The Black Death
1. A plague epidemic swept through Europe from 1348 through 1351, killing an
estimated 25–60% of Europeans. Some estimates are as high as 2/3 of the
population.
2.The exact death toll is difficult to measure from medieval sources. The
number of deaths varied considerably by area and depending on the source.
Current estimates are that between 75 and 200 million people died from the
plague.
3.The term "Black Death" is recent. During the plague, it was called "the Great
Mortality" or "the Pestilence."
4.Although the period known as the Black Death ended in 1351, the plague
continued to return to Europe, with epidemics every few years through the end
of the fifteenth century.
5.The Black Death was the second plague pandemic of the Middle Ages.
Justinian’s Plague in the sixth century was deadly and widespread, but did not
create the same devastation as the second pandemic.
The Renaissance and Reformation: 1300-1600
The Renaissance was a period of cultural rebirth in the arts,
literature, and learning.
During the Scientific Revolution, a new approach to science changed
the way Europeans viewed the world.
During this time, the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific
Revolution changed European civilization.
During the Italian Renaissance an intellectual movement took place known as Humanism.
Humanism based on study of classical Greek and Roman cultures,
and focused on worldly subjects. Not religious issues that medieval
thinkers studied.
Humanists believed education should help people think in new ways.
Humanism brought a new attitude toward culture, learning and the
world.
7.During a siege of the Genoese city of Kaffa by the Tatars in 1347, the
inhabitants were reportedly infected with the plague when the Tatars threw the
bodies of plague victims into the city.
Printing spread Renaissance ideas throughout Europe. Books became
more available, people learned to read and write and therefore,
knowledge and ideas spread.
9.From Sicily, the disease took three years to sweep through Europe, moving
north and traveling as far as Iceland and Greenland. The plague and
simultaneous climate changes put an end to the European colonies on the
coast of Greenland.
Key advance in technology during Renaissance was the printing
press.
The Bible, and books about medicine, law, astrology, mining,
geography were printed.
2. What was forbidden to women of this time?
Learning
3. What were the typical ages for men and women
to get married?
Men-27, Woman-24, Nobles usually younger
4. How were children treated at this time?
Miniature Adults
5. What was a typical school day like for a boy at
this time?
Early, long hours, reading, writing, math,
religion.
6. Since water was unsanitary at the time, what was
the common drink for all people?
Ale
Protestant Reformation occurred during Renaissance.
Conflicts between Catholic and Protestant nations would shape
European politics for centuries. (ex. Persecution, murders, inquisitions)
In 1500’s, Scientific Revolution – new way to think about the physical
universe.
10.Most experts agree that the plague was caused by Yersinia pestis (or Y.
pestis), a bacillus carried by fleas that live primarily on rats and other rodents
that were common in medieval dwellings.
Church opposed scientific findings, approach of
observation/experimentation, mathematical calculations and scientific
laws: led to the scientific method.
11.Since the 1980s, several researchers have blamed other diseases, including
anthrax and typhus, for the plague. The argument claims that other diseases
spread more easily between people without the required flea vector and can
display similar symptoms.
During Scientific Revolution, discovered many scientific laws for the
first time.
12.Plague continues to survive in the modern world, with Y. pestis foci in Asia,
Russia, the American Southwest, and other areas where the host rodents and
fleas live. Today, though, it is rarely fatal.
1. Which member of the family held all the power in
the house?
Men
The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to northern Europe.
6.The Black Death followed a period of population growth in Europe which,
combined with two years of cold weather and torrential rains that wiped out
grain crops, resulted in a shortage of food for humans and rats. This caused
people and animals to crowd in cities, providing an optimal environment for
disease.
8.In November 1347, a fleet of Genoese trading ships landed in Messina, Sicily
after trading along the coast from the Black Sea to Italy. The ships carried
dead and dying sailors, many of whom had strange black growths on their
necks, in their armpits, or in their groins. Many coughed blood. Those who were
alive died within days.
Life in Renaissance England
Copernicus – heliocentric (Sun-centered model of universe)
Newton–math to show gravity keeps planets in their orbits around the
sun.
Discoveries in astronomy, chemistry, medicine.
All scientific discoveries opened the way for further advances and
changed the way Europeans viewed the world.
7. What was the most popular sport at this time?
Hunting
8. What could actors get away with that peasants or
other common people couldn’t?
Breaking fashion rules for performances.
9. How did people keep clean at this time?
Used Wash Basins
10. What was the Renaissance solution to toilet
paper?
Clothes that they reused
Globe Theatre Facts
Shakespearean Stage Directions
Fact 1-The Globe Theatre was built in 1599 in
Southwark on the south bank of London’s River
Thames by Richard Burbage.
The stage itself was five feet high, so there was
considerable space underneath. This space was known
as “Hell” and often represented a grave, dungeon or
even the underworld.
Below
Fact 2-The Globe had three stories and was able to
hold up to 3,000 spectators in its 100 foot diameter.
Fact 3-At the base of the stage was an area called “the
pit” which held “the groundlings”-people paid just a
penny to stand and watch a performance.
Fact 4-William Shakespeare was a shareholder who
owned 12.5% of The Globe Theatre.
Fact 5-Color coded flags were used outside the theatre
to advertise the type of play to be performed-a red flag
for a history play, white for a comedy play, and black
for a tragedy play.
Fact 6-There we no actresses performing at The Globe
Theatre-or any other theatre at that time. Female roles
were played by young boys as theatre stages were
considered too risqué a place for ladies.
A fanfare of cornets, often to announce the entrance of
a king, lord or emperor. The musicians would usually be
positioned on the balcony.
Flourish
Refers to a call to arms and in Shakespearean times it
meant a fight, brawl, or scuffle. Fights used every
available inch of the stage. Sometimes they even went
into the audience.
Alarum
The word translates as ‘separately’ and, as the
characters are using different doors to enter, it suggests
that they are approaching from different locations.
Severally
There is a section of the stage (in the center), which can
be covered with a curtain. This would be used for a
private room.
Discovered
This was considered to be a pretty outdated and hokey
form of drama in which a sequence of a play is
performed without words,
Dumbshow
Fact 7-The Globe Theatre burnt down in 1613 when a
special effect on stage went wrong. A cannon used for
a performance of Henry VII set light to the thatched roof
and the fire quickly spread, reportedly taking less than
two hours to burn down completely.
Shakespeare’s Modern Day Influence
1. How many languages has Shakespeare’s plays
been translated into?
Almost Every Language
2. Name three words or phrases that first appeared
in his plays:
bare-faced,” “cold-blooded,” “excitement,”
and “fair play.”
3. Why are so many film adaptions made from
Shakespeare’s works?
They’re in the Public Domain
4. Name three films that are based on
Shakespeare’s work:
West Side Story/ High School Musical
Gnomeo and Juliet/Ten Things I Hate About You
She’s the Man/ Just One of the Guys
Motocrossed/The Lion King
5. Which play is used most often on television
shows as an element of the plot?
Romeo and Juliet
6. Name three television shows that feature
Shakespeare or his plays?
Psych/Gilmore Girls/Family Matters
90210/Saved by the Bell/Pokémon
7. How many of Shakespeare’s stage directions call
for music?
300
8. How did Shakespeare use music in his plays?
Create Atmosphere
9. What instruments were used in battle scenes?
Trumpets and Drums
Used to indicate a balcony, city wall, or to overhear
conversations taking place on the main stage.
10. In Taylor Swift’s Song “Love Story,” how does
she change the plot of Romeo and Juliet?
Above
Changes them to a prince & princess. Happy
ending.