Renaissance Notes Part 3- Renaissance Writers

Renaissance writers used writing practices and techniques that are still used by writers today. Some of these practices include: using writing as a form of self-expression, and highlighting the individuality of the characters or individuals they were writing about. Writers during this time period also wrote works that spoke to the social and political landscape of their societies.

Petrarch (1304-1974)

Francesco Petrarch was an early Renaissance writer. He was known as “the Father of Renaissance Humanism”

He wrote sonnets (a form of poetry) in the Italian language. These sonnets often talked about a woman who passed away during the plague, named Laura.

Excerpt from Petrarch’s Sonnet 102 [If no love is, O God, what fele I so?]

If no love is, O God, what fele I so?

And if love is, what thing and which is he?

If love be good, from whennes cometh my woo?

If it be wikke, a wonder thynketh me,

When every torment and adversite

That cometh of hym, may to me savory thinke,

For ay thurst I, the more that ich it drynke.

Machiavelli “The Prince” (1513)

  • Niccolo Machiavelli wrote his famous work, The Prince, in 1513. This work examines the imperfect actions of human beings, and in particular, it acted as a guidebook of sorts, that advised rulers on how to obtain power, and keep that power when faced with enemy threat.
  • In his remarks found in the Prince, Machiavelli does not show much concern for what is right, he instead focuses on what actions are most politically effective.

Some main ideas found in The Prince are:

  1. Most people are corrupt and selfish
  2. It is honorable for a prince to have integrity and stay true to his word, but if a prince wants to keep his power he must sometimes do things that are not morally correct like lie, mislead people, and be feared.
  3. Says that a prince must be as strong as a lion, but as shrewd as a fox (must be cunning and strong)
  4. “…it is must safer to be feared than loved” This is a famous line found in The Prince and speaks to Machiavelli’s belief that a ruler will be much better off ruling with an iron fist.

Castiglione “The Courtier”

  • Baldassare Castiglione wrote a book in 1528 called The Courtier
  • In this book, he outlined what it meant to be a “Universal”or” Renaissance” Man.

Here is an excerpt:

I, 26:"Therefore he who wishes to be a good pupil, besides performing his task well, must put forth every effort to resemble his master, and, if it were possible, to transform himself into his master. And when he feels that he has made some progress, it will be very profitable to observe different men of the same calling and governing himself with that good judgement which must ever be his guide, to go about selecting now this thing from one and that thing from another. And as the bee in the green meadows is ever wont to rob the flowers among the grass, so our Courtier must steal this grace from all who seem to possess it....”

What is Castiglione saying in this excerpt?

Thomas More

  • Thomas More was a Christian Humanist writer from England. In 1509, he wrote a book called Utopia.
  • This book talked about a better model of society, or an ideal society. The book talks about a society where there is no war, greed, or corruption.
  • In Utopia, there was no need for money because the people in the society did not want for anything.

Here is an excerpt from Utopia:

“ Gold and Silver, of which money is made, are so treated…that no one values them more highly than their true nature deserves. Who does not see that they are far inferior to iron in usefulness since without iron mortals cannot live anymore than without fire and water.”

  • More was inspired by Ancient Greek philosopher Plato (427-347 B.C.) and his written work The Republic
  • Dystopian Novels have gained popularity in recent years. A Dystopia is an imagined society where everything is unpleasant or bad. The society may seem ideal at first, but one finds many problems in the society instead.

William Shakespeare

  • William Shakespeare was a famous playwright during the Elizabethan Age (or reign of England’s Queen Elizabeth I who ruled from 1558-1603).
  • The Queen was a patron of Shakespeare’s.
  • Shakespeare drew inspiration from classic Greek and Roman writing and plays. His work also offered insight into the souls of his characters. Often, his characters had flaws and plays did not always have happy endings.

In this excerpt, we can see Shakespeare’s views on human nature:

“What a piece of work is man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving, how express and admirable; in action and how like an angel, in apprehension (understanding) how like a god; the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals.”

How does this excerpt display the humanist view of the Renaissance Era?

Quiz 2 Study Guide

Renaissance Art and Writing

This quiz will consist of two separate parts.

Part I- Renaissance Art

I will post works of art up on the board. You will be required to identify the artist, title, year created, and subject matter for each piece of art. Study all of the artwork we went over in the PowerPoint.

Part II. Renaissance Writing

The second part of the quiz will consist of three short answer questions (1-6 sentences). Make sure that you know the main ideas about each of the writers we talked about, and how their work ties to the humanist ideology seen in the Renaissance.

These writers include:

Petrarch- Petrarchan Sonnet

Thomas More- Utopia

Machiavelli- The Prince

Castiglione- The Courtier

Shakespeare- Who was his patron? What were some themes in his plays?

I will post a full copy of the art work PowerPoint on the “flex” page