Renaissance Humanism In Botecelli's Painting, The Birth Of Venus

Scholars, as well as artists and the common man had rejected the harsh, religious ideals of the Middle Ages and thus, Renaissance Humanism came into being. The works that have been created by artists in the 14th and mid 17th century had reflected the change from religious to more secular ideas that became prevalent throughout this era. More specifically, Botecelli’s painting, The Birth of Venus, had echoed the growing interest in Greek and Roman culture and myths, much less the departure from the idea that all human beings are sinners. Another piece of work that had reflected the Humanistic ideas of this time was “Hamlet” by Shakespeare. This play had often emphasized the rejection of the afterlife as well as self-awareness of which were common
elements of Renaissance Humanism. Prior to the Renaissance, paintings had typically depicted biblical figures so in the Birth of Venus, Botecelli had boldly represented what was not a Christian legend, but rather a classic myth that was popular in Rome which reflected the belief of Renaissance men that Greek and Roman mythology held a greater form of wisdom and truth.
According to classic mythology, Venus had emerged from the sea, fully grown, aided and met by friendly spirits of wind and seasons. In this painting, Botecelli had also highlighted the purity in the birth of this god (of whom had symbolized beauty and love), which directly challenged the Christian belief that, as children of Adam and Eve who had committed the original sin, inherit that same sin by coming into this world. The revolutionary depiction of pagan gods as well as the deviation from strict religious interpretations of the Bible had characterized the Renaissance and its influence had spread from paintings to literature and
plays. In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church had controlled the people by interpreting biblical texts for them and thus, individualism and self-awareness were suppressed.
However, in the Renaissance era, there was an evolution in the perception of humanity as well as the retreat from biblical beliefs such as the afterlife and superstitions. In “Hamlet”, the idea as well as the rejection of an afterlife had been addressed as well as self-awareness. In his famous “To be, or not to be” speech, Hamlet had contemplated suicide and had thus decided against it because of the unknown he would face after death. There had been several instances where death had become an interest to Hamlet and the idea of an afterlife had become a theme in this work. The idea of death had been pondered by Hamlet in the gravedigger scene where Ophelia was to be buried and where the former jester’s skull (of which had also acted as a symbol of death) had lain. He had thought about what was in store for those who were dead and had believed that every man ends up in graves and even the greatest of us will turn into ash. However, the ending of “Hamlet” had completely rejected the idea of an afterlife in after all the carnage and the death of nearly all of the characters. After each had taken their revenge, there had been only silence, hinting that there was nothing that happens in the afterlife of which also contradicts the Christian belief of an afterlife and superstition. Hamlet had also shown self-awareness
throughout the play by realizing that his actions could affect his as well as others’ lives. His acts of revenge as well as well as his thoughts of suicide and death reflected his ability to make decisions of which he knew would affect others. Hamlet’s pursuit of revenge as well as his over awareness of the absurdity and dangerous situation he was in had also led him to accidentally kill and be the cause of another’s death (Polonius and Ophelia). This overemphasized ability to choose one’s fate, rather that the predestination ideals of the Medieval times had been shown in Hamlet’s self-awareness.
As mentioned previously, there was a sharp change from the ideology of the Middle Ages to the Renaissance era. Humanism had evolved to accommodate the belief in the individual and the good of each individual. Rather than condemning each as a sinner, men began to believe in the virtues as well as the control every man has over their lives. Essentially, it was a shift from strict, religious beliefs of the common man to a more secular and less Calvinistic view. This shift is also being experienced in modern society where traditional beliefs are being shirked off by the younger generation and a more liberal view is replacing the “conventional” ideals.