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Elizabeth, Shakespeare,
and the European
Renaissance
A Painfully Brief Look at an Era that
Shaped our World
What was The Renaissance?
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renaissance: n., reawakening, revival
In the late 14th century, Europe began to wake
up from the Dark Ages (aka the Middle Ages)
The Renaissance became a time of drastic
changes in society, religion, government,
education, art, literature, and music.
From the Dark Ages
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For centuries, most of Europe was the same.
The Catholic Church dominated the continent
and England.
Monarchs ruled without much question, but
spent a lot of time fighting off their own
siblings.
There were three distinct classes of people.
The Feudal Classes
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The Aristocracy and Monarchy
The Feudal Classes
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The Clergy (those associated with the church)
The Feudal Classes
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The peasants and the serfs
The Renaissance Begins
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In Italy in the late 1300s, something started to
change.
There was a growing middle class – people who
owned businesses and land but had no family
title, and who were literate and fairly welleducated.
There was a push away from the strict teachings
of the church.
There was a growing desire for change.
The Renaissance Spreads
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During the 15th and 16th centuries, the
movement spread across Europe.
We began traveling beyond local ports.
We began exploring Greek and Roman cultures.
We began expanding our understanding of the
world around us through art, literature, music,
and science.
The Renaissance Gave Us:
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The Medici Family:
Kick-started the Renaissance in Italy
 Generations of Medici children help shape modern
Italy in architecture
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The Dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria
Uffizi, the first modern
government offices
The Renaissance Gave Us
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Boticelli:
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Raised in Florence, he changed the face of modern
art by recreating the masterful shapes of Greek and
Roman gods in human form
Boticelli: La Primavera
Boticelli: The Birth of Venus
The Renaissance Gave Us
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Leodardo DaVinci:
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Scientist, inventor, sculptor, painter, mastermind and
genius
More DaVinci
The Renaissance Gave Us
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Galileo:
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Brilliant scientist who changed the way we see the
world and the universe
The Renaissance Gave Us:
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Michaelangelo:
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Painter, sculptor, creator of the ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel and the statue of David
The Renaissance Gave Us:
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Queen Elizabeth I
of England:
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A true moderator
of change and lover
of the arts,
Elizabeth truly
brought the
Renaissance to
England and helped
change the country
(religion, social
matter, politics)
And, Of Course . . .
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William Shakespeare!
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Though not the only
English writer, poet, and
playwright of the
Renaissance, he is, by far,
the most well known.
Some Fun Shakespeare Facts
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His theatre, The Glove, also served as a bear pit,
a brothel, and a gambling house!
Shakespeare’s actors learned the play line by line
with the help of someone whispering backstage.
Most days, they had no idea who would actually
play each character!
If he were alive today, Ol’ Willy would rake in
about $55 million a year on the sale and use of
his plays alone!