Francesco Petrarch | An introduction

Published Date: 23 Mar 2015 Last Modified: 10 May 2017

Love is the most powerful thing in the world that can make a person to whether do the greatest thing or to do the worst thing. When someone falls into love, they can do everything that used to be impossible possible. In the other hand, some might do the worst thing that they can't even imagine. People who know what they truly love to do are definitely lucky because of love; a man can live in hope. Many people in the past have proved us that love can really lead them to get the best out of themselves. And there is one man that love motivates him to get the best of what he loves to do. His name is Francesco Petrarca which well known as Petrarch. An Italian guy, graduated from the University of Law, who just found out that he was good at writing a poem when he fell in love with one unreachable woman. For Petrarch, Love that leads to fulfilling life is not the subject of literature but the interesting one is unsatisfied love.

Francesco Petrarch was born in the family of law. His father was profession of law and his brother also studied law. Without any doubt, He was studying law as well. But he didn't like it that much. What he loves to do is writing so he found that years in his college life were totally nothing. After his father died, he found himself that he wanted to travel around the world just to have a good time. So he decided to choose Europe for the first place to visit. He was called "The first tourist" [1] because he was the first person in the world who wants to go around the world just for pleasure. During his climbing Mont Ventoux [2] , he had collected so many Latin manuscripts. As he went through northern Italy, He worked at church. He was not allowed to get marry but someone said that he got two kids with an unknown woman. A son's name is Giovanni. And a daughter's name is Francesca. His son died because of the plague. So after that he and Francesca's family moved back to his hometown so he began to travel again through the northern France and Germany. Finally nobody can escape the death so he passed away in his house by the plague on July 19, 1374 [3] .

However, He was actually an interesting person. He wrote so many popular poems and sonnet by the only inspiration which is he fell madly in love with one woman whose name is Laura de Noves. On a Good Friday 1327 [4] , it was the first time that he met her lovely Laura at the church. At that moment, her amazing sight made him festinate her immediately. If she really existed, she was believed to have fair hair and a very good looking face. It was a bit mystery. He had never contacted to Laura or talked to her personally but he felt like she was his pure love, love that never wanted anything back. Unfortunately, she refused Petrarch because she had already got married with an ancestor of the Marquis de Sade. An unreachable Laura was the great inspiration for his famous works. He expressed his feeling that he had for Laura by writing hundreds love poems. His poems and sonnets were very popular and were translated into just about language on earth. One of his work said that he had struggled with a crush but then he realized his true love. She made him unbelievably happy and unrequited love. That is the interesting thing about him because how can we really love someone that we haven't really talked to. He wrote all of his works onto his secret book which called Secretum. It was the book that he loves so much and kept it for his entire life.

During his traveling, he had found so many great inspirations. His love poet was inspired by one famous singer that he met and all the experiences that he got from the traveling. Most of his work was exclamatory than persuasive. He gave birth to sonnets, letters, essays, and romantic poems. His work based on classical culture and western culture. The first time that he wrote a poem is when he lost his mother as attribute to her. Apart from his writing a love poem, he was interested in history and philosophy. He was also called "Father of humanism [5] " He inspired Renaissance by humanist philosophy. He and his friend, Dante, were considered to form the Italian Humanism in literature. Years later, People from around the world and a famous Shakespeare would have to study his works and learn from them.

The most interesting thing about this man is that he is honesty to himself and doesn't care about anything except what he loves to do. During his childhood, He had been grown up in the family where everyone studied law but he knew himself well that it was not what he was interested. So that he found out that what he loves to do is writing or literature. He was not afraid to do things that may bother his family. Furthermore, that time when he fell in love with Laura. He knew it that he could never have her because she was married with another guy, but he just continually loved her with his pure love.

Everyone knows exactly what they love but sometime, in reality, we're afraid to do it because of so many reasons. Some may afraid to get hurt. Some may afraid to fall. But you must know that failure is one part of your success. Once you get to do what you love to do, then you will get the best happiness. Just like this man, Francesco Petrarch, if he was afraid to start taking up his pen and write. What will this world be right now? What will Shakespeare be right now? The world would have to thank him to do something new and to be honest to his heart.