The Cultural Background (1485-1688)

• THE 16 th  CENTURY

The English Renaissance:  the period when the Tudors reigned is also called the "English Renaissance". The court and the middle class travelled to Italy to learn new things and have an exchange of knowledge with writers and artists who filled their minds with the new concept of "Humanism".

Thanks to the Grand Tour, the English people restarted to love Latin and Greek as well as classical cultures, making no references to the supernatural: thus the name Renaissance. Henry VIII was the symbol of this period because he was a master of many arts.

Education and the Classics: Oxford and Cambridge universities began to expand considerably because most of the English humanists studied there.

Erasmus of Rotterdam and Thomas More supported this movement and the latter criticized the status of England during the reign of Henry VIII. However the study of the classics was not restricted to few people since there was also a number of schools for poor children.

The Court at the Height of the Renaissance:  In the 14-16 centuries the Renaissance reached its maximum level because London was the centre of humanistic values of beauty, order and harmony. The "masque" was a new form of entertainment composed of poetry, music, dancing, and acting applied to the representation of allegorical themes.

London Theatres:  The most popular entertainment of the period for all social classes was the theatre. Many theatres were built in London but outside the city walls because the Puritans considered them centres of corruption. If the King wanted to see a play, he did not go to the theatre but the actors were allowed to go to Court.

Renaissance Music: This art underwent a great change as for tunes, instruments, composers and texture.

Renaissance Art: Humanism created a great interest in the human being, thus portraits became very fashionable because they were painted by artists paid by the Crown and at its service.

Modern English: Thanks to several elements, modern English became rich and vital due to classical influence. Common people read books in English but scholars preferred to use Latin. English came into contact with Italian, French and Spanish and borrowed many words from these languages.