The English Renaissance

The English Renaissance
1485 - 1660
Names and Terms to Know A.
• 1. Copernicus: Copernicus was a Polish
astronomer who proposed that the earth
moved around the sun.
• 2. Henry VIII: Henry VIII was the second Tudor
King of England.
• 3. Armada: A fleet of ships, the Spanish
Armada, tried to invade England, but failed.
Names and Terms A cont.
• 4. Elizabeth I: was the daughter of King Henry
VIII and possibly England’s greatest monarch.
• 5. James I: was the first Stuart King of England.
He succeeded the childless Queen Elizabeth.
• 6. Martin Luther: a German theologian, Luther
taught that people needed a relationship with
God, he began the Reformation Movement.
Names and Terms B.
• 1. Renaissance means rebirth. The Italian
Renaissance was a rebirth of culture and
renewed interest the classics. During
the English Renaissance, England grew
more powerful as a nation and absorbed
and reworked new European ideas.
Names and Terms B. cont.
• 2. The Protestant Reformation created conflict
in Europe and in English society. Protestants
and Catholics fought each other and various
monarchs represented either side. England
first became Protestant under Edward VI
(1547-1553), a brief Catholic restoration
between 1553 and 1558 under Queen Mary,
and return to Protestantism by Elizabeth
(1558-1603),
Names and Terms B. cont.
• 3. During Elizabeth’s reign, England
asserted itself as a military power against
Spain. The nation prospered and was
culturally enriched by the influence of
the European Renaissance. England's
literature blossomed as well as poetry
and drama .
Essential Question 1 A
1. A real place as a Launching Pad for the
Imagination
a. Elizabethans came to the theater to be
amused, uplifted, and instructed.
b. William Shakespeare wrote his play Macbeth
in order to gain favor with James I who was
Scottish and fascinate with witchcraft.
Essential Question 1 A cont.
2. Drama and the Expansion of London
a. Why were plays staged outside of London’s
city limits? Actors and plays were officially
regarded as disreputable.
b. Why did writers come to London? To enjoy
the stimulating life of a bubbling, artistic
community.
Essential Question 1 A cont.
• 3. Pastoral Dreams
• a. What did Greek and Roman pastoral poems
do? They celebrated the beauties of a simple
or natural life.
• b. English poets wrote pastorals in order to:
escape from the stresses of a city life.
• c. Give an example of one English pastoral and
its author: Christopher Marlowe’s, “The
Passionate Shepherd to his Love.”
Essential Question 1 A cont.
• 4. Change in the Meaning of “England”
• a. What two events launched England in the
world stage? The defeat of the Spanish
Armada and colonization of the New World.
• b. By the early 1600’s, English writing was
being read by people all over the known
world.
Essential Question 1 B
• B. Follow the directions and complete
1,2,and 3 on your own.
Essential Question 2
• 1. Belief as an Issue
• a. During this time the religious affiliation of
England changed four times.
• b. How were religious and political loyalties
tied together during the time of the Tudors?
Catholic and Protestant rulers determined the
current national religion, and those who
supported the monarch were those who
practiced his or her religion.
Essential Question 2 A cont.
• 1. cont.
• c. Why was Sir Thomas More executed? He
opposed King Henry VIII’s divorce and his
Church of England. (He remained loyal to the
Pope.)
• d. What was Mary Tudor's policy regarding
religion? She restored Catholicism and
persecuted Protestants.
Essential Question 2 A cont.
• 2. Writer’s Response to Problems of Belief.
• a. What was the “King James Bible” intended
to accomplish? To provide a single scripture
for the Church of England.
• b. What scientific issues were also in dispute
at this time? The shape of the earth and
earth’s relationship to the sun.
Essential Question 2 A cont.
• 2. cont.
• c. What s a major theme in Shakespeare’s play
Macbeth? How to separate illusion from reality.
• d. How did Columbus, Luther, Galileo, and
Copernicus affect people’s beliefs? Columbus
brought Europe to the New World, Luther
enabled people to find an alternative to
Catholicism, Galileo and Copernicus showed that
people’s beliefs about the universe were wrong.
Essential Question 2 B.
• B. Follow the directions and complete 1,2,and
3 on your own.
Essential Question 3
• 1. Rediscovering the Classics
• a. Both the Renaissance and the Reformation
involved going back to earlier writings and
translating them for new ones.
• b. How did the views of the ancient Greek and
Roman classic writers differ from the views of
traditional Christians? The Greeks and
Romans were pagans.
Essential Question 3 cont.
• 1. cont.
• c. What is Humanism? Humanism is based on
the values of classical writers, and presents a
human-centered view of life.
• d. Give three examples of classic works that
were translated into English during the
Renaissance. Homer’s Iliad, Plutarch’s Lives,
ad Virgil's Aeneid.
Essential Question 3 cont.
• 3. Religion and Literary Tradition
• a. In what country did the sonnet for
originate? Italy
• b. Describe how the “King James Bible” came
into being. King James wanted a standardized
bible for the churches to use. The scholars he
appointed used Latin, Greek, and Hebrew
texts. The King James bible is still in use today.
Essential Question 3
• B. Follow the directions and complete
1,2,and 3 on your own.