Discuss the relationship between the orthodox and the marginal, Essay

Discuss the relationship between the orthodox and the marginal, referring closely to at least two texts we have discussed on the unit - Essay Example It made its presence felt in the field of art, science, history, religion, literature, philosophy and politics as well as other aspects of intellectual inquiry. Scholars and thinkers of this era, sought out in search of ancient texts written in Latin or ancient Greek which had been long lost and forgotten into obscurity, which fuelled their desire to increase and improve their worldly knowledge - a concept totally in contrast to the transcendental spirituality strongly propagated by medieval Christianity. These scholars, however did not denounce or reject Christianity, but this cultural shift and the quest for knowledge did brought about a change in the way religion was approached by the intellectuals and was evident in many areas of their cultural life. Shakespeare’s Richard III and Christopher Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta and Dr Faustus, all three of which were widely popular and yet severely criticized mainly because of it’s content and candid use of language, and study them in the light of Renaissance – an era of immense exploration and questioning of ideas and well established philosophies. Although there exist many views regarding the exact date of the Renaissance period in history, for the purpose of this essay, the period between 14th to 17th centuries is considered as the Renaissance Era. In England, the Elizabethan era marked the beginning of the Renaissance Era, with the works of such writers as William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, John Milton and Edmund Spenser. This led to the development of new ideals on humanism which were far more liberal and secular as opposed to those in the medieval era to the chagrin of the yet unquestioned Christian backdrop. Much of the literary work was dedicated to religion or Church, as a result it had profound effect on contemporary theology, particularly the way in which the relationship between man and god was perceived. The Renaissance thus could well be perceived as a time of religious