Renaissance age:

The Renaissance takes place at different times in different countries. The English Renaissance also called
the Early Modern period dates from the beginning of the Protestant Reformation and from the height of
the Quattro cento (1400's) in Italy. Renaissance is a French term meaning "rebirth." The period is
characterized by a rebirth among English elite of classical learning, a rediscovery of ancient Greek and
Roman authors, and a recovery of the ancient Greek spirit of scientific inquiry. The period is also
characterized by widespread religious wars, geographical discovery and colonization, and major reforms
of state. In terms of culture, it is important to remember that not everyone was similarly affected by the
Renaissance: illiterate, beer-swilling shepherds did not suddenly take up a study of Aristotelian
metaphysics. The period marks the high water mark of English literary accomplishment. It is the age of
William Shakespeare, John Milton, John Donne, and Katherine Philips. Queen Elizabeth I was fluent in
classical Greek, wrote poems in Latin hexameter, and produced beautifully polished English prose.

Literary culture was most influenced by the advent of printing. Quick, mass reproduction of texts meant a
wider audience. Textbooks were cheaper, and therefore more widely available to students from primary
school to college. Shakespeare had access to Greek and Latin classics in his small grammar school in the
country town of Stratford-on-Avon. A larger market also meant that writers could start making a living, not
from patronage, but from sales.

English Renaissance Literature Writers:

Renaissance literature started with a renewed interest in the classical Greek and Roman learning. The
invention of the printing press and the weakening of the Catholic Church’s influence on the daily lives of the
people, among other things, enabled Renaissance writers to express their beliefs in new ways.
There was an explosion of writing, some of which is deemed the greatest of all time, by these authors and
more:

1. ERASMUS: He challenged the narrowness of the Catholic Church. He criticized the unnecessary
rituals, the sale of pardon paper etc. He wished to return to the values of the early Church. In
order to do so, he produced a Greek edition of Scriptures in place of existing Latin one.
2. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS: He travelled in search of the Indies in 1492 and landed first in the
Caribbean Island of Hispaniola and was credited with having discovered the Americas. This
discovery also opened the eyes of the world.
3. COPERNICUS AND GALILEO: They established and postulated scientifically that Earth is not the
centre of the universe as believed by the people.

English Renaissance Literature Characteristics:

1. Reforms in the Institutions

In the earlier times, literature was dominated by the spirit of religion and blind faith. However, in the
Renaissance Age, institutions were questioned and re-evaluated. Renaissance broadened and took the
cognitive level of human mind to new heights.

2. Dominance of Reason

In the Renaissance age, it was the reason instead of the religion that governed human behavior. The man
was free to make the use of his power. Now reason dominated all the spheres of life that decreased the
influence of religion on the people. Most of the blind faiths and practices were given up.
 3. Man-Centered Society

Earlier religion was the centre of interest. Hence the main concern of literature was to deal with the religion
directly or indirectly. In the Renaissance age, the focus shifted from religion to man and man became the
centre of interest.

4. Development of Science

The age was accompanied by the birth of modern science, mathematics, astronomy etc. In the 4th decade
of the 16th century, Copernicus replaced Aristotle’s system with the sun, instead of the earth at the centre of
the universe.

In astronomy, Harvey discovered circulation of blood in 1628. In addition to this, there was the use of
clocks, telescopes, thermometers, compasses, microscopes etc. Hence there was considerable development
in the scientific field.

5. The era of Renowned Names

The literature of the English Renaissance contains some of the greatest names in all world literature:

 Dramatists: Shakespeare, Marlowe, Webster, and Jonson.

 Poets: Sidney, Spenser, Donne, and Milton.
 Prose Writers: Bacon, Nashe, Raleigh, Browne, and Hooker.

 Authorized Version of the Bible was published in 1611.

6. The Counter-Reformation

The Counter-reformation also took birth in response to reformation soon after the fame of the later
touched skies. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563). The primary objective of this movement was
to reform the Christian Catholic Church and counter the influence of Protestantism.

