Unit: Renewal in Europe
Lesson Title:
The Renaissance Beyond Italy
(See textbook pages 312-317)
The Renaissance spirit was spreading from Italy to
other parts of Europe by the late 1400s.
Travelers and artists helped spread ideas, but the
development of printing was a giant step forward.
For the first time ever, thousands of people could
read books.
In class reading activity
Read “Spread of New Ideas” on pages 313-314.
Answer these questions:
1. What were two advantages that paper had over animal
skins?
2. What were the impacts of producing the Bible with the
printing press?
3. Even though women could not attend universities,
how did they help spread Renaissance ideas?
Paper, which was first made in China, was being
made in Europe by the 1300s.
In the mid-1400s a German, Johann Gutenberg,
developed a printing press that used movable type.
Each letter was a separate piece. A worker fit letters
into a frame, spread ink on the letters, and pressed a
sheet of paper against the letters. In this way an
entire page was printed at once.
Before Gutenberg’s invention, books were written and
copied by hand. It could take 4 to 5 months to copy a
200 page book.
The new printing press could produce 300 pages in
a single day. So books and pamphlets could be
made quickly.
About how long would each process take to
make a copy of one of our textbooks?
The printing press helped spread Renaissance thinking
throughout Europe. As a result, literature written
outside Italy increasingly reflected the ideas of humanism.
Two important examples are the works of Miguel de
Cervantes in Spain and William Shakespeare in
England.
In class reading activity #2
Read “Literature beyond Italy” on pages 316-317.
Answer these questions:
1. Who was Cervantes and what was probably his most
famous book?
2. Why do you think Cervantes thought his time was
much better than the Middle Ages?
3. Read the biography of Shakespeare. List 3 facts about
him.
4. Do you agree with Shakespeare’s statement that “all
the world’s a stage, And all the men and women
merely players”? Why or why not?
Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer in the
English language. His writing was very humanistic. It
focused on human traits and situations, such as love,
loyalty, selfishness, courage, fear and revenge.
Shakespeare’s plays were seen in the Globe Theatre in
London.
Shakespeare’s plays contained heroism, tragedy, and
comedy. Perhaps the most famous is Romeo and Juliet.
Who can summarize the story of the play?
One of the best known parts of Romeo and Juliet is when
Romeo first sees Juliet–and falls in “love at first sight.”
Romeo. [To a Servant] What lady is that, which doth
enrich the hand of yonder knight?
Servant. I know not, sir.
Romeo. O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,
As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.
The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.
Right Side Notebook Activity
Supper with Shakespeare!
It’s 1600 and you are having Shakespeare over to your
house for supper in London. He asks you to come up
with an idea (outline) for a play you will write together.
The play should “dramatize” a human trait, and have a
story with a beginning, problem, and resolution. Write:
1. The setting: place and time. Choose one of the cultures
you studied for your project.
2. Plot: A sentence that describes the beginning of the
story. A sentence that describes the problem or
challenge. A sentence that describes what happens in
the end.
3. Main characters: Describe two or more characters
including their names and what they do in the plot.
4. The human trait you are writing about.
Renaissance Wrap-up:
Lunch with Leonardo
It’s 1500 in Florence and you are having lunch with
Leonardo de Vinci. Write 3 questions you want to ask
him about his work or the Renaissance. Then add at
least four more facts to your frame about Leonardo.
See pages 308-309.