Play And Other Writings example essay topic

Enlightenment - A philosophical movement of the 18th century that emphasized the use of reason to scrutinize previously accepted doctrines, and traditions, and that brought about many humanitarian reforms. Thomas Hobbes Influence to the Enlightenment: He wrote The Leviathan in 1651, which was his personal view of society as a whole. It was because of the horror of the English Civil War that he believed that all humans where evil, thus these views where expressed in The Leviathan. Hobbes also created a social contract in which the people created there own government. Major Work (s): The Leviathan Interesting Fact: Hobbes lived to be 90, and translated the works of Homer John Locke Influence to the Enlightenment: Created the theory of life, liberty, and property which our constitutions is based off of. He also created his own version of the social contract theory, but his view of people and society were more positive then Hobbes.

He felt that people can and do learn from there mistakes. Major Work (s): Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity Two Treatises of Government Essay concerning Human Understanding Interesting Fact: He was a friend of both Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle two other very important philosophes Philosophe - A leading philosophical, social and / or political writer of the France enlightenment in the 18th century Background to the movement: The philosophes were a mix of all kinds of people who expanded their thoughts and imagination beyond the point that many thought to be genius thus redefining how every would look at the world. They expanded how the world looked at science, literature, philosophy, and society as a whole. Fact: Mostly all of the ideas and things created during the enlightenment are still implemented today, including the microscope, telescope, natural rights, vaccines, fair justice system, ect., ect. Voltaire Voltaire's real name was Francois Marie Arouet, he was born on November 21 1694. He was born in Paris, little is known about his parents.

He got his schooling at "Louis-le-Grand", college in Paris. He left school at 16 and made friends with the aristocrats, where he was often the center of attention because of his outspoken wit and humor. But his wit would later get him in trouble. In 1717 he was sent to the Bastille (a French jail later to be very important to the revolution) for speaking slander about the government. It was in that very prison that he adopted the name Voltaire, and wrote his first play, Oed ipe. Again in 1726, Voltaire was caught insulting people he shouldn't have.

This time it was Chevalier De Rohan, a noble man and was given two options, imprisonment or exile. He choose exile so from 1726 to '29 he lived in England. While he was in England he was drawn to the philosophical ideas of John Locke and ideas of mathematician and scientist, Isaac Newton. Finally he was allowed to return to Paris where he wrote a book before being exiled AGAIN! He then moved to eastern france while there he continued to write. He wrote many books, play, and other writings.

And he always was writing to is friends about his latest ideas and thoughts. Through all his his writings he always wrote what he felt and was usually fighting for religiuos tolerance and was still very out spoken about it. Beccaria Cesare Beccaria was born in 1738 to a rich family and like Voltaire and so many other philosophes he was educated a Jesuit school. When he was around 20 he created an intellectual circle with his friend called "the Academy of Fists". The circle was focused mostly on the reformation of the justice system. As the group became more involved with other groups so did Beccaria.

He quickly made friends with some of the leading philosophical thinkers like, Hobbes and diderot. Beccaria's most famous idea, so famous in fact that is still implemented today, is the right to a fair and speedy trial. He published this idea in his book On Crime and Punishment. In his book he talked about the great need for a reform of the justice system. He along with another French philosopher, Andre Morellet, published this book in 1764. It was to become Beccaria's greatest work.

Montesquieu Charles Louis de Secondat was born in Bordeaux, France, in 1689. even though his family had wealth, he was placed in the care of a poor family during his childhood. He later went to college and studied science and history, eventually becoming a lawyer in the local government. He father died in 1713 and he was placed under the care of his uncle, Baron de Montesquieu. When his uncle died in 1716 Montesquieu was left his uncles fortune, his office as president of the Bordeaux Parliament, and his title of Baron de Montesquieu.

Montesquieu, like Locke, greatly influenced the creation of our government. Montesquieu created the theory of separation of powers. He said "power should be checked by power". He created the 3 branch government that we all know today.

