Gargantua And Pantagruel Essay

Italy was the birthplace of the Renaissance, a movement that essentially created a bridge between the Middle Ages and modern times. Taking place in the beginning of the 14th century and enduring well into the 17th century, Europe experiences a new era in thought and feeling. It was fundamentally a rebirth of classical antiquity, also known as the Greco-Roman world. Of this period in history came the idea of humanism, which emphasises on the importance of humans and also that they are virtually good. Prior to the Renaissance, many people in the Middle Ages had a morbid and sad attitude due to the plague and no real enjoyment of their present life. However, this began to change as Italy’s overall wealth led to the ability to enjoy worldly things. That being said, mostly only the rich and elite took part in the Renaissance while life for the average person remained relatively the same. Anyhow, major ideas of the Renaissance still showed up in the average person’s life as many people held new attitude on their existence and works of art portraying new ideas were also commonly seen. Italian
Francois Rabelais, the author, writes in Gargantua and Pantagruel, “All their life was regulated not by laws, statutes, or rules, but according to their free will and pleasure.” Even though this is a work of fiction, it expresses the concept of free will and individualism. Prior to the Renaissance, one’s place in society was usually determined by birth, but the idea of free will allows one to determine their own fate to a certain degree. People of the Middle Ages had viewed man as tarnished and unworthy, hence the obsession with social and political hierarchies. The Renaissance lets these standards go and even ends the feudal system. Rather than having a sense of community formed with the feudal system, the individual was celebrated along with their human