Medieval Attitude Hard to Shake

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the conflux of medieval ideas and institutions with the resurrection of Greek and Roman philosophy in the period between 1350 to 1600, that is known as the Renaissance. The writer describes how the church of England, while undergoing constant reformation, still dominated all walks of life and continued to mete out violent punishment for sedition and sectarianism. The writer then cites examples from Shakespeare's "Henry V" and "Macbeth" that show the prevalence of superstition in Elizabethan England. The paper concludes that even today, with the highly technological and vast knowledge we possess, remnants can be found of medieval superstitions and ideas about religion.

From the Paper:

"However, going back to the old ways, one can see how the attitudes intermingled with what should have been the birth of the new. In the arts, which the Renaissance had practically resurrected, Christian and pagan themes were irreverently blended, causing people of that era to be unable to distinguish what was the "new Christian" way or the "old pagan medieval" way. For example, bas reliefs displayed Adam of the Bible and Hercules of mythology in alternate scenes. Then, pagan heroes like Jason complimented Biblical heroes like Gideon. Alongside each other would be shown Christian portrayals of the Crucifixion, The Nativity and others, along with Jupiter (featured as a monk), Apollo, Venus, Mercury, Diana, Mars, Narcissus and Saturn with Centaurs and other, well-known pagan figures."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Anderson, Alan, & Gordon, Raymond. "Witchcraft and the Status of Women - the Case of England." British Journal of Sociology. Vol. 30, No. 3, Sept. 1979. 1-359.
• Bernad, Miguel. "The Five Tragedies in Macbeth." Shakespeare Quarterly. 13.1 (Winter 1962): 49-61.
• Gale Group. "The Rise and Establishment of Christianity," 1-800. 20 Oct., 2006. http://galenet.galegroup.com.
• "Renaissance Painters Revive Classical Themes, c. 1500. Discovering World History. Online Ed. Gale, 2003. Thomson Gale. 20 Oct. 2006. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/DC
• Shakespeare's Resource Center. "Elizabethan England." 13 Oct. 2006. http://galenet.galegroup.com/Servlet/DC

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