Even though he firmly felt that a democracy was the best Government he did not feel as Locke did, he did not feel all people were equal. Montesquieu felt nothing against slavery. Montesquieu also felt that women were inferior to men but he did feel that women could be in government. Over all Montesquieu was a brilliant thinker and with out him our government would not be what it is today.

Neoclassical: a revival in literature in the late 17th-century and 18th-century characterized by a regard for the classical ideals of reason, form and restraint. Mozart Mozart was born on a cold and snowy day on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. Even at a very young age Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had great music abilities. By the time he was 5 he had composed songs and by the time he was 6 he was playing for kings and emperors. His parents knew that this would be a gold mine if they put him on tour therefore in 1736 they took Mozart on to London and Paris.

At each performance he left the audience speechless, he was so good that he was asked to play in front of the French and English royal families. He did not stop at just music he also wrote opera which were preformed in Vienna. Mozart created great music and was inspirational to many. Beethoven studied under him for a while.

Mozart's life if greatly depicted in the movie Amadeus, a movie about the theory that he had been poisoned to death. Mozart's initials spell W.A.M... Mozart's life was a short one. He died just before turning 36 years old on December 5, 1791 after suffering an extensive illness. Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn in 1770. His father was a musician himself, and taught Beethoven the ways of music.

Beethoven preformed his first peace on the piano when he was only 8. When he was 11 he started lessons with a famous organist. He took a job as a musician in and orchestra and then went to Vienna to study music, he teacher was none other then Mozart himself. Sadly when his mother died he had to return to his home in order to help take care of the rest of the family. After a time he noticed that he had a heart disorder. Because of this he left society, he drew further and further away from his friends.

Soon after he went deaf he started to be around people again, but was always angry and frustrated and felt that the people around him were inferior. He eventually became so deaf that the only way he could communicate through writing. He died a bachelor in 1827; he died a very lonely man. Haydn Joseph Haydn was born in 1732 in Rohr au. He sang in his church choir from 1740 to 1750.

He then became a freelance musician he also gave piano lessons. H then started composing music for choirs and chamber music. As he grew in popularity so did his status, he soon became vice-Kapellmeister with a leading Hungarian family. He then started to write music for interments, including symphonies and other pieces for a prince every 2 weeks. Haydn died in 1809. His music is world-renowned.

To some it is a spectacle that is better then even Beethoven's. Throughout his music he created foundations for other great musicians and composers. Fleiding Henry Fleiding was born a gentleman (his parents were noble) his father was related to the Earl of Denbigh. His mother was in a family of rich lawyers. He grew up in Do tset. When Fleiding was 11 his mother died and his father remarried it was at this time that he was sent to Eton Collage.

It was there that he found a love for roman and Greek writings. He started writing in London, he started writing plays. He was continually expanding his knowledge of classic literature. His most famous book was Tom Thumb. He literature is some of the greatest in the world. It combined his knowledge of classic writing styles with that of his modern writing.

Scientific revolution: A major change in European thought, starting in the mid 1500's, in which the study of the natural world began to characterize the careful observation and the questioning of accepted believes. Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus is one of the greatest astronomer's of all time. His father, who had the same name, was in the business of trading copper. When he was 10 years old his dad died, it was his uncle who took care of him after that.

Copernicus when to the university of Krakow with his brother. It was while he was there that he started calling himself by his Latin name (Nicolaus Copernicus). The original spelling of his name was Mikolaj Ko pernik. Though he went to Krakow for 4 years he never actually formally graduated with his degree. A little after wards he went to the university of Bologna to study law.

Trough out this time he was constantly creating theories and what not. Copernicus thought up the original heliocentric theory. Sadly because most of the laws at the time and because of the church he didn't publish any of his work until the tail end of his life. It was not until people like Kepler and Galileo that Nicolaus Copernicus work was better known to the public.