The Renaissance: Key Concepts PDF

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Introduction to the Humanities...

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Key Concepts: Major Themes of the Renaissance ● Rebirth of Classicism: During the Renaissance, there was a rebirth of classical ideals, mainly humanism, rationalism, and balance, based on the belief that classical literary, scientific, and philosophical works provided additional resources for learning and living. ● Humanism: Humanism is an optimistic attitude that praises human abilities to be successful in their endeavors, whether in science, religion, art, politics, or behavior. The focus on humanity, human culture, and the human form was the impetus for the classical revival. ● Rationalism/Scientific Expansion: Many people in the Renaissance embodied a strong interest in rationalism and scientific inquiry, leading to deeper understanding of the world and technological developments in such areas as medicine, transportation, and warfare. ● Expansion of the University System: The Renaissance approach to education produced the ideal of the well-rounded individual who was not bound to any one discipline. As the university system spread across Europe, it represented a significant change in epistemology. ● Individualism/Self-Fashioning: The notion of individualism became important during the Renaissance as artists sought public recognition and reputation. Artists and nobles represented their identity with choices in dress and behavior, a process known as self-fashioning. ● Reformation: Reformation took place in the form of Protestantism, sparked by Martin Luther's outspoken disagreement with many Church practices he believed were corrupt. Overall, reformation of the Roman Catholic Church was a very significant movement in the Renaissance that separated it from the Middle Ages.

Key Concepts: The Importance of the Renaissance

No appreciation of the Humanities is complete without understanding this era and its significance in the history of Western civilization.

The Renaissance:

● witnessed the revival of classical art, literature, philosophy, architecture, and learning, ● spawned renewed study of the great works of ancient Greco-Roman civilizations, and ● produced among the finest artistic and intellectual achievements in the history of Western Humanities.

The potential and talents of the individual became a significant focus in the Renaissance, including the idea of the well-rounded Renaissance Man.

One of the most significant ideas to emerge from the Renaissance is the value of education, particularly in the Humanities. The catalyst for the classical revival was the belief that one could realize his or her full humanity only through classical education. This rebirth reasserted the superiority of ancient Greco-Roman creative and intellectual contributions.

Key Concepts: The Age of Exploration

From the early 15th to the early 17th century, Europeans embarked on maritime explorations around the world in order to satisfy their desire for foreign goods and to achieve geopolitical dominance over one another. Scientific innovations assisted Renaissance exploration, such as enhanced ship design, the standardization of navigational charts, and improvements in instrumentation.

Key Concepts: Renaissance Religion During the Renaissance Era, the Roman Catholic Church faced numerous dissenters to its authority, who were reacting to corruption within the clergy. A series of popular heretical movements emerged, proposing to do away with the institutional Church. There were also more moderate reformers, like Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus, who criticized clergy corruption and sought reform within the Church itself. The most notable dissent with the Church, however, was the Protestant movement. Protestant Reformation: Inciting the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses c hallenged the doctrine of papal infallibility and rejected the Catholic Church as the necessary intermediary between the faithful and God. However, disagreements among Protestants caused multiple sects to form.

Key Concepts: Renaissance Humanism The dominant Renaissance cultural and intellectual movement was classical humanism, which emphasized the worth, dignity, and rationality of man. Renaissance humanism: ● emphasized not only scholarly achievement but also moral and athletic development ● encouraged the individual to engage with the world ("The whole glory of man lies in activity") ● rejected much of medieval thinking as irrelevant to a changing world Renaissance thinkers, like Niccolò Machiavelli, began to account for politics with a nonreligious realism. In The Prince, Machiavelli defended the principle that "the ends justify the means" in governance and statecraft. Classical humanism also stressed the individual's role in the social and political order by emphasizing general responsibilities of citizenship and respect for public duty. It held that participating in the political life of the community was an obligation.

Key Concepts: Renaissance Literature Renaissance literature experimented with a wide range of styles that reflected an emphasis on the individual's psychological complexity in addition to the social and moral structures of society that were more often the focus of medieval literature. Many Renaissance authors found themselves combining Christian and classical learning into Christian humanism in order to reconcile the many conflicts between the two. ● Machiavelli's The Prince is one of the best-known political treatises. His treatise advanced the abandonment of conventional morality for the sake of power and authority. The Prince is considered to represent the darker side of the Renaissance's belief in human possibility and potential. ● Castiglione's The Courtier explores the process of fashioning one's individual sense of self according to a set of socially acceptable standards. ● William Shakespeare would become the most famous writer in English by writing plays and poems that examine such human emotions as loyalty, ambition, love, hate, greed, and self-sacrifice.

