Northern Humanism, Northern Renaissance, Religious Reformations, and Late Mannerism, 1500-1603

1. Northern Renaissance Theater (pp. 374-376)
Theater > Drama > Setting
http://www.mhhe.com/HumanitiesStudio/7/3/1.html
The continued popularity of Shakespeare’s plays speaks to the extraordinary vitality of his writing. His work has inspired many interpretations over the centuries, with directors adjusting the plays’ settings and actors offering interpretations of his characters. Click on the link above, and compare the impact of changes in the settings in the performance of a dialogue from Romeo and Juliet. How have the location and era of each example adapted the play’s meaning and influenced the acting styles?

2. Printmaking (p. 386)
Line > Defining Mass > Shade
http://www.mhhe.com/HumanitiesStudio/1/1/1/2/3.html
Printmaking was an important innovation of Northern Renaissance art, paralleling the development of the printing press and the spread of Protestantism. Take a look at the engravings of Martin Luther, by Lucas Cranach the Elder, and of Elector Frederick the Wise, by Albrecht Dürer (Figs. 13.12-13, p. 404). Hatching and cross-hatching are essential to the way in which prints create the illusion of mass. Click on the link above to examine how shading and hatching are used to construct the figures in these prints.