Francesco Petrarch
The story and biography of Petrarch which contains interesting information, facts & the history about the life of this Medieval person of historical importance.
The Sonnets of Francesco Petrarch
The sonnets - Francesco Petrarch perfected the unknown sonnet form for his poems to Laura. His form of sonnets is known as the Petrarchan sonnet.
Petrarch Rhyme Scheme
His sonnet follows a set rhyme scheme ( Petrarch Rhyme Scheme ), which runs as follows: abba abba cdc dcd. The first eight lines of the sonnet (the octave) do not often deviate from the abba abba pattern, but the last six lines of the sonnet ( sestet) frequently follow a different pattern. Each line also has the same number of syllables, usually 11 or 7 in the sonnets by this famous poet. In comparison the English Sonnet has 10 syllables per line. The sonnet became the preferred form for poets such as Ronsard, Gongora, Spenser and William Shakespeare.
Canzone Petrarch - The Canzoniere
Petrarch is also famous for using the Canzone scheme. The canzone ('song' of Provencal origin) with verses of different lengths and with an elaborate rhyme scheme. The Canzoniere, a collection of love lyrics by Francesco Petrarch, had enormous influence on the poets of the 15th and 16th centuries. His love for Laura was expressed in the Rime sparse ("Scattered rhymes"). Later Renaissance poets copied the style of Francesco Petrarch and named this collection of 366 poems and sonnets the Canzoniere ("Song Book").
The works of Francesco Petrarch
He is best known for his Italian poetry and sonnets notably the Canzoniere and the Trionfi ("Triumphs"). The "Trionfi", was written by Francesco Petrarch in terza rima is allegorical and moral in its nature
Francesco Petrarch Quotes
The following are Francesco Petrarch quotes:
"To be able to say how much you love is to love but little"
Petrarch wrote in 'To Laura in Death'.
"Each famous author of antiquity whom I recover places a new offence and another cause of dishonor to the charge of earlier generations, who, not satisfied with their own disgraceful barrenness, permitted the fruit of other minds, and the writings that their ancestors had produced by toil and application, to perish through insufferable neglect. Although they had nothing of their own to hand down to those who were to come after, they robbed posterity of its ancestral heritage."
Francesco Petrarch personally discovered a collection of Cicero's letters not previously known to have existed and then wrote this quote reflecting his horror and disdain of the ignorance of his era. Francesco is credited with creating the concept of the Dark Ages which was later adopted as a reference to
"Where are the numerous constructions erected by Agrippa, of which only the Pantheon remains? Where are the splendorous palaces of the emperors?"
Francesco Petrarch wrote this famous quote in 1337 when he visited Rome for the first time.
"In my younger days I struggled constantly with an overwhelming but pure love affair - my only one, and I would have struggled with it longer had not premature death, bitter but salutary for me, extinguished the cooling flames. I certainly wish I could say that I have always been entirely free from desires of the flesh, but I would be lying if I did."
Written by the poet in 'Letter to Posterity' reflecting on his unrequited love and the early death of Laura.
Famous People of the Middle Ages - Petrarch
Some interesting facts and short biography information about the History, Life & Times of this famous Italian poet. Additional details, facts, history and information about the famous people of the Middle Ages and important events during their times can be accessed via the Middle Ages Sitemap.