Renaissance Dbq

The Renaissance Era – a cultural movement that revolutionized the way we think and know about art. Broadly speaking, the Renaissance movement is used to describe how Europeans moved away from the primitive ideas of the middle ages. The ideology that dominated the Middle Ages was heavily focused on the absolute power of God and was enforced by the formidable Catholic Church. From the Fourteenth Century onwards, people started to break away from this idea. The renaissance movement did not necessarily reject the idea of God, but rather questioned humankind’s relationship to God – an idea that caused an unprecedented upheaval in the accepted social hierarchy. This focus on humanity created a new-found freedom for artists, writers and philosophers
Amongst Henry's several undesirable traits, he allows himself to be partial by people who have ulterior motives. The most significant illustration of this is when the archbishops convinced Henry to take over France so it would allow them to be able to save resources for the Church. Henry doesn't accept responsibility for his actions, he places the blame on others. For example, before Henry begins to take over a French village, he instructs the governor to surrender or risk having English troops terrorize civilians. This way, if the governor declines, it would be the governor's fault for the atrocities that would occur. Henry has manipulated his troops to go along with these criminal acts using his most powerful tool - language. He tells the soldiers that what they're doing is noble, and that they should be proud; however, they're attacking another country in order to conquer it. Michel Foucault, in his article, Subject and Power, notes the reason for Henry’s irresponsibility’s when it comes to his position in power. He notes that it is no different than parents over children, psychiatry over the mentally ill, of medicine over the population (Foucault 781). These things need to exist because of the constructs of society. Moreover, Foucault notes that “this form of power applies itself to immediate everyday life which categorizes the individual, marks by his own individuality, attaches him to his own identity, imposes a
In Act 1, Henry asks Canterbury's opinion on taking over France, stating that a harsh war would ensue only if Canterbury finds that it is just. In that situation Henry places the responsibility on Canterbury's shoulders, since Canterbury argued for the idea. In Act 2, Scene 4, Henry has Exeter tell King Charles that Henry demands the throne of France. Henry demands that if King Charles doesn't comply, he would be accountable for all the bloodshed of the war. In this way, he would be able to say that people died because King Charles refused to give up his crown. In Act 3, Scene 3, Henry threatens the French village of Harfleur with rape, and death amongst the citizens, unless the governor surrenders the village. Henry attempts to make the governor of Harfleur responsible for having English troops reek havoc on the village. In Act 4, Scene 1, Henry disguises himself under a cloak, and converses with various soldiers. One soldier, Williams, criticizes Henry's recent actions, explaining that they've hurt many soldiers. The disguised Henry is offended that he has blamed him, and so he challenges Williams to a