An Introduction to the History of Printing Press

The advent of the printing press has given a lot to the society without any doubt. It made it easier to spread the knowledge throughout the world.
First, the block or woodblock printing came in the limelight. It was first applied on the clothing. This is the reason why we find some beautiful designs on the pre-medieval and medieval costumes.  Later on, it was applied on the paper. “Diamond Sutra”, a Buddhist scripture, was the first published book of the world. It was published in China in 868 CE through woodblock printing.
But, there are several limitations of woodblock printing. The moveable type printing press solved the entire problem and the mass publishing became much easier. The moveable type press was first invented in China by Bi Sheng between 1041 and 1048. In the western world, it was discovered by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439 CE. He first published Bible and soon this moveable-type became popular in various parts of the Europe. It played a major role in the spread of renaissance ideas.

Trend of Medieval Dresses Still Enticing the People

If you are willing to watch the glimpses of the medieval lifestyles, then the stage plays written after the Middle Ages are best A number of fashion trends are prevalent in the present scenario, but there is no doubt that you get the special luster if you wear the ethnic wardrobes. The trend of medieval dresses is very much in the limelight in the recent times.

As the name itself depicts, these are the outfits, which belong the medieval era that took place from 5th to 15th centuries. In such a long time span, a number of trends came in the limelight, which are liked a lot by the men and women of today. The costumes of the early medieval era seem to be simple, whereas we see the showiness in the outfits of the late medieval period.

Such outfits are perfect to wear in a number of parties and other events. But, they are most popular in the themed events that take place in various parts of Europe and America. The medieval festival of Europe and the renaissance festival of America are two best examples in this regard.

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas – A Complete Pirate Entertainment

The pirate themed movies and animation films are becoming the favorites of a large number of people today. These films are the perfect fun package for the people, plus they give us the glimpse of the old swashbuckling life. These movies also provide the stuff to the fashion world, such as pirate shirts, pants, skirts and a lot more.
Sinbad! Legend of the Seven Seas – it is one of the popular animation films. The film depicts Sinbad (famous character of Arabian Nights) as a pirate, but his purpose is not to loot the treasure. On the contrary, he wants to do something good, for which he is intended to loot the mystical and magical book of peace, along with his crew. He wishes to do it because he wants to save his childhood friend Prince Proteus. Proteus’s fiancée Marina also helps Sinbad in his expedition. After succeeding, Marina falls in love with Sinbad, which Proteus realizes and releases her from their engagement. Finally, Marina also joins Sinbad’s ship.
The story is full of adventures, and we can also find the touch of romance in it. The film renders complete entertainment package without any second thought.

Renaissance Dances and Queen Elizabeth I

The dance and music were undoubtedly among the major aspects of the renaissance age, which are popular in the recent times. Today also, you can see a number of men and women in ren-fests wearing renaissance dresses and performing the dances, which flourished around 500-600 years ago.
We can take the examples of two dance forms that developed in the renaissance age. One of them was Volta, which gained a huge fame when Queen Elizabeth I of England performed it with her friend Robert Dudley. This dance has been depicted in some movies as well. First, it was shown in the popular film named Elizabeth between Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley. Then, it could be witnessed in its sequel film Elizabeth: The Golden Age between Elizabeth “Bess” Throckmorton and Sir Walter Raleigh.
Another dance of the renaissance age, which is also widely admired by the people today, is Galliard. According to the records, it was performed by Queen Elizabeth I as an exercise in her mid fifties.

Some Ideas for Perfect Renaissance Fair Clothing

The season of festivals remains the center of special attraction for a large number of people. A number of men and women start doing the arrangement in advance with great enthusiasm about what to wear in the fest. The renaissance festivals take place in various parts of the western world, and a lot of enthusiasm among the people can be seen in these fests as well.
The arrangement of renaissance fair clothing began weeks ago from the festivals. There are some special costumes, which are worn in these festivals. These costumes belong to distinct eras and communities. Some of the renaissance fair clothing that are popular in these fests include:
Renaissance-style clothing: The renaissance festivals are especially meant for providing the glimpse of the renaissance age – the golden era of Europe. So, the renaissance-style clothing remains the special allure in these fests. In the renaissance era, people started adding some special effects of the medieval costumes. So, the renaissance-style clothing incarnated, which comprised of a lot of showiness. Puffs and many other designs were added to the costumes.
Queen Elizabeth I’s outfits: In a large number of the fests, the scenario is set in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. A plenty of women like to wear the costumes in the styles of queen. Wonderful gowns and dresses in her styles provide an entirely distinct style to the men and women. Such extravagant costumes remain the first choice of a large number of ladies and can be worn as the wedding gowns also.
Medieval-style clothing: The renaissance age started just after the medieval era. In the renaissance festivals also, a number of entertainment activities belong to the medieval era. So, a large number of individuals like to wear the medieval costumes in these festivals. The medieval era was divided into the diverse sections according to the social statuses of the people. So, you can find the medieval-style clothing in distinct patterns. The clothing of the medieval royals, nobles, commoners, farmers and peasant remain the special allures in these fests.
Pirate-style costumes: The pirates were the sea robbers, who would plunder the ships of the sea merchants. Some of the pirates also used to loot the coastal areas. These sea rovers were active in the medieval and renaissance eras, and their clothing styles are popular in the renaissance festivals. The outfits of distinct groups of swashbucklers are worn by the people. In the medieval era, there was the panic of the swashbucklers known as Vikings in various nations. In the renaissance age, there were the freebooters like buccaneers and Caribbean pirates in the renaissance age, the dresses of both of which are widely popular nowadays in the fests. Moreover, privateers who were the authorized raiders of governments and were assigned the task of looting the treasure ships of the enemy nations, also provide the stuff to the fashion world of today. The dresses of a number of such groups can be witnessed being worn by the men and women in the renaissance festivals. Moreover, the outfits of the fictional pirates of the movies are also worn by a large number of individuals. Although, these outfits remain popular throughout the festival; but some special pirate weekends are celebrated in some of the fests, in which they can be especially seen.
Steampunk costumes: Steampunk belongs to the Victorian era science fiction novels and films in which the futuristic technologies have been fictionalized, and all the technologies are run through the steam power. The costumes belonging to this trend are known as steampunk costumes. Some of the renaissance festivals celebrate the steampunk weekends where these costumes are widely popular.
Gothic costumes: The gothic trend belongs to the 18th and 19th century horror fiction. This trend symbolizes the dark traits of humanity. The outfits of Gothicism seem identical to the pirate-style dresses. Moreover, they are closely associated with steampunk outfits. So, a number of people wearing the gothic clothing can also be witnessed in the renaissance festivals.

