Humanism During The Renaissance Era

“Not much was really invented during the Renaissance if you don't count modern civilization,” (P.J. O’Rourke). The Renaissance era gave birth to many things yet in many ways the most important element was humanism. It redefined Western Civilization. Humanism first came into the limelight in the 14th century when a large volume of classic texts from Ancient Rome were rediscovered. Changing cultural values, a burgeoning middle class, and corrupt government led many individuals to seek new ways of living. Classic texts gave substance to the growing feelings of dissent and offered an alternative lifestyle. In it, man was no longer scorned but revered. This was a popular viewpoint in many academic regions. In Shakespeare's plays, he expresses humanistic
After agonizing over the decision for a while, he finally received sufficient evidence that Caesar had become a threat to the Roman Republic that needed to be eliminated. Brutus states, “It must be by his death: and, for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general. He would be crowned..”(Shakespeare,2.1.10-13). He recognized that the general populace wanted Caesar to be their king- they even offered Caesar the crown three times in one day. Each time, though, Caesar seemed to have a harder and harder time refusing the crown. Brutus realized that eventually Caesar would give in to the people and his pride and accept the crown. It was because of this that Brutus knew that Caesar needed to be eliminated. He took no pleasure in the idea of Caesar’s death, but recognized the necessity of it. He says he has no personal reason to “spurn” or despise Caesar, but that “for the general”, for his nation, he must be a part of the plot to kill Caesar. By rejecting his own personal feelings for his friend Caesar and instead acting on behalf of the Roman Republic due to a sense of civic duty he embodies the concepts and core foundations of civic humanist philosophy. Moreover, when speaking to the crowd that gathered around Caesar's fallen body, Brutus asserts it was “Not
Through careful, educated readings of classical works, man can become better. Humanism removed the astigmatism of man from being normal to bring humans to the forefront. One of the most notable humanists to express this belief was Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola. Growing up in the upper echelon of society, he received a full humanist education in the late 1400s. This put him at odds with the Church at times. In many ways, he sought “a dynamism not present in the static condition of the biblical Paradise, a dynamism that Pico finds in another garden,”(Borghesi,Papio,254). That garden was humanism. Despite being quite the theologian, he was, in many ways, at odds with the traditional Biblical understanding of man. Instead preferring the classical interpretation of the potential of man. Stemming from his education, he was well versed in many classical languages and continually read literature of antiquity. This constant flow of classical literature heavily influenced him and lead him to write his most famous humanist work, the Oration on the Dignity of Man. Within that classic essay, he contends that “To him it is granted to have whatever he chooses, to be whatever he wills,”(Pico,276). By saying this, Pico implies man’s capacity to achieve is solely limited by the will of the individual. It is in no way defined by an external or divine