martes, 7 de abril de 2015

The Renaissance: context, changes, and drama

The Sixteenth century marked a great change in Europe: the Reformation, the growth of nation-states aimed at expanding their colonies in previously unexplored territories, the rise of capitalism, the revival of classical learnign and the new value of literature in the different national languages, all showed that the world had left the Middle Ages behind. Modern times were ahead of Europeans at the time. it is in this context when William Shakespeare wrote his brilliant plays. he sets his tragedy of  Macbeth in medieval Scotland, but definitely, his protagonist is a Renaissance man,  moved by his incommensurate desire for wealth and power, his selfish individualism, and his concern for earthly success.
You may explore the issues presented in the play in Susan Snyder's essay "Macbeth, a modern perspective". On Monday, April 13th, the class assignment will be based on this essay by Snyder. Please bring it with you.
By clicking on the link below, you may access the PPT we used in class
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-lzyKVaKRF9voIdQtsRG8oQa05Tb5wwnH9i_seo1mtQ/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000