Shakespeare project 1

• New lesson editor
• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

4H Shakespeare project

2026-2027

Today’s programme:

• From Middle Ages till Renaissance

• The Tudors & Queen Elizabeth

Reader pages 1-7

Lesson aim: introduction to the Shakespeare project - literature

Middle Ages (700-1500)

• Catholic Church rules -> no independent thinking!

• Renaissance started in Italy and spread over Europe

• 15th century: invention of printing press -> more books available to read

• More libraries & academies -> new ideas start spreading

Medieval = middeleeuws

Renaissance = rebirth

• Started in Italy and slowly spread through Europe

• Printing press

• Turkish conquest of large parts of Greece

• The Roman Catholic Church appeared to be corrupt

• Columbus’ discovery in 1492

As a result of these new experiences, people started to question what they had been taught by the church, resulting in 3 major shifts in people’s thinking:

1) From a collective to an individual attitude

2) From a theocentric (God-centred) to an anthropocentric (man-centred) outlook

3) From dogmatic belief to critical investigation

A. Lincoln

1809-1865

The Elizabethan Age

• Queen Elizabeth 1 (1563-1603) became queen at 25.

• England thrived: economy, new territories, defeat of Spanish Armada (1588)

• Queen E. sponsored arts, science.

• Music & poetry became very important.

Which is not a reason for the change in thinking of people in England?

A

dogmatic church

B

invention printing press

C

Columbus discovery of S. America

D

Turkish conquest of Greece

Next week:

• Study reader p. 1-6

• read p. 7-9