The
following material was created
by Dr. Ellen Carney, literature teacher at Bronxville
High School, New York.
Contents:
I.
Characters and Events of the Renaissance
II.
Renaissance project
III.
Listening guide for A & E's Biography: Henry VIII
IV.
Renaissance through art I: lesson plan for Raphael's School of Athens
V.
Renaissance through art II: lesson plan for Holbein's Ambassadors
I. Characters and Events of the
Renaissance:
Martin Luther
King Richard III
King Henry VII
King Henry VIII
Catherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Jane Seymour
Anne of Cleves
Catherine Howard
Catherine Parr
William Shakespeare
Thomas More
Thomas Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (17th century)
Mary Tudor
Elizabeth I
Edward VI
Erasmus
William Cecil
Boccaccio
Edmund Spenser
Machiavelli
Lorenzo de Medici
Francis Drake
Wars of the Roses
Wyatt and Surrey
Mary Stuart
Michelangelo
John Milton (17th century)
Spanish Armada
Cardinal Wolsey
Humanism
Philip II of Spain
Petrarch
Giotto
Donatello
Leonardo da Vinci
Columbus
Raphael
John Donne
Roger Ascham
Edmund Spenser
Hans Holbein
95 Theses
More’s Utopia
Protestant Reformation
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II. Renaissance project:
You will prepare a 5 minute oral presentation on the character or event
of your choice. You will need to consult at least three sources
to get sufficient background. (You will hand in your notes for
the
presentation) and you will need to read at least one book on your
topic.
Here is some of the information you will need to give your audience:
a. Dates of the event or of the character’s life
b. The relationship between your character and either
King Henry VIII, Thomas More, or the Renaissance in general
c. The contributions or special concern of your
character or event (e.g. did he write a noted book? If a king or
queen, what are the dates of the reign and what historical events
did he/she influence?)
d. Personal anecdotes—some interesting details of the
life or some statistic, some unusual and memorable occurrence(s)
e. Why you chose the character/event and what
you think after your research
Later, you will write a book report on the novel or non-fiction
work you chose.
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III. Listening Guide for A & E's Biography,
Henry VIII: Henry VIII’s “tragic tale of missed opportunity”
PART ONE:
As you watch this entire video, list Henry VIII’s strengths and
weaknesses:
STRENGTHS:
WEAKNESSES:
PART TWO:
King Henry VII had four children-
Margaret Mary
Arthur and Henry
1. How was Arthur different from Henry?
2. If you were Henry VIII, how would you have
reacted to your father’s opinion of you? Is it possible that Henry
VII’s
opinion had merit?
3. How did Henry VIII gain access to the throne and
what was his opinion of his newfound power?
4. Why did Henry VIII marry Catherine of Aragon and
how did that marriage impact Charles V of Spain and Francis I of
France?
11. Identify: Thomas Wolsey and how he meddled with
Anne Boleyn’s engagement to Percy.
12. How did Anne react to Henry’s marriage proposal?
13. The complications and ramifications of Henry’s
dilemma on the Pope and Wolsey were
14. Identify Thomas Cranmer and how he orchestrated
successful results for the King.
15. The King’s Great Matter is
__________________________________________
16. Identify: Thomas More. What was his reputation?
17. More agreed to be part of the King’s Royal
Council if
Vocabulary terms:
dispensation- exemption, special allowance
paragon- model, epitome
sine qua non- something essential, indispensable condition
supplant- replace, supercede
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The following
material was created by the Center for Thomas More Studies:
III. Background on the
Renaissance: An Artistic Case Study (see lesson plan below)
“School of Athens”--click
here to see
an image of the painting
In the center Plato (#1), holding the Timaeus and pointing
to the heavens, speaks with Aristotle (#2), holding the Ethics and
gesturing towards the earth. They are framed by the triumphal arch
above as well as by barrel vaults and sky; they are also surrounded by
the largest number of people (#3-10, 52-56). In addition, #11 is
ascending the stairs, leaving the geometers and astronomers below,
while #12 points out Plato and Aristotle to him. Figure #13 is intently
writing while a friend (#14) looks on
in interest. At the far right, others are coming in, the younger two
(#17
and 18) looking curiously at those below. The old man (#16) is eagerly
moving in a different direction, apparently towards Plato and
Aristotle.
Above the thoughtful old man (#15) who gestures downward like
Aristotle,
is the statue of Athena, goddess of wisdom, crafts, and war. She is
dressed
in military garb and on her shield is the terrifying face of the
Gorgon.
Below her is a relief of Virtue elevated upon clouds, holding one hand
at
her breast, the seat of valor, while extending the other toward the
earth
with the scepter of her empire.
In the lower right-hand corner are the groups surrounding
Euclid (#23) and the crowned figure of Ptolemy (#21). Euclid has the
features of Raphael’s great mentor Donato Bramante who, as architect
of St. Peter’s (suggested by the vaulted ceilings of this noble
edifice),
was a master of geometric principles as seen in the design of his
buildings.
The four students around Euclid depict four stages of learning: #26 is
intent but at the level of literal learning, and #27, with his pointing
finger and encouraging pat seems to be an apprentice teacher; #25 is
turning
to his companion with the excitement of dawning comprehension, but #24
is already anticipating the outcome. These figures are all focused upon
a slate with a diagram, drawing attention to the faculty of sight,
which
is also used by the astronomers who hold globes in their hands: Ptolemy
holds an earthly globe and Zoroaster holds a globe of the starry
universe.
Raphael has placed himself (#19) among these champions of sight, and
next
to him is his teacher Perugino (#20). Isolated on the steps in the
middle,
Diogenes the Cynic (#28) is absorbed in his reading, with a beggar’s
cup
in front. Below and to his left is the somewhat glum and antisocial
Heraclitus
(#29), who has the face of Michelangelo.
Socrates (#49), bald and snub-nosed, has the rapt
attention of an unknown youth (#48), Xenophon (#47), Eschines (#47),
and the famous Alcibiades (#49) who is attired in armor embellished in
gold. Behind
him is another figure (#44) who is gesturing to servants (#41-43)
hurrying
in at the far left. Below is Epicurus (#37), crowned with the ivy
leaves
of Bacchus and surrounded by the very young and the very
old--supposedly
the only ones who seriously attended to his teachings.
Pythagoras (#33) is also a center of rapt attention, with
Empedocles (#34), Epicharmus (#35), Archytas (#32) and others looking
on with great interest. #30 is either Parmenides or the musician
Nicomachus. #31 alone is not drawn in; this handsome young man is
simply looking out towards us. The sculpture at upper left is Apollo,
god of poetry, music, and health. He has a lyre in one hand and the
other rests upon a trunk around which coils the serpent (the Greek
symbol of health). This god of beauty and harmony stands above two
reliefs depicting the unrnoderated passions
of wrath and concupiscence.
School
of Athens Lesson Plan
IV. School of Athens worksheet:
1. What is going on in this scene?
2. How would you describe the mood?
3. What is the highest aspiration indicated in this
mural?
4. What is its focal point?
5. Where does your eye rest?
6. What does not seem to fit in its overall scheme?
7. What questions does it raise in your mind?
8. What is the effect of the architectural frames of
this mural?
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IV. Artistic Case Study II: The
Ambassadors by Hans Holbein
Click
here for an excellent online lesson plan. This painting depicts two
French ambassadors from the Vatican on their way to meet with King
Henry VIII about his desire to divorce Catherine. It also depicts many
characteristic symbols of Renaissance times. The painting, with its
surprising hidden
images, quickly captures students' imaginations.
