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Renaissance Elements in Bacon PDF

Bacon's essays reflect many elements of the Renaissance such as an emphasis on self-advancement, classical learning, natural beauty, and a pragmatic approach. His essays provide worldly advice on topics like becoming rich and rising in status. They also exhibit Machiavellian ideas of using both fair and unfair means to achieve success. Additionally, the essays reference ancient writers and show a love of learning, as was common during the Renaissance.

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Mehar Waqas Javed
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5K views

Renaissance Elements in Bacon PDF

Bacon's essays reflect many elements of the Renaissance such as an emphasis on self-advancement, classical learning, natural beauty, and a pragmatic approach. His essays provide worldly advice on topics like becoming rich and rising in status. They also exhibit Machiavellian ideas of using both fair and unfair means to achieve success. Additionally, the essays reference ancient writers and show a love of learning, as was common during the Renaissance.

Uploaded by

Mehar Waqas Javed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Waqas Ahmad M.

A English 3rd 1124 UO


RENAISSANCE ELEMENTS IN BACON'S ESSAYS
Renaissance means the revival of learning and an absolute change in every occupation. In its
broadest sense, it denotes the gradual enlightenment of human mind after darkness of Middle
Ages.

The influence of Renaissance spirit is obvious on Bacon in his essays. He lays emphasis on
self-advancement. He has a love for classical learning and natural beauty, which are the
qualities of Renaissance.

Bacon's essays bear the pragmatic spirit. He deals with the practical advantages of the things in
the new intellectual atmosphere created by the Renaissance. His essays are replete with what
is known as worldly wisdom. We see Bacon advising the reader as how to become rich, how to
rise his position, how to exercise one's powers. In his essay "Of Truth", he emphasises the
value of truth but also points out that the mixture of falsehood is like an alloy in the coin of gold
and silver that makes the metal work better. In his essay "Of Riches", he says that the riches
are a hindrance to virtue and yet offers suggestion how a man can become rich.

In Bacon's essays, we find the Machiavellian approach to life, to achieve success in life by using
fair and foul means. This is an important characteristic of Renaissance age. Therefore, he is the
preacher of Machiavellian philosophy.

The Renaissance was the time of exploration and regional conquests. This aspect of
Renaissance is reflected in Bacon's political essays. In the essays “Of Empire” and “Of the True
Greatness of Kingdoms and Estates”, he points out the various dangers that kings in the time
faced. He gives useful advice to kings concerning their dealings with their neighbours, their
wives, children, their clergy and their nobles, etc. He tells us that the greatness of a country is
not by the territory or population but the military power.

The revival of classical learning and the study of ancient Greek and Roman literature and
history are obvious in Bacon's essays. There are numerous quotations from ancient writers and
through them he supported his arguments.

Bacon's love of learning is portrayed in his essays. This love of learning is an important quality
of Renaissance age. In his Essay "Of Studies", he emphasizes the advantages of reading. His
essay "Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms and Estates" contains thirteen Latin quotations. He
says about the love of learning:

"I have taken all the knowledge to be my province.”

Another feature of the Renaissance that is reflected in some of Bacon's essays is his love of
beauty and the sensuousness. His essay "Of Garden" shows him as a lover of natural beauty
and an ardent love of sensuous beauty. As he says:
"And because the breath of flowers is far sweeter in the air than in the hand."

Another important characteristic of the Renaissance is the striking use of the figure of speech
that is clear in Bacon's essays. The metaphors and similes taken from different spheres of
knowledge and experience reflect the popular taste of the age. We have a glimpse of his
metaphor and similes in the following sentences from his essays:

"A mixture of lie doth ever add pleasure" (Of Truth)

"Men fear death as children fear to go in dark" (Of Death)

As a Renaissance man, Bacon has the sense of curiosity and love for travel. The lists of things
that are worth seeing are typical spirit of the Renaissance. It exhibits the tendency to know more
and more about everything and every place. It is said that Bacon has Faustian (like Dr. Faustus)
urge of curiosity and love for travel.

Renaissance age was accompanied with the great spirit of humanism. Bacon's essays are
proper study of humanism. He directed his gaze inward and became deeply interested in the
problems of human personality. All of his essays have "man" as their subject matter.

Bacon's morality governed by the knowledge that man is not perfect and that he can be
expected to adhere to ethical standards only to a certain extent.

Bacon has the main feature of Renaissance spirit in his essays but there is one great exception
and that is the use of language. He does not reflect the age's pride in English language. He
admired and preferred Latin to English and thought that the Latin version of his essays would be
more popular. Critics have different opinions about Bacon’s language. A critic says:

"The language of Bacon is as supreme in prose as Shakespeare's in verse."

In the end, we can say that Bacon is a writer who represents the most salient feature of his age,
which is the age of revival of learning and study of ancients, the spirit of inquiry and
individualism. He is the real product of The Renaissance glory and reveals the thoughts,
philosophy and true features of the Renaissance spirit.

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