The Renaissance and

William Shakespeare

A Celebration of Humanity1485-1625

Rebirth in Increments

• The Renaissance affected different aspects of life in England at different times. The humanistic approach, which is reflected in the period’s works of art, started in the 1470’s.

• Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), an Italian Renaissance painter known for his art and art theory, is currently celebrated for his equally impressive scientific contributions, which were preserved in a mass quantity of his notes.

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Rebirth in Increments

• The parliamentary renaissance did not happen until the 1530’s.

• The reign of Elizabeth I (Elizabethan Period), the Virgin Queen, endured from 1558 till 1603.

• Her rule was marked by religious tolerance (she quelled internal hostilities between the Catholics and Protestants) and world exploration, which set the stage for the British Empire.

• Having no heir, she was succeeded by James VI of Scotland (her 3rd cousin), hence James I of England (Jacobean

Period).

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Parliament

• During Henry VIII’s (1509-1547) reign, Parliament and the Crown developed a level of cooperation, which set the tone for future parliaments.

• Parliament was and is made up of 2 sections called Houses:

• The House of Lords (consisting of Church officials, lords, and other nobles)

• The House of Commons (consisting of knights of shires and burghers of boroughs (prosperous, solid citizens)

• Parliamentary Powers: pass new taxes/grants, pass laws initiated by King/Queen, The Speaker (House of Commons) could praise or criticize royal policies without punishment, give advice to King/Queen on wide range of subjects, enforce King’s/Queen’s policies, but it was Royal responsibility to form the policies.

Ruler and Parliament: A Political Body

• Illustrative of Parliament’s role in King Henry VIII’s reign is found in an excerpt from his speech to Parliament in 1543:

• “We at no time stand so highly in our estimate royals as in the time of Parliament, wherein we, as head, and you, as members, are conjoined and knit together as one body politic.”

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A Difference in Viewpoints:Medieval and Renaissance

• Collectivism/Standardization mentality, guilds were strong

• Preoccupied with the soul and death

• Feudalism

• In wars, knights were rarely killed; foot soldiers made up the bulk of the fatalities.

• Church in England; the Pope was involved with its politics.

• Parliament’s primary function was to grant funds to the King.

• Exaltation of the individual• Appreciation of life; art, dance

and music blossomed.• Nationalism• Gunpowder was used in warfare;

it killed knights and foot soldiers alike.

• Church of England; England

became a sovereign state.

• Parliament was utilized to enact laws that helped enforce

government policy.

Life During the Renaissance

• Customs and Mannerisms were dictated by fashion, flirtation,

survival, and superstition. • Men Greeting Men: Mucking

about on the street, people would run into acquaintances. Upper-class men might grasp each other’s right wrist with their right hand. Twofold Purpose: greeting and to occupy the other’s hand, thus rendering his unable to draw or attack and to check for

weapons up his sleeve. http://www.agelessfashions.com/clothing-photos/emdoublet-front.jpg

Customs and Mannerisms

• Peasants passing on the street might simply nod at each other and call out “God ye good den” or “God go with you.”

• Important: People would expect to be treated according to their stature or station in life. Therefore, one had to be very careful not to offend one’s betters. However, calling a peasant a lord might ensure that he would try his utmost to help you along. The rule of the day: “Speak Well, Speak Long, but Don’t say anything important.”

• Women greeted each other with the “French Kiss.”

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16th Century Customs and Mannerisms

• A gentleman would bow to a lady by presenting his right leg forward and put his left leg behind. Then he would bend his back (left) leg, and bend at the hips, keeping his right leg straight. He would sweep his arms open as he bowed, making sure to keep his head raised, maintaining eye contact with the lady.

• Proper response from the lady would be to curtsy: 1st she would place her left leg slightly behind her. Then she would lightly grab her skirts and bend at the knees, keeping her body straight. She would raise her skirts only high enough to keep them off the ground. Improper: A lady must never show her ankles or legs. She, too, would keep eye contact with the gentleman. An especially dashing or romantically-inclined man might then proceed attempt to kiss the lady’s hand. He would offer his hand, palm facing down. She would place her fingers lightly on top of his hand if kiss was welcomed. He would kiss lightly the lady’s middle finger, between the 1st and 2nd knuckle, keeping eye contact.

