Renaissance

Renaissance

The Renaissance is the period of new growth of interest and activity in the areas of art, literature, and ideas in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The period witnessed the discovery and exploration of new continents, the decline of the feudal system, and the invention or application of innovations such as paper, printing, mariner's compass, and gunpowder. 

Characteristic features

• Humanism - focused on human potential, placing importance on individual experience and rational thought

• Individualism - the Renaissance encouraged people to pursue their own paths in life

• Exploration and discovery - people like Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama belong to the Renaissance

• Science - the Renaissance marks the beginning of modern science, e. g. people like Galileo and Copernicus changed the views of the universe

• Rise of drama - particularly in England, mainly because of William Shakespeare

Important Renaissance authors

• Dante Alighieri - Divine Comedy

• Giovanni Boccaccio - The Decameron

• Jean-Baptiste Poquelin - Molière

• Miguel de Cervantes - Don Quixote

• William Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, ...

Sources

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024, September 29). Renaissance | Definition, Meaning, History, Artists, Art, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Renaissance

Renaissance. (2024). https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/renaissance

Samuel Pleštil, 537576