Renaissance Dbq Essay

The Renaissance era was one of tremendous modifications in European archives. (Background) The Renaissance, alias Middle Ages, stretches from around 500 CE to about the 1300’s, illiteracy was omnipresent in Europe at the time. Over 85 percent of Europe’s population consists of peasants, alias serfs. (Slaves who worked for the Lord and his estate.) Furthermore, during this period, the people of Europe depended upon the Bible to justify the world. (Background) In the 1300’s, humanism; which praised the intelligence of the individual, strived. Subsequently, the Renaissance people became more self-sufficient. Humanism was vigorous in Italy, where it made it’s way into fields such as art, science, and math. By virtue of humanism numerous theories

For instance, Roman astronomer; Ptolemy developed the “Geocentric” theory of the universe, in which the Earth was believed to be in the center of the universe. (Doc. C) Furthermore, polish astronomer; Nicolaus Copernicus, who relied on mathematics and observations created a different understanding of the universe, called the “Heliocentric” universe. Heliocentric meaning “sun-centered,” in other words meaning that the sun is believed to be at the center of the universe unlike the Geocentric theory. (Doc. C) Even though astronomers during the Middle Ages had adopted the “Geocentric” theory, later more conclusive evidence led to the adoption of the “Heliocentric” theory. Along with the new evidence founded by scholars, medicine was also altered, in various ways. For example, “the Middle Ages belief that each sign of the zodiac governed a certain part of the body,” (Doc. D) in other worlds, that “the constellation of stars called Aries and Ram controlled the head,” and so on. (Doc. D) Due to these findings and further examination of the human corpse; held by Andreas Vesalius, lead to a better understanding of the human

With regards to document A; “the [clearest] evidence of the break with medieval culture comes from the visual arts.” (Doc. A) In other words, this refers to the fact that literature and art during this time was important, but mainly focused on religious aspects. Due to artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci; whose “well-defined landscapes, natural folds in drapery, and three-dimensional figures”; art veered from religious aspects to more realistic features of life. (Doc. A) Not to mention, in literature new adoptions were also pertinent to the Middle Ages. For instance, “both strength, pleasure, and beauty, will fade from thee as flower in May.” (Doc. B) In regards to this excerpt from the English play Everman, this quote elaborates now how everything must come to an end, and how god judges man for their sins; depicting if whether or not you go to heaven or hell when you parich. In 1601, William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. In Act II., Scene II., he wrote “ what a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving…. the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals!.” (Doc. B) In this particular excerpt he writes about how man has power, and an act such as an angel or god; but the beauty of the man is the way it perfectly resembles an animal. Which is a crucial point, on how man views