Julius Caesar: Shakespeare’s Play That Made the Roman General Famous for Ages

The renaissance age was the period, when the revival could be witnessed in a number of aspects of society. The renaissance costumes, paintings, sculptures, literature and a lot of other aspects have gained widespread popularity in the recent times.

Like many other facets, the literature of the renaissance age also has a great significance in the present scenario. William Shakespeare is one of the great names of the renaissance-age authors in this regard. He played a major role in enriching the renaissance literature. The plays written by him are acted as well as read by a large number of individuals even in the recent times.

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
Shakespeare wrote on a number of themes like humor, tragedy, history and more. His play “Julius Caesar”, has gained huge popularity these days. This is a drama on the historical theme and is based on the story of the famous Roman General of ancient time – Julius Caesar. The play tells about the conspiracy against Caesar and finally the end of the conspirators.

Summary of the Play
Caesar’s friend Cassius makes a conspiracy against Caesar. He also convinces the other friend of Caesar named Brutus to help him in his assassination. He tells Brutus that Caesar wants to change the Roman Republic to monarchy. He also writes letters to Brutus in different handwriting in order to convince him. Finally, Brutus agrees to take part in the conspiracy.

Caesar is killed by his friends, which comes in the Act 3 of the play. He is killed by the conspirators in the senate. The conspirators try to convince the public that they have accomplished this act for the sake of Rome. But, Caesar’s other friend Mark Antony starts his speech after getting the trust of the conspirators as well as public. He succeeds in turning the public opinion in Caesar’s favor and finally the conspirators had to run away from Rome. One of the companions of Brutus and Cassius, Lucius Cinna is murdered by the mob.
In the last act Cassius and Brutus prepare for war against Mark Antony and the adopted son of Caesar – Octavius. Finally, Brutus and Cassius were killed in the battle. In the end, Antony gives tribute to Brutus because he was the only person who did everything for the good of Rome.
Popular Scenes

There are some scenes in this drama, which are famous among the masses. The sorrowful scene of assassination of Caesar is one of the most famous among the audience. Besides, the speech of Mark Antony is the other one, in which he dramatically changes the opinion of the public.

Play Gave Fame to Julius Caesar
The play has gained a huge fame all over the world, and it will not be wrong to say that it has played a prominent role in giving the popularity to Roman General Julius Caesar.

Era of Tudors - Golden Era with Both Negative and Positive Sides

The era of Tudors – there is no doubt that it is accepted as one of the golden ages of England. The Tudor dynasty ruled the nation for the long duration of 118 years.

When we pay heed towards the era of Tudors, we find the mixed traits, which were both positive and negative. The most positive thing during that era was the beginning of the renaissance age in England. It was the era when a great flourish in the cultural activities was witnessed not only in England, but in the entire Europe. Science and arts flourished, which paved the way for the modern era. The prominent thing that put the influence on the modern times is the renaissance clothing. This was the new age clothing, in which a lot of flamboyance was added.

In addition, some new style dances and music styles also came in the limelight as a result of the artistic development. Volta and galliard were two famous renaissance dances. Samples of the Volta dances have been given in the two such films – “Elizabeth” and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”.

In addition, paintings and architectures were also flourished up to some extent, and the role of Tudor monarchs can also not be denied in this regard. King Henry VIII’s interest in architecture is well-known. His daughter, Queen Elizabeth I had her own collection of paintings.

But, there is no doubt that the era of Tudors had some negative sides also. The most negative side was witnessed at the time of Queen Mary I. Queen Mary was a devout catholic and was desperate about reestablishing the catholic faith in England. She not only showed the strictness, but also burnt the innocent Protestants in stakes. It made the queen highly unpopular and gave a bad name to the Tudor dynasty. Mary was dubbed as “Bloody Mary” for this act.

With the end of the era of Queen Mary, the dark era of Tudor dynasty ended and Queen Elizabeth gave the equal respect to both the faiths during her reign. Moreover, she encouraged the art and culture and was also a great fond of fashion. The flamboyant renaissance costumes worn by her were widely popular. Her dresses were beaded by the ornaments. The dresses of the Queen Elizabeth are popular today also and are worn by the brides as the wedding gowns. These costumes are also put on by a lot of people in the themed events.

The era of Tudors will definitely be popular up to the coming scenario.