Study Guide for the First Humanities Test, 
Fall 1999

 In what way is the early Renaissance a break with the Medieval world, especially in terms of culture? In what way simply a continuation of it, especially politically? In the Renaissance, how did the Catholic  church cause itself to lose its good reputation? How did the Renaissance popes aid this process? How did they aid Renaissance art? How did the  discovery of the New world effect trade and the economy? How did the Kings of France, Spain and England try to consolidate their power at the expense of the nobles, the Pope and his bishops, and even the Holy Roman Emperor? How did this desire for national freedom help the Protestant Revolution? What different forms of government existed in the Italian city-states? How unified was Italy at his time? What political crises in Italy inspired Machiavelli’s The Prince? How did the conflict between Protestants and Catholics bring about civil war in France? Why did Henry VIII want to break with the Roman Catholic Church? Why did many German nobles also want to support Luther — and not for religious reasons. 

What is the view of Alberti and Mirandola regarding human potentials? How does this contrast with the Church/ Medieval view? How is their view of what a proper aristocrat should and how he should be educated different from the old Church/Medieval view? What does Neo-platonism stress about Love? What was the problem of scholastic philosophy? How do their attitudes toward pagan and non-Christian thought represent a radically broadening of perspectives? What do the doctrines of Luther and Calvin say about human nature? About the power of human reason? About how a human life should be conducted? How does the Renaissance show a cult of the genius? How do Renaissance thinkers exalt the human life, the human body, and human and earthly activity? How is this so different from Medieval thought? How deeply were the ancient writers an influence upon the Renaissance?  How do the sciences influence Renaissance thought? What were the Classical ideals that the Renaissance artists, sculptors and architects tried to capture? How is mathematics important? Why was neo-Platonism so important? 
 

How do Renaissance architects use Greco-Roman architectural elements and show a Classical style? How does the Pazzi Chapel show Early Renaissance style? How does Bramante's Tempietto reveal ideals of high Renaissance architecture? How does Bramantes' and Michelangelo's ideas for the layout of St. Peter's and its dome also illustrate High Renaissance ideals? How does Palladio's Villa Rotunda seem mannerist? 

How does Leonardo show anatomical realism, concern for mathematical organization, yet sometimes gives his paintings the feel of a vision, of imaginary landscape? (think sfumato). How does Donatello show the heroic character, the sensuous and also the penitent character in different sculptures?  How is Michelangelo different from Leonardo in his art's expression of personality  and interior life? How does he become Manneristic toward the end of his life, and how does this mirror what is happening to Catholic Christianity?  (Think what is happening in Germany). How does Botticelli ignore some of the achievements of Renaissance painting and show the influence of Neo-platonism? How does Michelangelo show this influence in his depiction of Creation and in the anonymous, naked men in the corners? What is the significance of the fact he paints both pagan and Judeo-Christian prophets? How does Michelangelo create the heroic nude in his David?  How are his later statues quite mannerist? What are some mannerist features of his Last Judgment? What is mannerist about his Pietá? How does Donatello (and painters like Titian) seem to recapture the sensuous attitude toward the human body seen in Greco-Roman Art? How does Raphael combine traits of both Leonardo and Michelangelo? Why was Rome the center of the High Renaissance? 

 How does Castiglione reveal Renaissance ideals about human beings? What is his ideal courtier? What does he need to know? How must he act? What is his attitude toward women? How does he justify these opinions? What is his opinion of how women should be educated? How does this agree with the opinions of Laura Cereta?

 How does Mannerist art seem to turn away from the ideals of the High Renaissance? Think about how it contradicts it in both them (the jarring and the sensuous) as well as in style (exaggerated).  Be able to give examples of mannerist art in terms of sculpture and painting. 

How do painting like Titian's The Presentation of the Virgin show the influence of the northern Italian/Byzantine tradition? How does grandness of this painting setting look forward to the splendors and pageants of the Baroque period? What is mannerist about Parmigianino's Madonna with a Long Neck? What is strange about its depiction of the baby Jesus? 

 What is Machiavelli's view of humanity? How and why does Machiavelli seem to ignore conventional morality? How does Machiavelli advocate the use of force? of hypocrisy? Why does he think it is better to be feared than loved? What political events and goals motivated these opinions in him? What is the sole goal a prince should follow?

How did Charles V try (and fail) to perfect the Holy Roman Empire? What made Charles the last of the Medieval Kings? How was his empire created and organized more in a medieval way than as a modern nation-state? What were more advanced leaders like the kings of France doing to centralize and modernize their kingdoms? . How did Philip try (and fail) to achieve the goals of Charles V? What economic changes were shifting the balance of economic power to the Atlantic coast of Europe? Why was the age of Queen Elizabeth something of a golden age for England? How did she oppose Spain? 

