Francesco Petrarch Research Paper

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Francesco Petrarch, otherwise known as the “father of humanism,” played a vital role in igniting the Renaissance Period (Whitfield). His works and ideas influenced many other poets and writers after his death. Petrarch was known for his deep and symbolic works that are still read and analyzed today. Petrarch’s father’s death began his full onset of studying and writing literature (Whitefield). Francesco Petrarch focused on studying classics, and he was the epitome of what a Renaissance Period writer should be; through his famous Petrarchan Sonnet, he was better able to bring out important themes and stylistic devices that highlighted his love for Laura and how death interfered with his ability to love her . To begin with, Petrarch began his passion for literature very early in his life. Francesco Petrarch was born in Arezzo, Turkey on July, 30 1304 (Whitfield). Many of Petrarch’s …show more content…

This was a revolutionary moment for Petrarch because he began focusing his writing on how death interferes with love. Laura’s death made Petrarch realize that love was nothing to fight over because no human was immortal (“Melancholy”). This notion of immortality and love became one of his most extensive themes after the death of his beloved Laura. Not only did Laura’s death influence the theme of his poems, but it also caused a noticeable evolution of the attitude and tone. Petrarch separated his poems into two categories: before Laura’s death and after Laura’s death. As Petrarch continued his writings, he followed a distinct pattern. This pattern of writings of his poems is now famously known as the Petrarchan Sonnet (“Petrarch”). This sonnet has fourteen lines and usually has a shift, or volta, after line eight (“Petrarch”). As time progressed, Francesco Petrarch began perfecting this unique style of writing and because of its nature, it is still looked at and analyzed to this

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