Economy and Commerce

• Agriculturally Based Economy

• Approximately 45 Nobles (and their families)

• Most English People were Farmers in some capacity

• Chief Livestock: Sheep (approximately 3 sheep per person)

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Rise of the Middle Class Continues...

• Elizabethan England had two social levels, the nobles and the peasants; however, there were very few noble families, making the vast majority of the population peasants.

• The middle class consisted of wealthy merchants, lawyers, clerks and master craftsmen. While not officially recognized as a new

class, these people were becoming wealthy and powerful enough to make an impact on the economy and the general view of society.

Renaissance Inequality

• Below the middle class were journeymen and apprentices to craftsmen, independent traders and domestics, as well as traditional agricultural occupations.

• Common Belief: One’s social status was ordained by God, and therefore, it was foolish and heretical to complain about it. However, much snobbery existed, and one always felt called on to lord over anyone “lower” than oneself.

Renaissance Shopping

• Shopping was possible in 4 Venues:

$ The Market--Sponsored by the local lord or squire and dealt mostly with food. Held on weekly basis.

$ The Fair--Fairs were more rare than markets and offered a wider variety of goods. Commonly, fairs were held in conjunction with a Festival (religious holiday).

$ In-town Shops--On a daily basis, people could obtain goods from these shops and occasionally a traveling peddler would drop by.

$ Bartering--Bartering was by far the most common form of commerce of the period--simple bartering among neighbors.

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Some Do’s and Don’ts

• Calf of a man’s leg: Men took every opportunity to show off this physical attribute by wearing stockings and short pants. Oftentimes, men would stand and “present’ their leg forward, turning the foot outward so as to show off their calf, hence “making a leg.”

• Great Scandal: Taboo to show affection in public-

• Proper Foods: meat, bread, dairy, eggs, and a few varieties of fruit.

• Don’t drink the water: Drink “small beer,” milk, and ale…only the very wealthy drank wine.

The Fork and Education

• Not just the “French Kiss,” but another new trend from France was the use of the fork as an eating utensil. While common with nobility, peasants continued to eat with their fingers, as they feared the fork’s tines were some sign of the devil.

• Common people of this time were usually illiterate, so there was a need for someone who could read and assist in matters of business. The Church was about the only non-noble group who routinely educated their people so most villages were provided with a clerk to fulfill this function.

Superstitions• Both peasants and nobles alike

believed in evil spirits and the power of good luck charms to ward them off.

• The noise of bezants (tiny bells or coin-like metal disks sewn to clothing) were believed to scare away evil.

• People wore crosses or carried Bibles to ward off evil.

• People believed in witches and demonic possession: Make the sign of the cross or cross your fingers (making a small cross) at an evil person.

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Sports and Pastimes

• Bear-Baiting (cruel but popular…a bear was tied by one hind leg to a tree/post, and hunting dogs were turned loose to taunt and attack it until the bear was killed…spectators placed bets on the longevity of certain dogs and the bear)

• Archery (Englishmen between 16 and 60 were compelled by law to own a longbow, and target practice areas were set up in every village…like jousting, archery was intended to prepare men for battle)

The Longbow

• First used during the Medieval Period, the longbow is a long hand-drawn bow, which sometimes exceeded 6 feet.

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Sports and Pastimes

• Hunting (Nobility enjoyed hunting as a sport…Game included hare (rabbits), hind (deer), wolf, wild bear, and fox…shooting was done with bows and arrows, or the prey might be pursued by greyhounds)

• Falconry--hunting with a trained raptor (Practiced by the upper classes, these birds of prey were considered so valuable that they were protected by a Royal Edict…anyone guilty of killing a falcon could be put to death)

• Embroidery/Tapestries (needlework practiced by all classes of women--pastime and necessity)

Popular Entertainment: THEATRE

• Traveling troupes of male actors (women were not allowed on stage) would visit villages and perform on makeshift stages. Actors depended on villager generosity for their incomes.

• Other Games: dice, chess, backgammon (tables), bowling, bocci ball, and cards.

