The Renaissance /

Sonnets

“Renaissance”

• French word meaning “rebirth”

• New interest in science, art, literature

• Great advances in science and education

Protestant Reformation

• 1517• Martin Luther (German monk)• Protested sale of indulgences (and

other practices) by Catholic church• Nailed 95 Theses to church door• Reformation led to Protestantism• Had a huge influence on society,

politics, and the economy

Rulers of Note

King Henry VIII

• 17 when crowned

• 6 marriages• 1530—broke

with the Catholic church and created Church of England (a.k.a. Anglican Church)

King Henry VIII

Elizabeth I

• ruled 1558-1603• great leader• supported the arts • turned England into a world power

Sumptuary Laws

• King Henry VIII wanted to be able to tell upon first glance what social class someone belonged to

• Laws specified the kinds of cloth, colors, and accessories that were forbidden to people beneath a certain rank

• Breaking sumptuary laws punishable by loss of possessions, title, or even life.

Beauty

• White skin• Fair hair• Red lips• Wore lots of

clothes, heavy fabrics, lots of jewels

• Elizabeth = epitome of beauty

Exploration

God

Glory

Gold

Pamphlets circulated discussing how great life in America was; no mention of hardships.

Galileo Galilei• Astronomer• Said the universe was

heliocentric – sun-centered

• Contradicted what Catholic Church taught – Universe is Earth-

centered because God is most concerned with us

• Excommunicated in 1633

• Vatican admitted mistake in 1992

Medical Advances

• Lots of interest in medicine

• Many medical advances

• 1616: discovered that the heart pumps blood through the body via the veins and arteries

Sonnets

• From the Italian “sonnetto” – a little sound or song

• 14 line poems• Popularized by Francesco

Petrarch in 1300s• Sonnet sequence

– Series of sonnets about a particular theme

Iambic pentameter

• 5 feet = 10 syllables• 1 foot = 1 unstressed

syllable, 1 stressed syllable

Forms of sonnets• Italian (Petrarchan)• Common topic: unrequited

love• First 8 lines = octave

– Presents problem/question

• Last 6 lines = sestet– Offers answer/solution

• Rhyme scheme often abba abba cd cd cd

(or) cde cde

Forms of sonnets

• English (Shakespearean)• 3 quatrains = 4 lines each

– Give details of problem

• 1 couplet = 2 lines– Gives quick solution

• Rhyme scheme usually abab cdcd efef gg