刘万阳课件.ppt

Humanism Spirit in the Merchant of Venice Supervisor: Prof. Wang Liya Student: Liu Wanyang ID:Grade: 2008 Time: April 21,2009 Outline Introduction—Background of the Merchant of Venice 2. Humanism Spirit in the Merchant of Venice 3. Conclusion Background In the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603), England had experienced great prosper in military, in commerce, and more importantly, in literature and other arts. During the reign of her, the Renaissance came to England. What is the Renaissance? The Renaissance, which means rebirth or revival, is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events, such as the rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture, the new discoveries in geography and astrology, the religious reformation and the economic expansion. Humanism —the essence of the Renaissance Humanism began to take hold in England when the Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus came to teach the classical learning , first at Oxford and then at Cambridge. Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English humanists. Humanistic Ideas Dignity of individual beings The ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders The importance of the present life Against religious persecution, racial discrimination, and social inequality Humanistic ideas  in the Merchant of Venice Humanism spirit shown by Portia Humanism spirit shown by Jessica Humanism spirit shown by other characters Conclusion The period that Shakespeare created the Merchant of Venice was the reign of Elizabeth I. He was one of the greatest representatives at that time. In his romantic comedies, he takes a humanistic attitude towards human existence. This attitude in the work makes it outstanding from its counterpart. Humanistic Spirit Shown by Portia Humanism has several contents. One of them is the Rationalism object to Obscurantism. It advocates treasuring people intelligent. Humanistic Spirit Shown by Portia