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Titles

• M’lord or M’lady (respectful)

• Sir or Madam, Gentleman or Gentlewoman, Cousin or Cuz (Equal birth or social standing)

• Your Majesty or Your Highness (King and Queen)

• Your Grace (Members of the Royal Court)

• Master or Mistress Artisan (Craftsperson)

• Wench (Common or lower-class woman)

• Knave (Common or lower-class man)

Hello’s and Goodbye’s: Specificity

• Good Morrow (Good Morning)• Good Day (Afternoon greeting or parting)• Good Eve or Eventide (Good Evening)• God Ye Good Den (God grant you a good day)• I Bid You Adieu (Good-bye)• By Your Leave (With your permission)• Fare Thee Well (Good-bye- wishing them well)• God Save Thee (A blessing)

Compliments and Insults

• Thou are the most beauteous this day (You look pretty today)

• Thy voice is sweeter than that of an angel (Your voice is beautiful)

• By my troth, mine eyes are blessed by your very visage (In truth, the sight of your face is a blessing)

• Thy beauty eclipses the sun (Dazzling beautiful)

• Thou are lily-livered (coward)

• Thou slop-jar of ineptitude (slop-jar is similar to chamber pot…people also spat or threw garbage in it)

• Knotty-pated (thick-headed, stupid)

• Buffoon (fool)

Other Helpful Words

• Privies (Bathrooms)

• Zounds (An interjection and exclamation of astonishment--a shortening and alterations of God’s wounds!)

• Fantastical (Amazing)

• By my troth (Exclamation of truth)

• HUZZAH! (Hurrah!)

• All classes LOVED Language: A quick wit was prized…everyone played with words.

Renaissance Clothing

• Particolor, the newest and hottest fashion trend…one leg green and the other red, or one arm blue and the other orange, and the body of their outfit a completely different color.

• Men: doublet (close-fitting garment resembling a waistcoat) and hose.

• Sign of Wealth: finest fabrics, jewels, belt buckles, medallions and rings…only nobles could buy silk, wear jewelry or buy sale and ermine fur. It was the law! A wealthy merchant couldn’t buy clothes only a nobleman was allowed to wear.

• Women: low-cut tops, skirts swelled out like tents, the wider the band of fur trimming the bottom of her dress, the higher her rank…Noblewomen tried to wear outrageously high hats and long veils in order to outshine other women.

Renaissance Clothing

• Knights: Bars of iron and steel were hammered into flat plates shaped to cover the body…the plates were curved to fit the body exactly, and were polished and decorated…19 main parts…this gave maximum defense but heavy weight…some suits of armor weighed so much that it took a crane to hoist up the knight onto his horse.

• Peasants: lower class citizens dressed in dull-colored clothing made from natural fibers like cotton, wool, or flax.

Renaissance Literature: The Early Modern Period

• William Shakespeare, known as “the ageless bard” for drama/plays that transcend the barriers of time…Shakespeare dealt with universal truths and conflicts in human nature; his tragedies, comedies, and history plays continue to draw audiences from all of life, just as they did in their own day.

• Ben Jonson (a contemporary): “He was not of an age but for all time.”

William Shakespeare

• The Greatest Word Maker that ever lived!

• Of the 20,138 different words in his 37 plays, sonnets, and other poems, his use is the first known use of more than 1,700 words.

• Verbally innovative, Shakespeare made up more than 8.5 % of his written vocabulary.

• Reading his works is like witnessing the birth of language itself!

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Literature of the Period

• Elizabethan Poetry: Elizabethans preferred sonnets and lyric poetry over narrative poems.

• The Sonnet: Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, and Shakespeare

• Popular were sonnet cycles: a series of sonnets that fit loosely together to form a story (14-lines, iambic pentameter, rhyme-scheme varieties)

• Pastoral Poetry: Poetry idealized the rustic simplicity of rural life (Christopher Marlowe and Sir Walter Raleigh)

• Elizabethan Drama: playwrights turned away from religious subjects and wrote on more complex and sophisticated subjects.

• Drawing from classical models of ancient Greece and Rome, they reintroduced tragedies and dramas.

A Bit about Bill, Will, or Shakespeare

• Shakespeare (1564-1616) began his involvement with the theater as an actor.

• By 1592, he was a popular playwright, whose works were performed at Elizabeth I’s court.

• After the Globe theater was built in 1599, many of Shakespeare’s plays were performed there.

• Our study of Shakespearean drama consists of The Tragedy of Macbeth and The Tragedy of Hamlet.

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