Perhaps one of the most influential artists characterizing Renaissance Humanism in their work is William Shakespeare. He produced as many as thirty-seven plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems and miscellaneous verse before his death in 1616 (Gaines). In studying his work, numerous authors have found that it is one of the truest representations of the Renaissance Humanism movement. This movement identifies with a shift from the medieval movement, which mostly focused on god and faith, to a more individual approach to life. The focus was more about the human experiences and the optimistic attitude about what people really understood about themselves. In "Renaissance Humanism" Michelle Lee puts together numerous quotes from many authors analyzing the work produced during the humanism movement. The cited material in the article consistently continues to refer back to Shakespeare; how most of his work embodies the humanist thought process. For a Humanist the purpose of cultivating reason was to lead a better understanding of how to act. Many of the reasons cited throughout the article focus on two subjects, divine providence and human free will. Both Paul Siegel and Richard Mallette quote that Shakespeare's work is a reflection of the Elizabethan worldview of his time. Mike Pincombe states that in the play Hamlet, the character of Hamlet is a literary humanist, a man of the theater and a Dane and all three of these traits would evoke a certain stereotype to the audience in the Elizabethan Era. To the audience they would see the man as one who had classical learning, a refinement about oneself, respectable, highly educated, kind, and urbanized. All of these traits are ones that come through the character of Hamlet. Calvinism and ... ... middle of paper ... ...formation true, how will it affect you in the future, and will acting on this information harm or propel your success in the future. Every person has success and failures in life, the question becomes to what extent you will allow each of these to influence your future. Works Cited "Craig, W.J., Ed. 1914. The Oxford Shakespeare." Craig, W.J., Ed. 1914. The Oxford Shakespeare. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. . Gaines, Barry. "Biography of William Shakespeare." Critical Insights: King Lear (2011): 18-24. Literary Reference Center. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. "Renaissance Humanism." Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 101. Detroit: Gale, 2006. N. pag. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. "The Renaissance In Europe, William Shakespeare." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2009. 1778-781. Print.
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Shakespeare, William. "King Lear: A Conflated Text." The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York:
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
10. Walter N. King. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 , Vol. 8, No. 2, Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama (Spring, 1968) , pp. 283-306
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
"Shakespeare, William." Elizabethan World Reference Library. Ed. Sonia G. Benson and Jennifer York Stock. Vol. 2: Biographies. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 197-207. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespear. Othello. Dir. Grenblatt, Cohen, Howard, and Eisaman Maus. (second ed.) New York. 2008.
We see humanism in all of Shakespeare’s characters. He does not judge or label them but rather gave them each strengths, weaknesses, and flaws. “Shakespeare transforms these figures into complex personalities, allowing them full freedom to falter and fail through their own actions.”(3:100) The play consisted of human interaction especially in the case of the character Iago, who is the personification of evil. Shakespeare also introduced the hero, Othello, as a black man, which is not stereotypical for that time. Each character makes their own decisions and has their own flaws, which is very humanistic. Shakespeare’s use of tragedy shows, “…in a universe in which order and disorder coexist, human choices play a vital and potentially destructive part.”(3:100)
Muir, Kenneth. "Great Tragedies I: King Lear." Shakespeare's Sources. London: Methuen & Co Ltd, 1957.
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespear. The Tragedy of King Lear. Second edition. W. W. Norton & Company. New York. London 2008.
Looney, J. Thomas. "Shakespeare" Identified in Edward De Vere, the Seventeenth Earl of Oxford. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1920. Print.
Evans, G. Blakemore. Ed. The Riverside Shakespeare. by William Shakespeare. 1552- 1616. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974.
The. Ed. W. Moelwyn Merchant, b. 1875. The New Penguin Shakespeare. London: Penguin Books, 1996. - - -.
Bengtsson, Frederick. “King Lear by William Shakespeare.” Columbia College. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
Historically, the transition from the Elizabethan reign to James’ was a time of subtle social-realignment. The idea of the monarchy was beginning to show signs of weakness following the James’ ascension and the intellectual, producing artists like Shakespeare, were among the first to placate and simultaneously subvert it. Those of Shakespeare's own socio-economic class were fostering a class-limiting, Puritan structure. It is evident Shakespeare wholly rejected this new social ethic. He began to suggest in his writing a morality based in the issue brought to light by the humanist “bourgeoisie” of the Renaissance that was largely extracted from all but the landed feudal class. This “Renaissance Bourgeoisie” historically did not carry out its promises at that time nor later. Immediately after its first victories, its class limitations and contradictions forced it to chan...