During the Renaissance, the philosophy of humanism became very widespread.

The idea of
humanism emphasised the importance of individual human beings, their self-expression and
independence, as opposed to the previously common views that humans are fated to follow a
predetermined plan of God. As such, humanism is strongly connected with the ideal of secularism.
However, humanists were not necessarily secular; many believed that God had given humans the
power and opportunity to act and think for themselves. The ideas of humanism were strongly
inspired by Ancient Greek and Roman philosophies and art, as this was during a time where Italians
were becoming more patriotic and admired their past as the centre of perhaps one of the most
powerful empires in the world at the time, the Roman Empire. The invention of the printing press
also allowed classic Greek and Roman literature to become much more widespread, and this
literature heavily inspired the humanist movement. The art of these ancient empires focused
strongly of humans and their achievements, although there are many differences between
Renaissance humanism and the ideals of Greece and Rome. The philosophy of humanism was also
made more popular as towards the end of the Middle Ages, the power of the church began to
decline, making European society more secular. This was caused in part by the devastation of the
Black Death, which killed millions of people across Europe. Religion had no answer for why this
occurred, and people became disillusioned with the church and religion. The rise of capitalism and
the market economy also contributed to the deterioration of the church’s power, as governments
followed the restrictions of the church less and followed the needs of those with capital more.
Despite society becoming more secular, the art of the Renaissance still very much focused on
Catholic imagery. However, the figures of Catholic religion were portrayed in a more human way,
which is emblematic of humanist ideals.

King Lear, written by William Shakespeare in the early 17 th century, incorporates many humanist
ideals, primarily the rejection of the idea that people should unquestioningly follow the word of
rulers. This is shown through the actions of Lear’s servant Kent and his daughter Cordelia. Lear is
splitting his kingdom into three parts for each of his three daughters, and asks each of them to tell
him how much they love him, and whoever expresses the greatest love will earn the largest portion
of England. Gonerill and Regan, who are hungry for power, speak extravagantly of their love for their
father, but Cordelia loves Lear “according to [her] bond, no more, no less”. Lear becomes outraged
and disowns her, and as Kent challenges this decision, he too is banished. Kent and Cordelia have
disobeyed Lear by speaking their mind, rather than saying what Lear wants them to. This is
emblematic of the humanist ideal of humans expressing themselves and their ideas rather than
blindly following the plan of a ruler or a deity. While Kent and Cordelia are initially punished by Lear,
Lear’s actions are shown to be irrational, as Cordelia and Kent are some of the only people who
stand by him as Gonerill and Regan abuse their newfound power, eventually resulting in Lear and
Cordelia’s death. Gonerill and Regan’s exaggerated expressions of love are shown to be deceitful and
for the sole purpose of gaining power for themselves and taking it away from Lear. Edmond, the
illegitimate son of the Duke of Gloucester, also lies to his brother Edgar and his father to gain power,
and later lies to Regan and Gonerill for the same reason. The idea of truth being good, as in the case
of Kent and Cordelia, is contrasted with the deceit of Gonerill, Regan and Edmond, which is depicted
as malevolent and wicked. The actions of Gonerill, Regan and Edmond lead to widespread death and
destruction, leaving Edgar and Kent, as well as the Duke of Albany, the only characters still alive at
the end of the play. Edgar’s closing words urge people to “speak what [they] feel, not what [they]
ought to say”. This is symbolic of the humanist idea that people should truthfully express themselves
rather than just say what they are expected to say. The rulers in King Lear are also depicted as being
fallible, as is seen from Lear’s folly in giving his kingdom to Regan and Gonerill, who are shown as
downright malevolent rulers. This shows how rulers are not seen as unfailing, divine rulers, but as
humans who can make mistakes, which is a humanist idea. Humanism has clearly been highly
influential in the story and characters of King Lear, which is typical of theatre and other art during
the Renaissance.