Renaissance and Reformation
1550-1660
Eras of the Renaissance
Eras
Early Tudor era immediately following the black death, 1/3 of the population lived in poverty and there was very poor sanitation
1558–1603: Elizabethan era marked a renaissance that inspired national pride by expressing classical ideals. Shakespeare wrote most of his plays during this era, the first theater in England was built during this time
1603–1625:Jacobean era marks the time in which Jacob I of England was in power. Some of Shakespeare's most prominent plays, including King Lear (1605), Macbeth (1606), and The Tempest (1610)
1625–1642: Caroline era marks the reign of Charles I. In comparison to the last two eras, literature had diminished
- 1949-1660: Commonwealth or Puritan Interregnum marked the start of Reformation
Art and Literature
Writers -
- William Shakespeare- Poet and playwright (1564-1616)
Ludovico Ariosto- Poet (1474-1533)
Sir Phillip Sidney- The publication of his work Astrophel and Stella (1501) made the sonnet much more publicized and his poem Arcadia made lyric poetry popular to other poets of the time.
Christopher Marlowe wrote Tamburlaine the Great (1587) which established blank verse for the era
Artists -
Leonardo Da Vinci: Leonardo was the supreme Renaissance painter, scientist, and inventor; known as one of the greatest minds in the world
Michelangelo: Sculptor and painter; one famous work being the statue of David
Social Conditions
- Thomas Harman (1566)
- Robert Greene (1591-92)
- William Shakespeare's King Lear (1605-06)
Cultural Development
- Humanism was prominent and was influenced by classics
- Secularism, seen as being anti-Christian and anti-religious
Both new ideas that arose in this period.