The Italian Humanists were the people responsible for the resurgence of interest in the ancient texts from Greece and Rome.  The Humanists translated and studied the original Greco-Roman texts.  They sought to find the true meanings behind these ancient texts and to revive the language and rhetoric used in those time periods.  The study and revival of ancient Greek and Roman rhetoric during the Renaissance was termed, “Classicism”.  The rhetoric of the Renaissance had a foundation based on the ability to persuade citizens and other officials.  This emphasis on the art of persuasion was adapted from Ancient Greece and a notable shift away from Christian Europe.  The men of the Renaissance found that rhetoric aided in contemplation, moral refinement, and provided a path to political power.  Power in the Renaissance, very similar to Ancient Greece and Rome, was gained through public speeches.  Those with the most persuasive speeches were able to gain more power in politics.  In order to make one’s speech more persuasive, “magic” words were needed.  The Dutch Humanist Erasmus wrote a book titled De Copia, or On an Abundant Style.  This book taught readers that there are many different ways to say the same thing.  Students of rhetoric during the time of the Renaissance would practice writing and rewriting essays using different words and found they had new, “magical” effects.  The rhetoric in the Renaissance built on its foundation of persuasion by adding emphasis to the “style” aspect of Cicero’s Five Canons.  Other teachers, like Erasmus, firmly believed that with the right choice of words, or the right style, one would be able to enhance a speech and make it more persuasive.

The overall shift into the Renaissance period was an attempt to escape from the culture of Christian Europe.  This shift in culture led to a shift in rhetoric.  Christian Europe focused on invention, arrangement, memory and delivery.  The rhetoric in Christian Europe was mainly centered on sermons and had limited use outside of preaching to a specific audience.  The shift towards rhetoric in the Renaissance came with an abandonment of the limited forms of invention from Christian Europe and embraced style and creativity.  The rhetoric of the Renaissance utilized all of Cicero’s Five Canons and brought a renewal of acceptance that anyone, within reason, may practice rhetoric.