The Renaissance and its humanist view allowed for greater emancipation of the individual (at least the educated individual) because many of those texts preached for intellectual freedom and self-expression and served to expose individuals to customs and ideas from foreign cultures and past civilizations. A humanist was understood not merely as someone in possession of a great love for humanity, but rather as one who had mastered the humane arts in order to attain a superior level of knowledge and wit. Shakespeare wrote characters of tremendous self-knowledge and wit that are capable of self-expression and the practice of individual freedom. Shakespeare himself can be understood as a great product of Renaissance and humanism; he was an artist with a deep understanding of humanity and an uncanny ability for self-expression who openly practiced and celebrated the ideals of intellectual freedom. (Adapted from www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/SAYLOR.ORG-ENGL401- RENAISSANCE-HUMANISM-SHAKESPEARE.pdf.)

Shakespeare’s plays dealt with ideas about mortality and individuality (Hamlet), madness and reason (Hamlet, King Lear), ambition and individual agency (Macbeth, Richard III), racial prejudice (Merchant and Othello), family issues (King Lear), gender questions (Shrew, Much Ado, etc). Medieval plays told Bible stories, but Elizabethan drama dealt with questions of life and death, and the nature of human experience.

Ideas central to the Renaissance and humanism are apparent in an increased emphasis on human potential and beauty—both physical and verbal. By creating strong characters with vibrant inner lives, Shakespeare creates a perfect sense of a Renaissance world by constructing characters that adhere to the philosophies of the Renaissance. As a woman who embodies Renaissances ideas about the more elevated position of women, the character of Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing is able to make her own decisions and stands apart in the play as one of the strongest and most vital characters rather than taking a position behind the men and serving only as “decoration” or an object. Each of the main characters is able to successfully represent some aspect of the Renaissance and humanism, by the inner workings of their minds, their physical appearance, or their ability to create beauty with words and use this as a skill. Individualism is a key Renaissance concept that draws together both the improved position of women as well as the reflections of humanist ideals in Much Ado about Nothing. The most interesting characters see themselves as individuals and compete with one another as well as fall in love. Instead of creating characters that are stagnant, many of them (with the exception of Hero, who is more or less something of an object throughout the play) have vital inner lives and personal motivations. By displaying individualistic traits, each of the characters demonstrates something about Renaissance ideals. Beatrice embodies a representation of the “new” Renaissance woman and her thought processes, Benedick and Hero present readers with notions of humanism, most notable beauty and perfection in appearances, learning, and verbal flair, and Don John (as well as Beatrice) best represent the concept of individualism. (Adapted from www.articlemyriad.com/renaissance-much-ado-about-nothing/)