How do Luther, Calvin and even Erasmus look back to the early Christian Church as a model? How does this show a different attitude than the Italian thinkers? What abuses of the Catholic church upset Luther most? What is the importance of faith in Luther's belief? Of the Bible? What did Luther think of the worshipper's relationship to God? How is this different than that of the Roman Catholic Church? What was Luther’s idea of the importance of faith vs. works? What did the Roman Catholic Church reaffirm at the Council of Trent? What does Erasmus think should be the basis of the reform of the Church? What was the importance of Luther's translation of the Bible into German? How did the Lutheran church become integrated into the government of German states? 

What was Calvin's ideal of a church-state relationship? How does Calvinism help the new economic order emerging in Europe? How is Calvin's view of life and the relationship of humans to God somewhat different from that of Luther's. What is the doctrine of predestination? How did the Protestants' belief in faith and that the worshipper didn’t need a church hierarchy lead to a rapid increase in the number of religious denominations? How did it contribute to the capitalist economy? What influence did Calvinism have on the colonization of North America?

 How did the Roman Catholic church organize the attack against the Reformation? What are the importance of the Jesuits? What political circumstances contributed to the breakup of Catholic Christianity, especially in England and Germany? For example, what advantage does Lutheranism have for German princes? What part did Henry VIII of England play? Why might the efforts of the Catholic Church to combat heresy also reduced the contribution of Italy and Spain to the coming scientific revolution?

How does Erasmus’ selection from In Praise of Folly seem to contradict many of the ideas of Renaissance thought? (For example, what does he think about all the hard work people do becoming authors? The value of books? Of philosophy and philosophical dispute? How does he show the values of the Protestant reformation? How does he seem to attack scholastic thought? The hypocrisy of the Church? 

In what ways are More's Utopia and Erasmus' works satires? Why do socialists like Utopia? What is the point of it? How are its attitudes to war, private property, and social classes different than was common in his era? How is his attitude toward personal freedom different from what we normally assume in the United States? How (perhaps) does it reflect some attitudes seen in Protestantism, especially ? (Think of how the Puritans live, and how the inhabitants of Utopia are somewhat similar). What references does More make to the then contemporary practice of hiring mercenaries? Do you think it is more satire or shows how More thinks Utopia might look like? 

How does Rabelais show utopian themes in the selection from your reader? How does he, like Erasmus, criticize the practices of the Church? How does he show a new view of education? What is the basic guiding principle of life at Thélème? How does this show the sort of optimistic view of human nature seen in writers like Mirandola? How is the abbey of Thélème a type of utopian society? 

What is the point of  Montaigne’s essay On Cannibals? Is he a social relativist? What is his view about the Christian and Classical tradition? What is, ultimately, the main subject of his essays? How optimistic was he about human nature? How does this fit in with Mannerist concerns? How does he show his skepticism? How does he criticize his own society? (Think about his references to torture and religious wars). How are the cannibals noble savages? How do they form a utopian society of sorts? 

How  does Shakespeare show the concerns of mannerism in Hamlet?  How is Hamlet a revenge tragedy? How is Hamlet a divided and ambiguous personality? Why is the theme of madness important to mannerism?

How does Cervantes parody the traditional Knightly Romance? How is his depiction of Don Quixote mannerist? How does the selection show the tension between dreams and the practical? Between reality and madness? In what way is the madness of Don Quixote useful? 

 A few preliminary comments/questions on The Tempest. How does this play make reference to the Globe theater? What sort of figure is Caliban? In what way is the Tempest a romance? How does it seem (at first) like a tragedy? How is the play about the power of art and illusion? How does at times Prospero seem addicted to the power of illusion? How is the play sentimental in spirit (after all, it has a Happy End!). How might it refer to the exploitation of the then-opening colonial era, with Caliban the oppressed natural man as seen by the corrupt eye of Europeans? How does the play show the tension between the intellectual and the practical person? How does the play address questions of education vs. birth, that is, are you born inferior or can education make any person as good as any other? How is the play a chance for the author to present amazing special effects and spectacle? Why does Prospero abandon his magic at the end of the play? Why didn't he use it in Milan to save himself? Is the island itself a magic realm, and alternate reality — like the theater is? How is Prospero like William Shakespeare the Author of the play? How is the ending optimistic (think of the significance of the coming marriage of Fernando and Miranda). How is Alonso reformed, maybe even redeemed? Does Prospero even come to soften his anger over what happened to him? Is the play, to a certain extent, about the ability of the theater and its illusion to teach us about ourselves and make us better? Or do you think the happy ending is an illusion, that matters will carry on in their own cynical way once Prospero gets back to Milan? Do we get a sense of the dangerous attraction of the world of illusion? What are some Utopian themes. How does Prospero try to make sure that Miranda will have a good marriage? How does Ferdinand prove himself? How does the conspiracy of the two idiots Trinculo and Stephano parallel the much more serious plot of Antonio and Sebastian?