The English
Renaissance and
William Shakespeare
How The Great Bard Was Born
Renaissance
“He was not
of an Age,
but for
all Time”
Ben Johnson on William Shakespeare
I. The Renaissance was the period that followed (brought
Europe out of) the Middle Ages. It was a time of renewed
interest in things of this world.
•
•
•
A. Human beings and their conditions
B. Education, art, literature, and science
C. Approximately 1300 - 1600
II.
•
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The Renaissance started in Italy where wealth from trade
supported art learning.
A. Here also modern capitalism was born. Private
individuals or companies, not the government, owned
businesses. The main goal is profit.
B. Republican government arose in most cities. Citizens
participated.
Problematic
Viewpoint vs.
Renaissance
Humanism
III. Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), in The Prince
(1513) said, basically, one must do whatever one
must do to get and stay in power. If it works, it is the
"right" thing to do. Forget ideals; lie, cheat, even
murder if you must. A stable state is needed.
IV. Humanism, a system of thought and action concerned with
human interests and values, was the dominant movement of
the Renaissance.
•
•
A. Human beings have dignity and intelligence.
B. They (we) can change the world and make it
better place for all.
a
V. The ideal so-called Renaissance man was successful in
business, well-mannered, educated, athletic, and brave.
•
•
A. The goal of education became making people wellrounded.
B. Religion remained important, but the authority
and some practices of the church began to be
questioned.
VI. Some brilliant people lived during this time.
A.Leanardo da Vinci (1452-1519) painted (Mona Lisa), studied
geology, chemistry and anatomy, designed buildings, canals
and weapons, and sketched engines and flying machines.
B.Michelangelo Buonaroti (1475-1564) painted (the Sistine
Chapel ceiling), sculptured (David), designed buildings, and
wrote poetry.
C.Desiderius Erasmus (1469?-1536), a priest who wrote books,
The Praise of Folly 1509, condemned ignorance and
superstition. He believed education could lead to more
perfect societies.
D. Raphael (1483-1520)
E. Titian (1485-1576)
More art can be viewed at the Louvre Museum.
William Shakespeare circa 1609
The most famous writer in history was just as
influenced by the culture he was born into as
he influences modern culture. In learning
about his life and reading his works, we learn
about ourselves and about human nature. It is
no mistake that every high school student in
this country studies Shakespeare. He is quite
simply the best and you are about to
experience the power of his writings.
The Renaissance Period
The Renaissance Period
❖Renaissance literally means “rebirth”
Rebirth of classical literature and art forms
❖A Renaissance occurs when life is good (people are not fighting for survival)
❖It is a high time for art and literature
Italian Renaissance
 Occurred from 1300-1550 A.D.
 Marked as high time in art (THINK Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles—Michelangelo,
Donatello, Raphael, Leonardo)
 Authors: Petrarch (sonnets) and Castiglione
(courtier book)
 Influenced the English Renaissance Period
English Renaissance
 Occurred between 1400-1600 A.D.
 Began with Henry VIII and ended with King James I
 Highest point occurred during Queen Elizabeth I’s
reign
 High time in literature: Sidney, Spencer, Marlow,
Shakespeare
 Courtiers (professional kiss-ups) were very important
 Social classes were strictly enforced
 Theaters thrived but were considered low-class
Social Mobility
During this time period, it was
nearly impossible to rise above
your birth—if you were born a
peasant, you died a peasant.
Family name and nobility were
very important
One way to try and rise above your
birth was through the practice of
patronage—though how far you
could rise was pre-determined by
your family name.
The Tudors
English Reformation and Renaissance
Henry Viii
 From the Tudor line
 Had SIX wives: Catherine of Aragon(divorced),
Anne Boleyn(beheaded), Jane Seymore (died),
Ann of Cleves(divorced), Kathryn Howard
(beheaded), Katherine Parr (survived)
 Divorced the Catholic Church in order to marry his
mistress
 Wanted a male heir
 Fathered two daughters (Mary and Elizabeth) and
one son (Edward)
 Was Catholic, Protestant, Catholic, Protestant . .
..
Prince Edward
•
•
•
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The sole male heir to Henry’s
throne
He was Protestant and upheld this
faith in the country once in power
Was ill and died shortly after
gaining the throne
Left behind no heir (too young to
do so)
Bloody Mary
 After Edward’s short reign and early death,
Mary took the English throne.
