Renaissance+Scholars

THE RENAISSANCE SCHOLARS

Introduction Throughout our history certain scholars have stood out as leaders in their fields. These individuals, for the most part, came into their own during the Renaissance, a time of great learning and knowledge of humanity. Men like William Shakespeare, Aldus Manutius, and Martin Luther. Men like this have had a profound effect on humanity including literature, faith, and the printed text. Not only are these men's deeds fascinating during the period of the Renaissance, but the men themselves are also a topic of great interest to us today. William Shakespeare William Shakespeare was born in April of 1564. In those early years of his life there was no way of knowing that this small child would become one the most influential men of the Renaissance and even the history of the world. His contributions to theater and poetry have been unsurpassed by all that have followed him. Through his writing he has captured the human predicament in a way that was as relevant hundreds of years ago, as it is today. In his career he would go on to write such timeless plays as Hamlet, Henry the V, Mecbeth and many more. He contributed to our every day phrases such as, a spotless reputation, method in the madness, and one fell swoop that all come froma a Shakespear play (nationalgeographic.com). It can be said that his influences on our language and theater have made him one of histories' most influential men.

Martin Luther Not all of the scholars of the Renaissance were writers or men of science, some were men of God. Martin Luther was born in 1483 in Eisleben, Saxony in what is now Germany (yesnet.yk.ca). The son of a miner, it was his families wish that he become a lawyer and so he was enrolled in the University of Enfurt, but this was not the wish of Martin Luther. He wanted to become a monk. Martin Luther began to study the Old and New Testaments, and this made him ask questions about the faith that he followed. He soon started to see the major stortcomings and corruption in his Church. He eventually published the 95 thesis that criticized the Catholic Church. In it he seid the the Bible was the true word of God and it should be the sole authority in the Church (yesnet.yk.ca). Martin Luther's protesting weakened the power of the church over people as a whole. Eventually he was excommunicated from the Church for his beliefs. Later he wrote translation of the Old and New Testament into German. He died in 1546. In the end his work broadened peoples thinking about God and worship and the power of the Church.

Aldus Manutius Without the success in publishing earned by work of this man it could be said that some of the works of Shakespeare and Martin Luther would not have been as successful as they were. Aldus Manutius was born in 1452 in the small town of Bassiano just south of Rome Italy. He soon became a student of the arts at the University of Rome. He then spent the next few years at the University of Ferrara in order to study Greek (yesnet.yk.ca). Eventually he moved to Venice in order to take up publishing, Venice at this time was one of the centers of the relatively new art. He soon went into buisness with Andrea Torresano, an established printer. This partnership provided Aldus Manutius with the resource that he needed to be a success. He soon began to pioneer new techniques of printing the most famous of which was the Aldine Press. He also was interested in Greek, Latin and Italian classic books and is known to have printed many. It was in these books that he pioneered a new form of print that today we know as Italic’s. On top of this all he formed the Academy of Hellinic Scholars(yesnet.yk.ca). By makeing books more accessable to the every day man, Aldus Manutius played an important roll in spreading literacy through out the world.

Bibliography author unknown. renaissance scholars. www.yesnet.yk.ca. Oct 20, 2006 author unknown. Shakespeare's Coined Words Now Common Currency. news.nationalgeographic.com. Oct 20, 2006 Dawkins, Peter. Life of William Shakespeare, actor. www.fbrt.org.uk

Bibliography for Images www.itmimg.org www.trumanlibrary.org es.wikipedia.org