英国文学史第2讲：Renaissance n Shakespeare

Renaissance and Reformation

The Beginning of the Renaissance
Changes in Society • 1300, Black Death, The Rise of City-States starvation, warfare had • Urban areas specialized, overtaken Europe particularly in Italy • Catastrophic events, • Italy divided into several large enormous loss of life city-states in north, various may have led to kingdoms, Papal States south changes of the 1300s: • Catholic Church, nobles, wars between France merchants, artisans dominated and Britain, society in city-states • Many sought to display new wealth with knowledge of arts

• School of Foreign Studies, NTU

Renaissance and Reformation

Machiavelli: The Prince (《君主论》) 《君主论》
Machiavellian advice seemed to encourage harsh treatment of citizens, and rival states • Describes men as “ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers” • Advises rulers to separate morals from politics

• School of Foreign Studies, NTU

Renaissance and Reformation

Different Viewpoints • They read, and began to think about philosophy, art, science in different ways • Began to believe in human capacity to create, achieve
(Leonardo da Vinci 1452 – 1519)

• School of Foreign Studies, NTU

Renaissance and Reformation Examples of Renaissance Men: Niccolò Machiavelli

How to Rule

• School of Foreign Studies, NTU

Renaissance and Reformation

The Italian Renaissance
literatures, a flourishing of *LYRIC poetry, and a revival of such classical forms as *EPIC and *PASTORAL literature. 7. The term 'Renaissance' has also been extended to various literary revivals in specific times and places: American Renaissance, Harlem Renaissance.
• Lecture 2 Renaissance and Reformation

• School of Foreign Studies, NTU

Renaissance and Reformation

The Italian Renaissance
Preview
• Main Idea / Reading Focus • The Beginning of the Renaissance • Renaissance Ideas • Quick Facts: Causes of the Renaissance • Renaissance Art • Faces of History: Two Renaissance Masters

• School of Foreign Studies, NTU

Renaissance and Reformation

Humanism in summary
Key points of humanism and humanity: 1. Interest in ancient Greek, Roman culture 2. Characteristics of good education 3. Scholastic education gave way to classics: rhetoric, grammar, poetry, history, Latin, Greek 4. Subjects came to be known as humanities 5. Emphasis on individual accomplishment
– Power, ruthlessness more useful than idealism – Ruler must do whatever necessary to maintain political power, even if cruel

• Machiavelli’s theory that “the end justifies the means” deviated from accepted views of correct behavior • Idea that state an entity in itself, separate from its ruler, became foundation for later political philosophy
Reading Focus • What changes in society and in cities stimulated the beginning of the Renaissance? • What ideas formed the foundation of the Italian Renaissance? • What contributions did artists make to the Renaissance? • School of Foreign Studies, NTU

New World of Ideas • Italians who could read looked for more information • Read Arabic translations of original texts • Searched libraries, found lost texts
• School of Foreign Studies, NTU

Renaissance and Reformation Black death: a brief introduction

1347 A.D., this great plague swept over Europe, ravaged cities, causing widespread hysteria and death. One third of the population of Europe died. "The impact upon the future of England was greater than upon any other European country" (Cartwright, 1991). The primary culprits in transmitting this disease were oriental rat fleas carried on the back of black rats. The Black Death came in three
• School of Foreign Studies, NTU

Renaissance and Reformation

Renaissance Ideas
As the economy and society changed, new ideas began to appear.

Inspiration from the Ancients • Venetian ships carried goods for trade and Greek scholars seeking refuge • Scholars brought ancient works thought to be lost

• School of Foreign Studies, NTU

Renaissance and Reformation
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Roots & Developments of Renaissance
• Roots traced to work of Dante (1265-1321); work contained glimpses of what would become focus on human nature • Believed to begin with two humanists after Dante—Giovanni Boccaccio (卜伽丘13131375), Francesco Petrarch (彼特拉克13041374 ) • Advances were made in medicine, science, as well as astronomy (Nicolaus Copernicus 1473-1543, Galileo Galilei arrested by church officials for saying Earth orbited Sun)

Renaissance and Reformation

To sum up
How did society and cities change in the 1300s?

Answer(s): Specialization in agriculture increased, resulting in more trade; urban areas became centers of commerce; merchants and artisans became important; some cities became displays of wealth. Sparks of capitalism gradually inflame.
• main founder of modern political science, diplomat, political philosopher, musician, and a playwright • Experiences with violent politics influenced opinions on how governments should rule in The Prince

Renaissance and Reformation

Renaissance Man •Ideal Renaissance man came to be “universal man,” (通才） accomplished in classics, but also man of action, who could respond to all situations.