 Devoutly Catholic and looking to vindicate
her mother (Henry’s first wife), Mary vowed
to wipe out Protestantism.
 Ordered the mass execution of Protestants
to restore the Catholic faith.
 Died of cancer
Queen Elizabeth I
“Bastard” Queen, daughter of Henry VIII and
Anne Boleyn
 Was both acknowledged and disowned by
her father when he was alive
 Devoutly Protestant
 “Virgin Queen”—never married, used her
feminine wiles to gain and maintain power
 The art of flirtation became a lucrative
enterprise during her reign
 Encouraged poetry and theater
 Powerful, wise, and important monarch
 Sustained many plots against her life
King James I
•
•
•
Was Queen Elizabeth’s Godson,
inherited her throne.
Patron of theater—Shakespeare’s
King’s Men were his favorite
acting troupe.
Solidified the Protestant faith with
the creation of the King James
Bible
A Difference in Viewpoints:
Medieval and Renaissance
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•
•
•
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Collectivism/Standardization
mentality, guilds were strong
Preoccupied with the soul and
death
Feudalism
In wars, knights were rarely
killed; foot soldiers made up the
bulk of the fatalities.
Church in England; the Pope was
involved with its politics.
Parliament’s primary function
was to grant funds to the King.
•
•
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•
Exaltation of the individual
Appreciation of life; art, dance
and music blossomed.
Nationalism
Gunpowder was used in warfare;
it killed knights and foot soldiers
alike.
Church of England; England
became a sovereign state.
•
Parliament was utilized to enact
laws that helped enforce
government policy.
What does this have to do with
Shakespeare????
William
Shakespeare was
born while
Elizabeth was
Queen and became
wealthy through
King James I
The Italian
Renaissance
influenced the
English
Renaissance
Henry VIII is the King at the
start of the English
Renaissance. His children
ruled most of this period. The
era ended soon after all of his
children were dead.
Brief Biography of William
Shakespeare
April 23, 1564-April 23, 1616
The Five Provable Facts About
Shakespeare
•
He was baptized on April 26, 1564
•
There were no such things as birth certificates at this time. However, babies were usually
baptized three days after their birth—hence Shakespeare’s birth date of April 23, 1564
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He was married at the age of 18 to 26 year old Anne Hathaway (she was pregnant)
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He fathered three children (two girls, one boy)
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His son died young
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He was part owner of the Globe Theater
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He died on April 23, 1616
It is a Mystery . . .
•
Everything else that is “known” about the world’s greatest writer is speculation, best
guesses, and agreed upon facts.
•
Due to the lack of actual evidence of Shakespeare’s life, many people have questioned
whether he really existed or not.
•
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The collection of works credited to him are all too similar to be the works of more than one person.
Others argue that Shakespeare could not have been smart enough to write such important
literature.
•
Pure genius is often misunderstood
Educated Guesses On The Rest of
Shakespeare’s Biography
 William Shakespeare was one of seven children born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden
 He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon
 His family was respected and wealthy—but not noble
 He attended grammar school and learned Latin
 There is no evidence of further education beyond this
 By the early 1590’s Shakespeare had left his wife and three children in Stratford-upon-Avon and traveled
over 100 miles away to London to pursue his acting and writing career. He lived there for most of his
adult life.

His marriage was not great—he rarely went home to visit his wife and upon his death, he willed Anne
his SECOND-BEST bed. Everything else went to his daughters.
 He became VERY wealthy in his life time which afforded him the chance to buy his family’s coat of arms
(a sign of nobility) and the largest estate in Stratford.
 His patrons included Sir Henry Wriothesley and King James I
Shakespeare’s Career
Wrote 37 plays
Wrote comedies, tragedies,
histories, and romances (not what
you think)
Also wrote 154 sonnets and several
narrative poems all dedicated to Sir
Henry Wriothesley
He was an actor, writer, director, and
business man
Became known for his imaginative
use of language and timelessness
Effects of the Monarchy
 Shakespeare had to adjust his writings based
on who was in power in England.
 Under Elizabeth—women were portrayed as
strong, Catholicism was mocked, marriage
was not made to be the ultimate goal for
characters
 Under James—the practice of courtiership
was mocked and Shakespeare was freer to
fully develop his characters