Bacon's Essays a Reflection Of The Renaissance

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Bacon’s “Essays”: A Reflection of the Renaissance Spirit The Renaissance The term ‘Renaissance’ means ‘rebirth’ , or more generally, ‘revival’. It was the series of events by which Europe passed from a Medieval to a modern civilization. The Renaissance meant a revival of learning, and specially of the study of Greek which broke down the rigid conventions of the Middle ages. There was a new spirit of inquiry, of criticism, a passion for scientific accuracy, which was accompanied by a sense of individualism and worldliness. Its chief features are only too well reflected in the great prose writer of the age, Bacon. The essays have several features that show the spirit of the Renaissance. Exploration, Adventure And Political Conquest There was in the Renaissance a growing spirit of adventure and exploration. The importance of ‘great enterprise’ is mentioned often in the essays of Bacon. A country should make efforts at becoming great and powerful, and to this end should be ready to make war and become a military state. He gives practical advice to king and rulers on how to keep the subject under control and how to anticipate and avoid the dangers faced by the rulers. Not the essays Of Empire and Of Sedition. In the essay Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms, Bacon gives a clear analysis of how to become a powerful state. Those were the days of naval wars and Bacon writes: “To be master of the seas is an abridgement of a monarchy”. His attitude towards war and peace is typical of the age in which there was tendency towards expansion of territory and power of a nation. Classical Learning The revival of classical learning and the study of ancient Greek and Roman literature and history was a hall-mark of the Renaissance. This spirit of learning is very much in the essays of Bacon. There are innumerable quotations from ancient writer that he employs to support his
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