Renaissance Beyond Italy

Extended

Northern Renaissance

• Like the Greek/Roman writings inspired the Italian thinkers, the new arts, technology and ideas of the Renaissance inspired and spread to Northern European countries such as France, England, and German

Why did the Renaissance Move North?

How did the Renaissance spread north?

• Northern European monarchs begin to sponsor the arts, similarly to patrons in Italy
• Northern scholars traveled south for an education.
• When they returned home, they returned with humanist ideas.

How did the Renaissance spread north?

• 1459 - War erupted in Italy over political struggles –
• Artists moved north out of Italy for safety bringing ideas with them

Johannes Gutenberg

• 1440 - Johann Gutenberg invents the printing press
• Printing Press- machine that presses paper against a tray full of ink moveable type
• Johannes Gutenberg – used movable type to print books, copies of Bible
• Ideas began to spread very quickly

Life Before Gutenberg

• Books could be found only in monasteries, places of education, and in the homes of the very wealthy
• As copying was a laborious process, only texts that held wide appeal were reproduced
• Not surprisingly, the Bible was the primary text

Scribes

• Scribes were responsible for copying manuscripts, while “illuminators” created the illustrations
• Illuminators added stylized fonts, gold trimming, and beautiful color to the tomes
• Worked in special rooms called scriptoriums
• Scribes and similar trades formed guilds, similar to today’s unions

The Printing Press

• Before the invention of the printing press, books and written materials had to be copied by hand.
• The printing press began to change that. This new machine allowed people print entire pages of text and even make multiple copies!
• The printing press mechanised book production and made the whole process much easier, faster and cheaper!

​

Firstly, the printer created a copy of the text. They did this using small metal letters, or movable type, which they arranged in a wooden tray. 

The movable type was coated in ink and a piece of paper was placed over the letters.

A metal handle was used to apply extra pressure and ensure a clear print!

The printer then slid the tray under a heavy press. The pressure of the press caused the ink on the metal letters to be transferred to the paper.

But how did the printing press work?

Books

• Allowed books to be mass produced
• Naturally, knowledge would be available to many more people
• Created an intellectual revolution in all areas of thought—philosophy, science, and religion
• Since the layperson could buy a Bible now, it was open to individual interpretation
• Culture moved from oral to literate

The Northern Renaissance

Christian Humanism

• Christian Humanists - a group of writers and thinkers concerned with improving society.
• Believed Christianity was in the heart rather than through ceremonies/rulers
• Tried to shed light on greed and corruption in society

​

Desiderius Erasmus

• Christian humanist
• Stressed the need for a pure & simple Christian life
• Most famous work was- The Praise of Folly
• He believed Christianity was in the heart and not in ceremonies.

Thomas More

• English statesman
• Wrote Utopia - A Story of a perfect society based on reason.

Christine de Pisan

• Italian born writer who grew up in France
• She wrote books that guided women on proper morality
• Her work The City of Women discusses different views of women & their roles

William Shakespeare

• William Shakespeare – transformed well-known stories into dramatic masterpieces
• Wrote 37 plays
• Also wrote 154 sonnets
• Wrote comedies, tragedies, histories, and romances (not what you think)
• He was an actor, writer, director, and business man
• Became known for his imaginative use of language and timelessness

​

Tragedies

• A tragedy can be identified because the plays are named for the main character(s).
• Some of his popular tragedies are: Macbeth, King Lear, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet.

​

Comedies

• A comedy can be recognized by its name; it is named for the situation of the play.
• Some of his popular comedies are: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and Much Ado about Nothing

Histories

• A History can be identified by the name as well. They are named after British Kings.
• The more famous ones are Henry V, Henry VIII and Richard III.
• Shakespeare's history plays are mostly fictional and not accurate
• Shakespeare often changed or invented things for dramatic effect.

​

Romeo and Juliet

• Was one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays
• It is a tragedy—there will not be a happy ending
• It is the most famous love story of all time, BUT it is just as much about hate as it is about love
• The action takes place in 5 DAYS!

• Shakespeare's Hamlet is full of dead bodies, murder, suicide, disease, graves, and death.
• No traditional Christian themes of comfort, justice, or happiness for the good people.
• The message is ultimately one of hope.
• ANYONE can be a hero.

Hamlet

• Prince Hamlet returns home from university to discover that his father is dead
• Hamlet learns that his uncle has murdered his father and married his mother
• Hamlet’s uncle becomes king
• Hamlet is tormented by his choices and conflicted by right and wrong
• Hamlet seeks revenge

Theme idea

• Unlike so much of popular culture today, Hamlet leaves us with the message that life is indeed worth living, even by imperfect people in an imperfect world.

Shakespeare-Modern Adaptations

Differences between Northern & Italian Renaissance artists different?

• Northern artists mixed the everyday with religious through the use of symbolism
• Northern artists depicted things as they were. More realistic
• Northern artists included the everyday

Differences between Northern & Italian Renaissance

Italian

• Artistic Styles
• Soft
• Use of pastels
• Subjects
• Religious when the church financed
• Stories from Classical Greece & Rome

Northern

• Artistic Styles
• Sharp, vivid
• Used more oil paints
• Subjects
• Families people in every day life
• Less open-fewer nudes
• Religious in thought, but fewer religious scenes
• Landscapes

​

Similarities: more realistic, use of perspective, Religious subjects, Glorified man & celebrated his accomplishments as an individual