English 12 - Mr. RinkaLesson #11

The Renaissance&

Macbeth

The Renaissancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that profoundly affected European intellectual life in the early modern period. Beginning in Italy, and spreading to the rest of Europe by the 16th century, its influence was felt in literature, philosophy, art, music, politics, science, religion, and other aspects of intellectual inquiry.

Renaissance scholars employed the humanist method in study, and searched for realism and human emotion in art.

Florence, the center of Renaissance

In some ways Humanism was not a philosophy but a method of learning. In contrast to the medieval scholastic mode, which focused on resolving contradictions between authors, humanists would study ancient texts in the original, and appraise them through a combination of reasoning and empirical evidence. Humanist education was based on the programme of 'Studia Humanitatis',

that being the study of five humanities: poetry, grammar, history, moral philosophy and rhetoric. Although historians have sometimes struggled to define humanism precisely, most have settled on "a middle of the road definition... the movement to recover, interpret, and assimilate the language, literature, learning and values of ancient Greece and Rome". Above all,

the Humanists asserted "the genius of man ... the unique and extraordinary ability of the human mind.” The humanists believed that it is important to transcend to the afterlife with a perfect mind and body. This transcending belief can be done with education. The purpose of humanism was to create a universal man whose person

combined intellectual and physical excellence and who was capable of functioning honorably in virtually any situation. The education during Renaissance was mainly composed of ancient literature and history. It was thought that the classics provided moral instruction and an intensive understanding of human behavior.

Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man shows clearly the effect writers of Antiquity had on Renaissance thinkers. Based on thespecifications in Vitruvius's De architectura (1st century BC), Leonardo tried to draw the perfectly proportioned man.

The Renaissance

http://quietube4.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsKSB-aT3ys

Vocabularyhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Main_Page

Allusion - An indirect reference; a hint; a reference to something supposed to be known, but not explicitly mentioned; a covert indication. Classicism - All the classical traditions of the art and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome, especially the aspects of simplicity, elegance and proportion.

Divine Proportion – (golden section) the division of a whole into two parts such that the ratio of the smaller part to the larger is equal to the ratio of the larger part to the whole.

Divine Right of Kings - The Christian doctrine that monarchs have a God-given right to rule, that they are answerable only to God, and that rebellion is sinful.

Eclogue - A pastoral poem, often in the form of a shepherd's monologue or a dialogue between shepherds.

Epistle - A letter, or a literary composition in the form of a letter. One of the letters included as a book of the New Testament.

Fate - The cause, force, principle, or divine will that predetermines events. The effect, consequence, outcome, or inevitable events predetermined by this cause. Destiny.

Free Will - A person's natural inclination; unforced choice. The ability to choose one's actions, or determine what reasons are acceptable motivation for actions, without predestination, fate, etc.

The Great Chain of Being - A concept derived from Plato and Aristotle, and developed fully in Neoplatonism.

It details a strict, religious hierarchical structure of all matter and life, believed to have been decreed by God. The chain starts from God and progresses downward to angels, demons (fallen/renegade angels), stars, moon, kings, princes, nobles, men, wild animals, domesticated animals, trees, other plants, precious stones, precious metals, and other minerals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_chain_of_being

Humanism - a group of philosophies and ethical perspectives which emphasize the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, and generally prefers individual thought and evidence over established doctrine or faith.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism

Iambic Pentameter - A commonly used metrical line in traditional verse and verse drama. The term describes the particular rhythm that the words establish in that line. Each line contains five feet of two syllables each with accents on the second syllable in each foot.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iambic_Pentameter

Iambic Tetrameter – A line of poetry with four iambic feet.

Idyll - Any poem or short written piece composed in the style of Theocritus's short pastoral poems, the Idylls. An episode or series of events or circumstances of pastoral or rural simplicity, fit for an idyll; a carefree or lighthearted experience.

Ode – A short poetical composition proper to be set to music or sung; a lyric poem; esp., now, a poem characterized by sustained noble sentiment and appropriate dignity of style.

Satire - A literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject often as an intended means

of provoking or preventing change. Humor is often used to aid this.

Sonnet - A fixed verse form of Italian origin consisting of fourteen lines that are typically five-foot iambics and rhyme according to one of a few prescribed schemes.

Symmetry - Exact correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis. The satisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole.

Macbeth Backgroundhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth

Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare. It is considered one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies. Set in Scotland, the play dramatizes the corroding psychological and political effects produced when its protagonist, the Scottish Lord Macbeth, chooses evil

as the way to fulfill his ambition for power. He commits regicide to become king and then furthers his moral descent with a reign of murderous terror to stay in power, eventually plunging the country into civil war. In the end, he loses everything that gives meaning and purpose to his life before losing his life itself.

