Benny Weisbrot's Renaissance Personages Assignment

          In my opinion, the two most important people of the Renaissance period were Christopher Columbus and William Shakespeare. Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, was given a charter by Spain to explore the Indies. He ended up landing in a completely different part of the world and  discovering the modern day continents of North America and South America. For the last two hundred years, since its birth, America has been a country that has led the world. Its technological and cultural contributions to the world have been both beneficial and crucial. One could say that without Columbus' bravery this country would not be what it is today. We pay homage to this bravery in many ways. There is a national holiday in the United States of America; countries and territories have been named after him (Columbia); and museums, monuments, schools, and much more will forever remind everyone of Columbus' explorations.
       William Shakespeare was also a very important person from the Renaissance period. Every literate man, woman, and child knows the name of Shakespeare. Shakespeare, a playwright, author, and poet, wrote 154 sonnets, 38 plays, and two long poems. He also contributed over 2,000 words to the modern-day English language. One of his most important contributions to our world today was his advancement of the English language. Before the Renaissance period, English was not the language of dignitaries, nor was it the language of love and romance; it was barely a respected language. The lower class people used English. Though Chaucer in the Middle Ages began to make English more respected, when Shakespeare wrote his plays in the beautiful way he did, the language became even more admired. Today, English is a universal language, and Shakespeare is still considered one of the language's best writers.