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Cultural Influences
KEY IDEAS Creativity flourished during the Renaissance, a time of invention, exploration,
And appreciation for the arts.
The Renaissance
For writers, artists, scientists, and scholars—in fact, for anyone gripped by curiosity or the urge to create—the Renaissancewas an amazing time to be alive. The Renaissance, which literally means “rebirth” or “revival,” was marked by a surge of creative energy and the emergence of a worldview more modern than medieval. It began in Italy in the 14th c. and rapidly spread north throughout Europe. In England, political instability delayed the advent of Renaissance ideas, but they began to take hold after 1485, when Henry VII took the throne, and reached full flower during the reign of Elizabeth I.
The Renaissance WorldviewAll through the Middle Ages, Europeans had focused their energy on religion and the afterlife, viewing this world primarily as preparation for the world to come. During the time of the Renaissance, people became much more interested in, and curious about, life on earth. A new emphasis was placed on the individual and on the development of human potential. The ideal “Renaissance man” was not a bold and dashing knight or a scholarly monk but a well-rounded person who cultivated his talents to the fullest.
Creativity and ExplorationRenaissance Europeans delighted in the arts and literature, the beauty of nature, human impulses, exploration, and a new sense of mastery over the world. This was the time of Shakespeare, Galileo,and Columbus,after all. Inventions and discoveries made possible things that had been previously unimaginable. The compass, for example, along with advances in astronomy, allowed ships to venture into uncharted seas, and subsequent exploration profoundly altered narrow medieval perceptions of the world. Gutenberg’s printing pressexpanded horizons of a different sort. It meant that books no longer had to be copied out by hand. Once the rare and precious treasures of a privileged few, books were now widely available. In turn, by 1530 more than half of England’s population could read.
The Renaissance flourished in Elizabethan times, when theaterand literature reached new heights. Even Elizabeth’s successor, James I, contributed to the period’s literary legacy with his commissioning of a new translation of the Bible.With the reign of Puritan Oliver Cromwell and his closing of theaters, however, the period was near its end. The restoration of the monarchy in 1660 marked the official conclusion of the Renaissance period in English history.
A Changing Language: Renaissance EnglishDuring the “great vowel shift” of the 1400s, the pronunciation of most English long vowels changed, and the final e in words like take was no longer pronounced. Yet early printers continued to use Middle English spellings—retaining, for example, the k and e in knave, even though the letters were no longer pronounced. This practice resulted in many of the inconsistent spellings for which modern English is known.
By 1500, Middle English had evolved into an early form of the modern English spoken today. Nevertheless, there are some differences. During the Renaissance, thou, thee, thy, and thine were used for familiar address, while you, your, and yours were reserved for more formal and impersonal situations. Speakers used the verb ending –est or –st with thou (“thou leadest” ) and –eth or –th with she and he (“he doth”). They also used fewer helping verbs, especially in questions (“Saw you the bird?”).
UNIT 4. THE RESTORATION PERIOD AND THE 18TH CENTURY
Historical Context
KEY IDEA Writers of this era worked in a context of relative political stability and increasing rights under a more limited monarchy.