The Renaissance Exposition Renaissance literally means rebirth Rebirth

The Renaissance

Exposition • Renaissance literally means “rebirth” • Rebirth of what? • Culture • Science • Learning • Was it dead? Where was it? • Fall of Rome • Dark Ages/Middle Ages/Medieval Period • Illiteracy

When Was It? • Immediately follows and overlaps with the Middle Ages (a. k. a. , the medieval period) • Begins at different times throughout Europe • Emerges first in Italy in the 14 th century

How/Why Did It Happen? Toward the end of the Middle Ages (12 th century) there were a series of social, political, and intellectual transformations that culminated in the Renaissance. These included: • Declining power/influence of the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire • Rise in importance of city-states and national monarchies • Development of national/regional languages & identities

Disintegration of feudalism City-states and regional/national principalities… • supplanted the fading dominance of the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy (i. e. , the office and jurisdiction of the Pope) • dismantled the feudal system that covered Europe, although within states power continued to be monopolized by elites drawing their strength from both landed and mercantile wealth. • A brief reminder…Feudalism, or the feudal system, was a social and economic arrangement in which wealthy land owners (lords) granted use of their land to poor farmers (vassals) in return for the vassals’ fealty (acknowledgment the lords’ superiority and authority) and military service when needed. Vassals often were allowed to keep and sell just

Characteristics • Mainly characterized by a resurgent interest in Classical (i. e. , ancient Greek & Roman) learning and values after a long period of cultural decline and stagnation in Europe. • Traditionally described as displaying… • A sharp break with medieval values and institutions • a new awareness of the individual (Humanism) • an awakened interest in the material world and nature (also Humanism) • a recovery of the cultural heritage of ancient Greece and Rome

What else? Also included… • new geographic exploration • scientific discoveries and innovations • invention and application of powerful technological innovations • e. g. , the printing press

HUMANISM Humanism is an intellectual movement which provided the philosophical foundation of the Renaissance • It was initiated by secular scholars rather than the scholarclerics (monks, priests, etc. ) who had dominated medieval intellectual life. • It emphasized the dignity of man • There is value in this world and the in the works/achievements of man • Opposed to the medieval focus on this life as mere preparation for eternity • Propounded the autonomy of the individual • No one has a preordained, fixed character or limit; instead, each individual is free to create his own future and develop his potential to its fullest. Basically, nothing is forbidden to, or beyond, human aspiration. • It was begun and fully developed first in Italy • The fall of Constantinople in 1453 provided humanism with a major

Humanitas • The term “humanism” was derived from the Latin word humanitas, an educational and political ideal that called for the development of human virtue to its fullest extent. • What virtues? Understanding Compassion Fortitude Prudence Love of honor Benevolence Mercy Judgment Eloquence • The balance of contemplation with action

Effects of Humanism • To help men break free from the intellectual restrictions imposed by religious orthodoxy • To inspire free inquiry, reason, and individual critical thought rather than unquestioning acceptance • To inspire a new confidence in the possibilities of human thought, creations, and endeavors

Why Italy first? • Strategic location at intersection of major trade routes provided vast exposure to a broad variety cultures…and wealth • This wealth was eventually used to promote and support arts and learning (Univ. of Bologna, founded 1088, is the world’s oldest university) • Noble/Royal patronage of the arts was used to gain and consolidate popular support of their power • The scandals and intrigues of the Roman Catholic Church engendered skepticism about the integrity of the church • This creates intellectual space for humanism • The ubiquitous physical ruins of the ancient Roman Empire were a constant reminder of their great heritage

The general artistic trend… • As we move from the Middle Ages into the Renaissance, artists use classical works as models for the form, or structure, of their new works. • Biblical subject matter (the preferred topic of medieval works) is gradually replaced with classical myths, history, and eventually, original stories.

Milestones of Italian Renaissance Drama • The Divine Comedy (c. 1308) by Dante – beginning of Renaissance art • 1 st major literary work written in a modern vernacular language • Eccerinus (c. 1315) by Mussato – Earliest Renaissance tragedy • Classical form + Religious subject matter • Achilles (c. 1390) by Laschi – 1 st “True” Renaissance tragedy • Classical form + Classical subject matter • The Casket (c. 1508) by Ariosto – Earliest known vernacular drama • The Mandrake (c. 1518) by Machivelli • Classical form + Newly invented subject matter

Italian Renaissance Drama: THE LEGACY Today, Italian Renaissance drama is considered artistically inferior to works from France and England. However, they are valued as: • examples of the first clear break with medieval practices • models for dramatists in other European countries who produced works of improved quality

THE NEOCLASSICAL IDEAL • Neoclassicism refers to art produced later than but inspired by classical antiquity, specifically ancient Greece and Rome. • The structure and elements of these works are adopted as the ideal to be used for all new works. • During the 16 th century, Aristotle and his Poetics came to be considered the supreme authority on literary matters. • In the Poetics he defines dramatic forms and their required elements • The core demand was for verisimilitude, or the appearance of

Verisimilitude is subdivided into three subsidiary goals • Reality • Confine subjects to events that could happen in real life • Fantasy and supernatural events/phenomena were discouraged or downplayed • Soliloquies are discouraged (increased use of confidants as a dramatic device) • Battles, violence, death, crowds left offstage; only spoken about/described • Morality – Drama should teach moral lessons • Drama should not merely copy life, but reveal its ideal moral patterns • Wickedness/evil should be punished and goodness/virtue rewarded • Stories with apparent aberrations in the workings of justice were unsuitable • If good did not prevail, it was rationalized as God’s incomprehensible plan

Decorum • Applying the proper decorum (behavioral norms) to characters was considered essential for depicting the universality of human nature. • All humanity was categorized (and therefore stereotyped) according to age, rank, social status, sex, profession, etc. • “Appropriate” attributes and traits were assigned accordingly. • Characters prospered if they observed the appropriate decorum and were punished if they deviated. • Obviously promoted the idea that there was virtue in conformity to expected roles in life.

The Three Unities • Action – First declared an ideal by the ancient Greeks • Demanded a play have only one, main plot line • Time – First advocated as an ideal around 1543 • Entire action of the play should take place in real time (later allowed to occur within 24 hours or less) • Place – First advocated as an ideal around 1570 • All action of the play should be confined to one place (could include locations easily reached w/in 24 hrs. )

The Purpose of Drama “To teach and to please” Why was teaching considered an essential function? • Humanists needed to justify the study & writing of secular literature. • Comedy taught by ridiculing behavior that was to be avoided. • Tragedy taught by showing the horrifying results of misdeeds. • Plays that deviated from the norms of the neoclassical ideal

Comedy and Tragedy • All drama was reduced to two basic forms: Comedy and Tragedy • Neoclassicists demanded purity of dramatic form • Any hybrid forms were considered inferior • Comedy • • Characters were drawn from the middle and lower classes Stories were based on domestic and private affairs Had happy endings Imitate the style of everyday (colloquial) speech • Tragedy • Characters were drawn from the upper/ruling class (nobles, royalty, etc. ) • Stories were based on history or mythology • Had unhappy endings