The Renaissance has Changed Man’s View of Man The Renaissance challenged the status quo of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, the Church had authority over most people. These people also had limited rights. All of this changed during the Renaissance.
This period of time focused on the philosophy of humanism, which embodied the idea that humans were a significant part of the world. The Renaissance changed man’s view of man through the institutions of literature, astronomy, anatomy, and art. A change in man’s view of man during the Renaissance could be seen through literature. For example, in Hamlet, William Shakespeare wrote, “in apprehension how like a god!” (Doc B). During the Middle Ages, humans were considered to …show more content…These changes indicated that man was not tied to the Church, and that he could think freely for himself. As can be seen, astronomy changed man’s view of man during the Renaissance by showing that the lives of people were not controlled by outside institutions. During the Renaissance, a change in man’s view of man could be seen through anatomy. For example, “a woodcut from the Anatomy book On the Makeup of the Human Body” Doc D) depicted a human body with muscles, bones, organs, and other body parts.
The Middle Ages saw humans as being controlled by constellations, such as Aries the Ram controlling the head. Advances made during the Renaissance in anatomy indicated a rise in scientific theory, and a rejection of traditional teachings. As these teachings were being rejected, the Church lost some of its influence. Additionally, “Andreas Vesalius … dissected human corpses to better explain the human body …” (Doc D). Vesalius had taken matters into his own hands, and he created a detailed engraving of the human body that challenged Church authority. His findings showed that people had control over themselves and their health, and that they could live their lives how they wanted to. All in all, man’s view of man was changed during the Renaissance, through anatomy, by showing that people had control of their lives.
A change in man’s view of man during the Renaissance could be seen through art. For example, in Renaissance art, “One begins to … feel stronger