Key Concepts: Renaissance Theater ● Renaissance theater slowly evolved from the informal roving troupes that were characteristic of the Middle Ages. Patronage of the arts allowed troupes to settle into a city, build a playhouse, and take up theater as a profession. As a result, works became longer, more complex, and critically discussed the church. ● Playwrights used new literary techniques in their works. ○ soliloquy was used to provide insight to a character's thoughts ○ allegory treated abstract themes very concretely ○ language, such as dialect, blank verse, and prose, was used to differentiate between social classes ● Famous playwrights included: ○ Shakespeare, who was a master wordsmith and who used confusion and misunderstanding to create the major events of the plot. He wrote the tragedy Hamlet. ○ Marlowe, whose treatment of religion directly references the Protestant Reformation and the eternal struggle between good and evil. He wrote the historical tragedy Doctor Faustus.

Key Concepts: William Shakespeare ● William Shakespeare was one of the most influential figures in English and Western literature and is credited with writing 38 plays and 154 sonnets. The inevitability of fate and the power of miscommunication are particularly common themes in Shakespeare's plays. ● Because women were forbidden to act during Shakespeare's time, the female roles in his plays were performed by young men. ● Shakspeare wrote 154 sonnets. The first 126 are addressed to an unnamed young man, while the rest of the sonnets are addressed to a mysterious "dark lady."

Key Concepts: Renaissance Art and Architecture Renaissance painting, sculpture, and architecture departed from medieval traditions and reflected the merging of art and science. Two of the innovations in Renaissance art were the widespread use of oil painting as a medium and the development of mathematical or linear perspective in painting. Sculpture in the Renaissance was inspired by classical humanism and the rediscovery of classical forms and principles. Renaissance architecture featured the revival of the dome and the fashioning of secular structures, including palaces, residences, theaters, and libraries. Some of the most notable artists of the Renaissance Period were Leonardo da Vinci (Mona Lisa, Vitruvian Man, The Last Supper ) , Michelangelo (statue of David, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel), and Dürer (realistic paintings).

Key Concepts: Renaissance Music ● Renaissance music was more secular than the music of the Middle Ages, and it was characterized by the classical principles of simplicity, balance, order, and clarity, as well as by the use of imitation. ● One popular form of music during the Renaissance was the madrigal, a polyphonic vocal work that set a pastoral poem to music. It used a technique called "word painting," in which notes would ascend or descend depending on the literal textual meaning.

Key Concepts: Cultural Exchange and Diversity in the Renaissance Period The Renaissance Period was a busy time of exploration and cultural exchange that resulted from vast improvements in trade and communication. ● The expansion of trade routes on land and sea allowed spices, precious gems, and fine silk to arrive from Asia. ● Italian glassmakers were inspired by the beauty, color, and luster of Islamic glass and pottery. ● African culture made an impact throughout Europe, as African artists carved hunting scenes and motifs on ivory for European royalty. African servants and slaves became a larger presence in areas of Europe. ● The Spanish "Golden Age" resulted from Spain's acquisition of gold and silver from the Americas. Spanish artists and writers—such as El Greco, Velazquez, and Cervantes—contributed immensely to Renaissance culture. ● The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized mass communication throughout Europe. ● In music, an instrument called the viola da gamba had its origins in 15th century Spain, resembling the Moorish instrument known as a "rabab."

Key Concepts: The Renaissance in Contemporary Life The philosophy, arts, literature, and music of the Renaissance has influenced our modern concept of individual identity, our compassion for others, our sense of human rights, and even our way of solving problems with reason and science. ● Today we refer to a person who has broad knowledge and versatile talents spanning many intellectual and artistic disciplines as a Renaissance man or woman. ● The Renaissance Period's focus on science and the human form has led to markedly more successful medical practices and other scientific advancements. ● Our modern-day focus on education, particularly in the Humanities, can be traced back to the Renaissance ideals....