Lorenzo de Medeci and the Renaissance Research Paper

Lorenzo de Medeci and the Renaissance - Research Paper Example Through a combination of skill, capability and the Medici family’s dominant position in the Florentine government and society, Lorenzo was able to impose his secular views on the Italian society, changed its politics, help create a spurt of renaissance art and engage and influence the church and its role in the Italian community. Collectively these developments spilled over the rest of Europe, in effect, making Lorenzo’s influence far-reaching. Secular Views One of the defining concepts of the Renaissance is the humanist movement. Here, Italy started to veer away from the religiosity that typified the medieval tradition and focused more on creating art or works of literature, materialism and wealth (Romano 31). Lorenzo is crucial in this area because these are the very concepts that he believed in, promoted and supported. He was the quintessential Renaissance ideal who believed that the ancient Greece and its mythologies could teach and educate people in Renaissance Ita ly on important ideas that include beauty, way of life, values, among others. This is the reason why Lorenzo was a generous patron of the arts and that he saw fulfillment in the humanist values. Poets and artists are welcome in the Medici palace and Lorenzo was known to have supported Renaissance artists like Michelangelo and Botticelli. He himself wrote poetry. This attitude towards humanism, which was deeply rooted in Lorenzo’s appreciation for the Greek mythology, has facilitated the humanistic movement in the Renaissance. The case of the poet and humanist scholar Angelo Poliziano demonstrates this point. Poliziano was taken into the Medici household after he caught the attention of Lorenzo through his epigrams. He studied in the extensive Medici library and was charged to educate Lorenzo’s eldest son. His most important work, however, was his contribution to Lorenzo’s compilation of the Raccolta Aragonese (Aragon Collection). Here, he aided Lorenzo in the re valuation of vernacular poetry which came to characterize the increasing use of the Italian vernacular in literature in addition to the Latin language. Poliziano eventually brought his humanistic works with him as he travelled and stayed in several Italian estates such as the Gonzaga court in Mantau where he wrote Favola d’Orfeo (The Fable of Orpheus) (Cirigliano 217). Political Influence When his father died in 1469, Lorenzo de’ Medici began a steady ascent to power. His family’s wealth enabled him to rule Florence in de facto capacity. The city council contained his surrogates and his domination of the polity was achieved through clever manipulation, coercion, bribery and even strategic marriages. Lorenzo’s excellent grasp of Florentine politics was attributed to an early grooming in his younger years. The influence of his grandfather, Cosimo de Medici, the man responsible for the maintenance of peace and balance among the northern Italian states, also did its part. There are several crucial events that displayed Lorenzo’s political acumen and cleverness but his altercation with the papal authority during the time of Sixtus IV demonstrated this best. The conflict stemmed from the so-called Pazzi Conspiracy, wherein members of the Pazzi family and their cohorts tried to assassinate Lorenzo in Florence (Najemy 352). They operated under the support of the Archbishop of Pisa and the reigning Pope Sixtus IV. When the attacked failed, the perpetrators of the attack

Characters' Multiple Narrative Subjectivities on Conflicting Views of Essay

Characters' Multiple Narrative Subjectivities on Conflicting Views of Postmodernism - Essay Example In The Yellow Wallpaper, John who happens to be the woman’s physician husband confines her in solitary confinement, telling their friends and relatives that she is suffering from temporary nervous depression. Since he is of high standing, there was no way of her proving the truth since her brother also a physician of high reputation gives support to her husband John’s claim (Gilman 30). She is given medication in the form of phosphates and any journeys, exercise or tonics are forbidden to her. To ‘work’ is also forbidden until she becomes well again. This includes her writing habit. John is a practical man who believes in only things felt and seen with which figures would best describe. He has intense dislike of superstition with no patience in belief or faith. This brings out the constant battle of superiority between male and female in society. The theme of unwilling imprisonment is brought out here (Gilman 34). John had secured a colonial mansion that ha d been unattended to for some time. It is well situated, off road with a great green garden. She thinks there might be problems related to the ownership of the house due to its unkempt nature. He lets her do nothing but rest, which she complains to miserably to no avail. His answer is that the trip to the mansion was solely for her sake so that she could rest well. The quote: - "Your exercise depends on your strength, my dear†¦. and your food somewhat on your appetite; but air you can absorb all the time." (Gilman 58) best exemplifies her husband’s attitude towards her opinions by treating her like a helpless victim. Her confinement leads her to being attached to the wallpaper that covered the walls. It has great patches all over and a fade look of unclean yellow faded by the intense sunlight that hits it on a daily basis. It is quite unique unlike anything she has ever seen with the quote: - â€Å"It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide--plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions† (Gilman 79) bringing out the image portrayed by the wallpaper. This goes against rational portrayal of wallpaper as being something beautiful and feminine with the scotching sun portraying the masculine oppression of the feminine gender (Gilman 80). She puts this done in writing only for her husband to appear, therefore cutting short her writing. The confinement troubles her but her husband sees no problem with this as exemplified by the quote: - â€Å"John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no REASON to suffer, and that satisfies him.† (Gilman 114) showing the different viewpoints which they both have of the situation. She wants to be out of bed, helping her husband as a wife should be doing but John would hear none of it. The quot e: -â€Å"I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already!† shows her willingness to going on with a normal life. Her confinement brings out her hatred of the room with its wallpaper with the quote: -"You know the place is doing you good †¦.and really, dear, I don't care to renovate the house just for a three months' rental,†