The play is believed to have been written between 1603 and 1607, and is most commonly dated 1606. The earliest account of a performance of what was probably Shakespeare's play is April 1611, when Simon Forman recorded seeing such a play at the Globe Theatre. It was most likely written during the reign of James I, who had been James VI of

Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne in 1603. James was a patron of Shakespeare’s acting company, and of all the plays Shakespeare wrote during James’s reign, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright’s relationship with the sovereign. Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, and tells the story of a brave

Scottish general named Macbeth who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne for himself. His reign is racked with guilt and paranoia, and he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler as he is

forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. The bloodbath swiftly takes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into realms of arrogance, madness, and death.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FuseliMacbethBoydell.jpg

Charactershttp://www.wikisummaries.org/Macbeth

MacbethAs one of King Duncan’s chief generals and closest military advisers, Macbeth is led to perform wicked deeds by the prophecies of three witches and the machinations of his wife. When he is pronounced Thane of Cawdor for his military

victories – a prophecy comes true before his ascension to the kingship – he is tempted into murder to fulfill the second prophecy. Once he is crowned king, his brutal plans are made all the easier as he begins killing indiscriminately to ensure his throne. He is not subtle, nor effective as he riles the entire Scottish nobility against his tyrannous ways and

ultimately falls before the might of his own psychological pressure and the might of his opposition. Lady MacbethAs Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth is the early instigator of the atrocious plans that lead to Macbeth’s Kingship. She is ambitious and power hungry and her machinations are as cold and vicious as her

husband’s actions. However, after the bloodshed begins she is incapable of bearing the weight of what she has done and soon falls victim to the weight of her guilt, eventually going mad and committing suicide. Despite the horrible nature of her and her husband’s crimes, the two are a very close couple and very much in love.

The WitchesThere are three witches, plotting mischief against Macbeth through their prophecy and spells. Their predictions are responsible for prompting him to murder Duncan and Banquo, and give him cause to believe his is invincible later on. There are no details as to the origin or nature of the witches, other than

that they serve Hecate. Numerous similarities between them and mythological beings have been drawn, but none are clear.BanquoA second of Duncan’s generals, he is with Macbeth when the witches tell their first prophecy, foretelling his children will inherit the throne. He is

equally ambitious, but does not take the action that Macbeth does in securing his ambitions. Rather, his is the path not chosen, that of inaction and decency. His ghost later haunts Macbeth accordingly for his murder, reminding Macbeth of the choices he made.

DuncanDuncan is presented as the antithesis to Macbeth in terms of rulers. He is kind, virtuous, and a brilliant leader. His death at Macbeth’s hands throws the nation into disarray until the throne can be rightfully returned to his family.

MacduffA nobleman who, right away, opposes Macbeth’s ascension to the throne. After fleeing Scotland to find Malcolm, Macbeth murders Macduff’s wife and son, creating a personal reason for revenge. He is a principle figure in removing Macbeth from the throne and giving it back to Malcolm. He is the only man who can kill Macbeth.

MalcolmThe eldest of Duncan’s two sons, Malcolm immediately flees Scotland after the murder of his father. With Macduff’s help, however, he is able to muster the forces he needs to take on Macbeth and regain the throne, thus restoring the order to Scotland that was lost when Duncan was murdered.

FleanceImportant because of his role in the prophecy of the three witches, Fleance survives the murder of his father and attempted murder of himself by Macbeth and goes on to disappear through the play’s ending.LennoxA Scottish nobleman.

RossA Scottish nobleman.The MurderersThe men hired by Macbeth to murder both Banquo and his son and Macduff’s family. They fail to kill Fleance.PorterThe drunken doorman of Macbeth’s castle.

Lady MacduffMacduff’s wife and victim of yet another of Macbeth’s atrocities. Her household is shown in sharp contrast to that of Lady Macbeth’s, much more tranquil and less violent.DonalbainDuncan’s son and Malcolm’s younger brother.

Macbeth in 96 Seconds

http://quietube4.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5nlx2XzP-4

Assignment #1

Read about the great “Renaissance Man” Leonardo da Vinci

#11 LA 12 Leonardo da Vinci

Assignment #2

The Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world. Discuss what you think makes this painting so great. What do you think the lady is smiling about? What other physical features impress you? How does this painting make you feel?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci

English 12 - Mr. RinkaLesson #11

The Renaissance&

Macbeth