Renaissance: A Romanticization of the Classical

The Renaissance Era (14th - 17th century) is characterized by a romanticized view of the ancient Greeks and Romans. In an effort to restore their language to a “purer” form of Latin, Italians such as Francesco Petrarch sought out documents from antiquity. This return to the sources is known as ad fontes. His search lead Petrarch to many speeches and writings from a Roman statesman by the name of Marcus Tullius Cicero. The eloquence of the ancient Latin captivated Petrarch and he fell in love with the idea of Cicero. So much, in fact, that he took it upon himself to write “Two Letters to Cicero” expressing his own opinions on problems Cicero faced in life and praising Cicero’s use of the language and his philosophical capabilities.

Reading these letters to Cicero, the theme of the Renaissance is very present. It is most clear, however, when one has background information on Cicero’s life. He was, as Petrarch applauds, a gifted philosopher. On top of that, however, he was a powerful statesman. He fought passionately for the Republic, and sometimes took questionable measures in order to achieve his goal, not always successfully.

What I find interesting about Petrarch’s approach to Cicero’s character in his letters is how fascinated Petrarch is by the language and prose. It seems that Petrarch latches onto Cicero’s philosophical aspects, begging him to cultivate only those talents, while not dimply disregarding, but even condemning his efforts as a statesman. This is the epitome of Renaissance thinking as it applies to antiquity. It is the obsession with the language, with that new old way to present thoughts more eloquently than Italians had been in recent years. Petrarch cared very little for the politics of Ancient Rome, his heart and mind more occupied by higher words leading to higher thoughts.