Renaissance Sonnets

Renaissance painting of girls readingThe Renaissance was a time of great change and growth in both the arts and sciences. The Gutenberg press allowed the proliferation of books and new ideas to circulate more freely. While intellectuals and artists were developing new styles and art forms, these same writers were also revisiting earlier classics.

Renaissance poets borrowed themes and modeled poetic forms from the ancient Greeks and Romans, and these themes and ideas represented in Renaissance poetry are still present in literature and art today. Themes such as love, friendship, and nature are universal and transcend time. How do you think other time periods in English history will also connect to today's world?