During the Renaissance, people took a new interest in ancient Rome and Greece. Scholars paid attention to classical culture and worldly subjects instead of religious issues. These scholars, called humanists, studied subjects taught in ancient Greek and Roman schools. They learned about grammar, poetry, literature, drama, philosophy, and history. 

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The Renaissance

Individual ability became important. People looked up to those who were well-rounded and could do well in many areas. For example, the famous painter Leonardo da Vinci was also a sculptor, architect, inventor, and mathematician. He is best known for his paintings of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But he also made sketched for inventions like submarines and flying machines and studied the human body. In addition to da Vinci, the Renaissance produced famous painters and sculptors like Michelangelo and Raphael. 

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Renaissance Artists

Famous works of literature were written during the Renaissance. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, and the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes wrote Don Quixote. One of the most important writers of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare, the English poet and playwright. He wrote 37 plays between 1590 and 1613, including Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. 

​Literature

In politics, Niccolo Machiavelli wrote one of the most influential works on political power, The Prince.

Unlike the political writers before him, Machiavelli talked about reality instead of the ideal.

Machiavelli's ideas influenced political leaders for many years.

Renaissance Politics