1. Renaissance
Renaissance means “to be born again” and it refers to the period of cultural changes of the 16th century.
In particular, the interest for ancient classical cultures, such as the Latin and the Greek ones, was reborn and that is where the name comes from.
English Renaissance saw an expansion of knowledge in many fields: philosophical, literary, social, scientific and religious, represented by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
The spread of learning was helped by the invention of press by Gutenberg. This allowed to extend literacy not only to the clergy.

2. Humanism
The human being became the centre of artistic, cultural and moral enquiry and was considered at the centre of the universe.
However it also meant that the Western man wanted to impose himself over Africa, Asia and America and destroyed entire populations.

3. English Renaissance Literature
The Renaissance writers and poets were the first to feel and explore the chaos and uncertainty of man that was in this period of transition.
In the THEATRE there were the most stimulating responses.
POETRY was influenced by the sonnets of Petrarch and inclined to a celebration of the Elizabethan order by idealizing it
In the PROSE, the literary critiques and the essays were the favourite genres