c he wanted a divorce from Catherine of Aragon
Was a true Renaissance Man
Created the Royal Navy which led to the spread of England’s rule
Henry had 6 wives:
Catherine of Aragon –divorced; mother of Mary
Anne Boleyn
-beheaded; mother of Elizabeth
Jane Seymour
-died naturally; mother to Edward VI
Anne of Cleves
-divorced
Catherine Howard
-beheaded
Catherine Parr
-only survivor

9. After Henry VIII….
1st Edward VI or the “Boy King” -only male son of Henry (& Jane Seymour-she died 12 days after his birth) -became king at the age of 9 but his relatives ruled for him -died at age 15 from TB -followed by……

10. Introducing….
“Bloody Mary”! -1/2 sister to Edward, daughter of Catherine of Aragon -devout Catholic, returned power back to Pope & Catholic church -earned her “name” b/c she hunted down and killed Protestants (Henry’s followers) including burning over 300 people at the stake -Married the King of Spain (England’s biggest enemy at the time) - ruled England for 5 years -died of a fever

11. Return to Reformation….
The “Virgin Queen” -Elizabeth I followed Mary - She was the last living heir of Henry VIII -1/2 sister to Mary and Edward VI, daughter of Anne Boleyn - ruled from 1558 – never married, no children or heirs -returned to her father’s policies, restored the Church of England -was intelligent & independent -Executed Mary, Queen of Scots, for attempting to have her killed. She was a cousin to Elizabeth. -Under Elizabeth, the Royal Navy defeated the Spanish Armada which secured England’s independence from ALL Catholic nations in the Mediterranean (The Spanish Armada was sent by King Phillip in response to Elizabeth executing Mary, Queen of Scots)

12. Hidden Messages…. How fashion impacted the Renaissance Era
Colors and Clothing designs mean different things… 1. Green: love 2. White & Tawny: patience in adversity 3. White or Black: chastity 4. Pansies: sadness 5. Snakes: flattery

13. The 5 major Characteristics of the Renaissance Period….
People expanded their worlds by reading classical Greek & Roman writers rather than Christian doctrine
Spread of Humanism- focus on the here & now rather than the “eternal life”
The Gutenberg Press
A growing Merchant class (Middle Class)
The spread of scholarly Latin made the sharing of ideas possible

14. The End of the Renaissance Period
Elizabeth I died
Followed by ineffective rulers:
-James I
-Charles I (son of James); beheaded for treason
-1649 – 1660 Parliament ruled w/o a monarch; Charles II was exiled to France
-Charles II returned
Political and Secular (church) values challenged
John Milton was the LAST great writer of the period. Wrote “Paradise Lost”