1. Writers of the Renaissance
Essential Question: How did Humanist writers differ from other writers which came out of the Renaissance period?

2. Niccolo Machiavelli 1460-1527 Florence, Italy
Commonly wrote about government and politics.
Impressed by Cesare Borgia, a ruler of Rome. Machiavelli wrote a guidebook describing Borgia’s leadership and political practices
The book discussed how to be a good strong leader and how to seize and hold the power
Citizens only get as many rights as the ruler wants to give
“It is safer to be feared than loved.”

3. Baldassare Castiglione (kahs teel YOH nay)
The Book of Courtier
The manners, skills, and virtues that a member of the court should have
Well educated, well mannered aristocrat who mastered art and poetry
Ideal man is athletic, but not overactive, good at games but not a gambler, plays musical instruments and knows literature and history
Ideal woman, graceful, kind, lively but reserved-- beautiful

4. Humanist writers
Humanists: Improved their lives through learning and gaining new experiences
Studied ancient Greek and Roman literature: they could teach about life, love and beauty
Humanists helped to revive literature and writing

5. Francesco Petrarch: Wrote sonnets in Latin and Italian
Giovanni Boccaccio: Wrote The Decameron, created during the plague in Italy. The story is told by ten young men and women who lived in isolated houses to escape the plague and they had to entertain themselves by making fun of the customs of the middles ages

6. Erasmus-- Humanist Dutch Priest Produced a Greek edition of the bible
Called for the bible to be written in the vernacular
Wrote Praise of Folly which attacked superstition and arrogance
Decided the Catholic Church needed to change and make reforms
Many of his writings mock the Catholic Church
His correspondence with other humanist scholars from other countries, which helped to spread Renaissance ideas.

7. Sir Thomas More-- Humanist
Erasmus’s friend– English Scholar
Called for social reform
Utopia– More called for men and women to live in peace and harmony
Everyone is educated
Justice is used to end crime NOT eliminate the criminal

8. Rabelais (rab uh LAY)--Humanist
French Humanist writer
Career as a monk, physician, Greek scholar, and author
Gargantua and Pantagruel– chronicles the adventures of two gentle giants.. On the surface it is a tale of travel and war, but Rabelais uses the characters to offer opinions on religion, education and other serious topics

9. Shakespeare Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom
Queen Elizabeth I encouraged the arts and sciences during her rule.
Many of Shakespeare’s plays have a historical background
Wrote: Julius Caesar, Henry V, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Wrote in the famous Iambic pentameter
Iambic: rhythm goes stressed syllable, unstressed syllable, stressed syllable….
It sounds like a heartbeat: daDUM daDUM daDUM
Pentameter: the rhythm is repeated 5 times with each line being 10 syllables

10. Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes
Began writing after the Renaissance had reached Spain in the 16th century
Wrote: Don Quixote
About an old man who believed he was a knight. He wore rusty armor and rode on an old horse.
Written to make fun of the Knight’s way of life