Pico Della Mirandola's Oration On The Dignity Of Man

What truly defines the Renaissance? One may argue that the transition from a religiously centralized mindset to a focus on secular and humanistic values was the key change that made the Renaissance distinct from the Middle Ages. This transition is evident in written stories, paintings, treatises, and orations given by prominent characters of the Renaissance (e.g. Shakespeare, Michelangelo, and Mirandola). In this essay, I will elaborate on the significance of the “transition” on differing views during the Renaissance, and the extent in which figures of the Renaissance portrayed secularity and the extent of divinity in their works.

Vergerius the Elder’s Renaissance treatise states that printed sources such as “good books…[are] vast stores of knowledge...for our inspiration.” This suggests that humanity obtains knowledge and inspiration from human-made knowledge and printed text, instead of divinity and supernatural phenomena. Vergerius the Elder expresses that “..knowledge is not liable to decay.

With a picture, an inspiration, a coin, books, share a kind of immortality.” He implies that it is only this knowledge that will be everlasting and permanent in all of humanity’s existence, because “literature surpasses every other form of record.” These perspectives are key to Renaissance humanism, because knowledge and literature are a result from human thought (which is a reflection on man’s view). The basis behind this perspective is secular instead of religious, because it reflects on knowledge derived from humanity (instead of God). The aspects in Vergerius the Elder’s treatise also suggest the vast significance of literature and education for mankind, (e.g. “I attach great weight to the duty of handing down this priceless treasure[books] to our sons…”) The centralized focus on written text and knowledge is a transition from the medieval period, because it affected how mankind reflected and viewed itself. In fact, mankind saw itself as more “godlike”.
An example of a “godlike” perspective on mankind is shown in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as it expresses that humanity was seen as divine and godly. Hamlet directly states “In action, how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god!” Shakespeare also compares mankind to “Hyperion’s curls; the front of Jove himself. An eye like Mars, to threaten and command.” The comparisons Shakespeare are utilizing suggest the divine beauty and power humanity was thought to have in the Renaissance. This was a change from the medieval period, because mankind in the medieval period worshipped their gods; however the people of the Renaissance thought humanity was godly itself. This reflects on the transition from a religious to a secular mindset. However, Shakespeare acknowledges the influence of divinity in his starting line “What a piece of work is man!” The implication that divine forces created mankind is existent, but the rest of Hamlet goes to show how Renaissance humanism had a significance on the beauty of mankind, and how mankind were seen as gods (e.g. Mars).
Furthermore, John R. Hale’s Great Age of Man: A History of the World’s Cultures: Renaissance, Time-Life also addresses the godly way mankind saw themselves in the Renaissance. It mentions “...in the Middle Ages to praise man was to praise God, for man was a creation of God. But Renaissance writers praised man himself as a creator.” John R. Hale is more aggressive on striking down the significance of divinity than Shakespeare, as he argues that divinity did not have any affect on the creation of mankind in the Renaissance. This reflects upon the transition from a religious to secular lifestyle, because in the Middle Ages, it was believed that God was the sole creator of mankind. However, the secular beliefs of the Renaissance stated that only man himself was the sole creator, without any divine influences. By arguing that solely mankind created its offspring, Hale shows the centralized focus on secular humanistic values in the Renaissance.
The centralized focus on humanity is evident as the study of anatomy (the science involved with bodily structures of humans) became increasingly popular during the Renaissance. According to David Reuteler’s website, “The Drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci”, “Leonardo da Vinci studied the anatomy of the human body…” The desire to study the human body shows the curiosity that people of the Renaissance (such as da Vinci) had on the way people “worked.” This “desire” was sparked by the godly and exotic views that humans thought of themselves in the Renaissance, which led to advancement of the study of anatomy. This is related to Hale’s and Shakespeare’s work of arts, as they all revolve around the viewpoint of “godly humans”.
Pico della Mirandola’s “Oration on the Dignity of Man” conveys a similar, yet differing perspective.

Pico della Mirandola acknowledges the presence of God in his opening lines (“Imagine! The great generosity of God!”), but digresses to explain how “...[the] seeds...man sows and cultivates will grow and bear him their proper fruit.” This implies that even though God’s “great generosity” had an impact on the presence of man (which differs from the view of John R. Hale, who completely refutes the influence of God in the creation of man), it is solely mankind that has an influence on it’s life. Mirandola expresses this by comparing humanity to “great shape-shifters”, suggesting that humanity can shape itself to anything it puts its mind to. However, Mirandola discretely mentions that God is “above all things”. Nevertheless, “Oration on the Dignity of Man” supports my thesis as it focuses on humanity’s ability to shape its doing by itself, instead of relying on divine

powers.
An example that illustrates the perspective of Pico della Mirandola is “Creation of Adam”, painted by Michelangelo. The painting depicts a man (Adam) extending its arm, but not quite reaching, the hand of God. This reflects on Mirandola’s oration as it suggests the same content: the existence of God is evident, but humanity is breaking away (shown in the painting because Adam is not linked with God) and relying on itself to shape its future.
To conclude, the transition from the medieval period to the Renaissance created a significant change of view in mankind and divinity. The transition from religious to secular views were evident in all of my sources, as they all proposed ideas such as humans being “godly” and “breaking away” from divinity. However, there were certain disagreements on the extent on which God and divine powers had on mankind. John R. Hale’s Great Age of Man: A History of the World’s Cultures: Renaissance, Time-Life refuted any influence that God had on mankind, saying that only mankind was the creator of itself. However, Pico della Mirandola’s “Oration on the Dignity of Man” and Michaelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” acknowledged an existence of God, but showed how humans were in power of themselves. Nonetheless, all of my sources agreed on one resolution, in which the centralized focus on humanity and secular beliefs were more prevalent to the Renaissance than religious beliefs of the Middle Ages.