Middle Ages DBQ

The Middle Ages ran from the fall of the Roman Empire (around 500 CE) to about 1350 CE (Background Essay). During the Middle Ages people were known to be illiterate because of the lack of schooling. This time was known as the “Dark Ages” because of the diseases and deaths that happened all the time, which is partially because “most of the population, more than 85 percent, was peasant farmers called serfs” (Background Essay). The purpose of this paper is to explain how the Renaissance changed Mans View of the World. First and foremost Renaissance art changed man’s view of the world. The way that art was done during this time had affected society now greatly. The way the art was made set the essence for the time that they were created. As said in Document A the (clearest) evidence of the break with medieval culture comes from the visual arts. Art in the Renaissance differed from art in the Middle Ages by using emotion instead of being dull. In the Middle Ages art was made to support the church and certain things were not accepted by the church. In the Renaissance art was open to the public and new ideas. Also with the church’s power slowly digressing, art had …show more content…
In Document B it says though written in 1485, which was during the Renaissance period, these lines carry a message right out of the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages was dark and focused on sin and death. The Renaissance was light and focused on how great mankind was. In Hamlet it says “in action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals!” In this excerpt Shakespeare is comparing people to angels and gods. These works set society of today on a road of praising people for who they were and letting people be what they wanted too. Instead of making everyone practice the same religion and not having broader options for people who didn’t agree with the