Overview of the Renaissance
自14世纪中叶起，欧洲发生了一场思想文化运动。这场运动起源于意大利，传播于欧洲，被认为是资本主义时代的曙光。这场思想文化运动就是文艺复兴。
14世纪中叶，意大利的佛罗伦萨、威尼斯等地，工商业已经有了一定的发展，一些城市出现了资本主义萌芽。形成中的资产阶级不满罗马教廷对精神世界的控制，对教会宣扬的苦行禁欲、追求死后升入天堂的生活态度渐生异议，要求建立一种以人为中心而不是以神为中心的生活哲学;他们提倡发扬人的个性，追求享受现世生活。这种被称为人文主义的思潮逐渐流行，文艺复兴运动兴起。
文艺复兴是一场反对教会神权至上和提倡人文主义的新文化运动，促进了人们思想的大解放，延续了近300年之久。这场运动采取复兴古代希腊罗马文化的方式，但对古典文化并非是简单的复兴，这其中有继承，更有创新。
文艺复兴时期涌现出了许多文学家、思想家和艺术家，他们推动了欧洲文化思想领域的繁荣，为欧洲资本主义社会的产生和发展奠定了思想文化基础。
但丁（1265-1321是文艺复兴的先驱，他的长篇诗作《神曲》分地狱、炼狱和天堂三部分。作者借梦游三界描写现实生活中的各色人物，抨击教会的贪婪腐化，把许多主教、僧侣甚至教皇都打人地狱，表达了市民阶层的情感与理想。但丁与彼特拉克、薄伽丘并称为文艺复兴文学三杰。
达•芬奇 ( 1452-1519) 因出生于佛罗伦萨郊区的芬奇小镇而得名。他思想深邃，学识渊博，多才多艺，兼艺术大师、科学巨匠、文艺理论家、哲学家、诗人、音乐家、工程师和发明家于一身。达•芬奇最大的成就是绘画，他技术精湛，把艺术创作和科学探索结合起来，创作了许多完美生动的人物形象，充分体现了人文主义精神。他与拉斐尔、米开朗琪罗并称为文艺复兴美术三杰。达•芬奇的绘画代表作有《蒙娜丽莎》和《最后的晚餐》等。
莎士比亚( 1564 -1616 )一生创作了30多部戏剧和许多脍炙人口的诗篇。这些作品反映了时代风貌和社会本质，深刻批判了封建道德伦理观念和社会陋习，充分体现了人文主义者的生活理想。《哈姆雷特》《罗密欧与朱丽叶》是他的代表作。
Since the middle of the 14th century, there has been an ideological and cultural movement in Europe. This movement originated in Italy, spread in Europe, and is considered to be the dawn of the capitalist era. This ideological and cultural movement is the Renaissance.
In the middle of the 14th century, in Florence, Venice and other places in Italy, industry and commerce had developed to a certain extent, and capitalism sprouted in some cities. The forming bourgeoisie was dissatisfied with the Holy Sees control of the spiritual world, and gradually objected to the churchs life attitude of asceticism and the pursuit of going to heaven after death, demanding the establishment of a life philosophy centered on people rather than God; They advocate the development of human personality and the pursuit of enjoying the secular life. This trend of thought, known as humanism, gradually became popular, and the Renaissance Movement rose.
The Renaissance was a new cultural movement against the churchs "supremacy of divine power" and advocating humanism, which promoted the liberation of peoples minds and lasted for nearly 300 years. This movement took the way of reviving ancient Greek and Roman culture, but it was not a simple "revival" of classical culture, which included inheritance and innovation.
During the Renaissance, many writers, thinkers and artists emerged. They promoted the prosperity of European cultural and ideological fields and laid a cultural foundation for the emergence and development of European capitalist society.
Dante (1265-1321) is a pioneer of the Renaissance. His long poem Divine Comedy is divided into three parts: "hell", "purgatory" and "heaven". The author uses the three worlds of sleepwalking to describe various characters in real life, denounces the greed and corruption of the church, and beats many bishops, monks and even religious emperors into hell, expressing the feelings and ideals of the civil class. Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio are called the "three literary heroes" of the Renaissance.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) got his name because he was born in the small town of Vinci in the suburb of Florence. He is a profound, knowledgeable and versatile artist, scientific giant, literary theorist, philosopher, poet, musician, engineer and inventor. Leonardo da Vincis greatest achievement is painting. He is skilled and combines artistic creation with scientific exploration. He has created many perfect and vivid characters, which fully reflects the spirit of humanism. He, together with Raphael and Michelangelo, was called the "Three Great Artists" of the Renaissance. Da Vincis representative paintings include Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Shakespeare (1564-1616) wrote more than 30 plays and many popular poems in his life. These works reflect the style and features of the times and the nature of society, deeply criticize the feudal moral and ethical concepts and social bad habits, and fully reflect the life ideal of humanists. Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet are his masterpieces.
