Module 4: Examining Love, Friendship, and Power
Have you ever considered what motivates individuals? In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a theory of human motivation in which he identified a hierarchy of essential needs. Among these needs are love, friendship, and power, needs so important to human existence that they are often reflected in literature throughout the ages.
In this module, you will look at a variety of topics as you explore the universal themes of love, friendship, and power in Renaissance literature. The Renaissance was a time of great growth in Europe; the art, science, and literature of the period had a lasting effect on the western world. You will see how the culture of the Renaissance was reflected in its poetry and look at common themes such as love that are present in these poems. You will also learn about Renaissance drama by reading William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. In reading the play, you will focus on the characters and their complex relationships as well as the themes of friendship and power. Lastly, you will read non-fiction pieces from the Renaissance and learn how to organize and collect support for a research topic.
Getting Started
In your studies of history and literature from prior courses, you have likely learned about many of the important historical events and figures from the Renaissance period, but how much do you remember. Before you explore the literature of the Renaissance era, take a moment to check how much you remember. In this non-graded activity, drag and drop the terms to the blanks that correctly complete the statements. Click the player button to get started.
To view the definitions for these key vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.
| act | Italian sonnet | quatrain |
| aside | hook | rebuttal |
| call to action | humanism | refute |
| catharsis | logical fallacy | the Renaissance |
| climax | logos | resolution |
| comic relief | metaphysical conceit | rising action |
| concede | metaphysical poetry | rhetorical triangle |
| counterclaim | monologue | scene |
| couplet | motif | script |
| dialogue | octave | sestet |
| drama | outline | soliloquy |
| English sonnet | paradox | sonnet |
| epitaph | pastoral poetry | Spenserian sonnet |
| ethos | pathos | stage directions |
| exposition | personal commentary | tragedy |
| falling action | playwright | tragic flaw |
| iambic pentameter | plot | tragic hero |