The Renaissance

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

Definition / Etymology

Renaissance: from renaître meaning ”to be born again”

= REBIRTH What is reborn? ➜ The Antiquity

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

Aristotele, 384-322

Arabic Astotle Greek Aristotle

The Middle Ages

Christianity Feudalism Estates of the Realm

Feudalism

Realm of the Estates

Der kræves QuickTime™ og et -komprimeringsværktøj,

for at man kan se dette billede.

Der kræves QuickTime™ og et -komprimeringsværktøj,

for at man kan se dette billede.

Der kræves QuickTime™ og et -komprimeringsværktøj,

for at man kan se dette billede.

Those who work

Those who pray

Those who fight

The Crusades

Der kræves QuickTime™ og et -komprimeringsværktøj,

for at man kan se dette billede.

The NorthItalianCitystates

Middle Ages vs Renaissance

Middle Ages RenaissanceCountry lifeFeudalism LandRealm of the EstatesPredestination

City Life/urbanisationTrade and craftsMoney economySocial mobilityIndividualism and humanism

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

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.''

Traits of Renaissance Art Realism Individualism Glorification of nature and the human

being Light/shadowing/perspective Geometrical figures:

The circle = divinity

Botichelli, ”The Birth of Venus”

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

Leonardo da Vinci, ”The Vitruvian Man”

The ideal ProportionsOf the human

Inventions

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

Copernicus and the heliocentric world view, 1543

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

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.