Criticism of the idea of the English Renaissance:

The notion of calling this period "The Renaissance" is a modern invention, having been popularized by the
historian Jacob Burckhardt in the 19th century. The idea of the Renaissance has come under increased
criticism by many cultural historians, and some have contended that the "English Renaissance" has no real
tie with the artistic achievements and aims of the Italian artists (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo,
Donatello) who are closely identified with Renaissance visual art. Whereas from the perspective of literary
history, England had already experienced a flourishing of literature over 200 years before the time of
Shakespeare, during the last decades of the fourteenth century. Geoffrey Chaucer's popularizing of
English as a medium of literary composition rather than Latin occurred only 50 years after Dante had
started using Italian for serious poetry, and Chaucer translated works by both Boccaccio and Petrarch into
Middle English. In the fifteenth century, Thomas Malory, John Lydgate, and Thomas Hoccleve were notable
figures. For this reason, scholars find the singularity of the period called the English Renaissance
questionable; C. S. Lewis, a professor of Medieval and Renaissance literature at Oxford and Cambridge,
famously remarked to a colleague that he had "discovered" that there was no English Renaissance, and
that if there had been one, it had "no effect whatsoever".

Historians have also begun to consider the word "Renaissance" as an unnecessarily loaded word that
implies an unambiguously positive "rebirth" from the supposedly more primitive middle Ages. Some
historians have asked the question "a renaissance for whom?" pointing out, for example, that the status of
women in society arguably declined during the Renaissance. Many historians and cultural historians now
prefer to use the term "early modern" for this period, a term that highlights the period as a transitional one
that led to the modern world, but attempts to avoid positive or negative connotations.

Why was the Renaissance so important? How did it affect that period of time?
The Renaissance was extremely important as it laid the foundation for the age of exploration and eventual
European global domination.

The rebirth of European interest in art, exploration, and technology came at the best possible time in
history.

Many people don't realize this but for most of history; Europe was not a dominant global power. Most of
the strongest powers were in the Middle East, India, or China. It has only been in the past 300 years that
Europe really gained a large edge over the rest of the world. The time at which Europe saw the
renaissance was the time right before the age of exploration.

While Europe was being revitalized a lot of the world was stagnating. China disbanded its treasure fleet
and embraced isolationism even further. The Islamic powers in the Middle East were not as powerful as
they were before. During this time the Renaissance allowed for new navigational devices, gunpowder, and
advanced ships to sail the oceans. A lot of the “new” technology was actually from China or the Middle
East. Ironically for Europe to conquer the rest of the world they had to become less European.

Europe’s rebirth could not have been at a more perfect time. The new technologies and ideas Europe
gained from the renaissance allowed Europe to gain the resources of the entire Americas all for
themselves. This boost led to Europe dominating the world for centuries to come.

The Printing Press — the “Grand Invention”:

Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1445. This invention changed the lives of people in Europe and
all over the world. Prior to its invention, books were made by hand. Words were copied and illustrations
were all drawn on parchment paper and animal skins that were dried and scraped until they were smooth.
This made books very expensive. The printing press could produce books very quickly with little effort.
Books were therefore much less expensive and many more people could afford them. With the knowledge
imparted in the books, many more people were empowered and as a result many changes began to
occur.

Architecture:
In the middle Ages, churches were no longer shaped like crosses. They used the circle to represent the
perfection of God. Symmetry became important. In homes, some of the features of the period were
courtyards, columns as support structures and domed roofs (a very difficult architectural task).

Painting:
Renaissance painters used more realistic depictions than artists in the middle Ages. The human figure was
drawn as realistically as possible, often with backgrounds of nature. There was less emphasis on religious
art. Gone were the pictures that had people arranged freely and in came symmetrical groupings. Science
helped artists understand the concept of perspective, where objects that were drawn smaller actually
looked as if they were farther away. Use of light made figures look real. Some of the famous artists of the
time include these men:
  Leonardo da Vinci is considered to have one of the greatest minds of all times. He was an
architect, musician, engineer, scientist, mathematician, botanist and inventor. He invented the first
parachute, helicopter, airplane, tank, repeating rifle, Swing Bridge, paddleboat and motorcar. He
painted the famous “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper.”
 Michelangelo is considered by some to be the greatest artist and sculptor who ever lived. He was
a great leader of the Italian Renaissance. His most famous work and his greatest glory were
painting the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome. It took him four years to do this. The ceiling
shows the history of the Old Testament and includes more than 300 figures. He set the standards
for sculpting, painting, poetry and architecture.

Music:
Science also played a part in the creation of music. Musicians learned how the pitch changes by
lengthening or shortening the size of the string on stringed instruments. Once again, symmetry became a
part of the music they created. Musicians studied the Greek drama and tried to create music that would go
with the words of their stories. This was the beginning of opera, where music and theater are combined.