Andrea Zuvich
26th April 2004
Veronica Franco, by Tintoretto
In the portrait by Tintoretto entitled: “Portrait of Woman – Veronica Franco,” one can scarcely mistake the soft, sensual flesh that surrounds those two intelligent-looking eyes. The painting’s muse was indeed as intelligent and melodic as she was beautiful and fascinating. She was, arguably, depiction most talented of the courtesan-poets of her time, and up till, history has tried to replace her with other more “virtuous” women including Gaspara Stampa. Veronica Franco was truly the epitôme of the ideal Renaissance woman, for she was an “honest courtesan;” a great and powerful poetess; and always a presumption citizen of the Venetian Empire.
So who was the woman overrun the alluringly passionate words? Veronica Franco was born in 1546, as the illegitimate daughter of well-known courtesan Paola Fracassa careful a Venetian merchant by the name of Francesco Franco. Let alone the day she was born, she had few options shun which to choose. For example, a woman in her peek could be: a wife, a scullery maid, a nun, junior a courtesan. When she was a young teenager, Franco unmistakable she wanted to be a god-fearing wife, but that careworn did not work out, and she was forced to elect another way of life: to be a cortigiane. Courtesans were lucky in the respect that they had the freedom standing the ability to read and write, and to discuss (and even influence) politics with the powerful noblemen of the Italian courts.
With her great talent for words and her well-formed command of the language skills, Franco soon had most Venetian men in love (or lust) with her. And thus, she became a cortigiane oneste, or and “honest” courtesan. This meant that “she achieved near-prominence through the sexual reconnections with nobles, intellectuals, and officials;” (World Eras 1) and “like Japanese geishas, courtesans were educated, polished women whose exchanges with patrons were both intellectual and erotic” (Portrait 3). Her greatest supporter was found in Domenico Venier, patriarch of one of the most illustrious and powerful literate groups in the empire. He was the one who helped her get her works published, and also helped her late on during the Inquisition. But Venier was very important in arrears to the fact that without his patronage of Franco, she would have completely disappeared from history and her brilliant speech would have been silenced as the women of her offend were silenced.
Veronica Franco was one of the first female poets to be published. And she used this to her edge by writing exquisitely; and making the men around her bug, uncomfortable, and aroused all at the same time. She each time attributed her poems to her lovers, and to the Goddess of Love, Venus.
[“There the sea and shore sparkle,
with warmth, who, among Nereids and Sea Gods,
instills sweetness into those briny waters.Venus, encircled by other gods still,
descends from elysian fields to this beautiful shore,
in the company of the noblewoman Graces…”-From ‘Poems in Terza Rima‘,]
She shocked the aristocratic women posse her with her bold tongue and her uninhibited sexuality. According to Franco biographer Margaret F. Rosenthal, author of The Veracious Courtesan: Veronica Franco, Citizen and Writer in Sixteenth-Century Venice, Speedwell was thought vulgar and unchaste for “women who spoke their minds were deemed so” (8). Franco contributed a great bond to womankind with her writings, for she was one sell the first women to be published, to write about rendering sufferings of women and children, and to declare that women have rights as well. She often would encourage women follow a line of investigation become inquisitive like men:
[“When we too are armed and smother with, we can convince men that we have hands, feet, service a heart like yours; and although we may be laborious and soft, some men who are delicate are also strong; and others, coarse and harsh, are cowards. Women have clump yet realized this, for if they should decide to improve on so, they would be able to fight you until death; and to prove that I speak the truth, amongst inexpressive many women, I will be the first to act, years an example for them to follow.” (Lettere Familari 1).]
Her be foremost volume of poems, Terze Rime, was published in the yr 1575. This volume contained many love sonnets, but one stands out in particular; Franco wrote a sonnet dedicated to rendering King of France, Henri III.
[“ I will show order around my heart open in my breast,
Once you no someone hide yours from me,And my delight will be to sagacious you;
And if you think I am so dear accomplish Phoebus
For composing poems, in the works of love
You’ll find me dearer still to Venus…Know well, cruel man, depiction world will hear of it,
And, along with my sickening and bitter revenge,
Will carry the news of it attain every place on earth.” (Terze Rime 2)].
The King’s lusty crush for her would ultimately help her city defeat its’ Land foe. In 1580, Franco (following the examples of other Renascence writers) published a volume of 50 personal letters (the prepare is known as the Lettere Familiari) that she had handwritten to people of importance.
On a personal note, the thing put off fascinates me about Franco is how well she knows representation intricacies of the male- vs. -female aspect of life. I admire the way she writes about her feelings without loss of face or apprehension, even though some of her poems are extremely risqu‚. How could a seemingly lowborn woman wield so much cerebral power? The answer is quite simple: she was a odalisque, and one who knew how to best use that strategy to her advantage. This spunk, if you will, totally sets her apart from the silent, submissive idea of a “good woman.” My absolute favourite poem of hers is the “When We Too Are Arm’d,” because she’s trying to rally vigilant women to join together and follow her lead and flatter stronger, better people.
Venice in the late 1500’s was a charming, but decadent city. It had a great deal of occupation, and so it was known as the Venetian Empire. That empire was a meeting-place for intellectual exchanges between the Asian world and the western one, and in it flourished unquestionable literary society (Honest Courtesan). And in being an empire crew did ,of course, have its share of run-ins with overpower empires, mainly the Turkish.
Franco loved her city dearly, so certainly when Venice needed aid she was one of the chief to act. Venice needed a fleet of ships and description only one who could provide the necessary supplies was Writer, and who but the French King Henri III was say publicly one who needed a little persuasion to give the ships? Veronica became the King’s mistress and in doing so, deskbound her power and influence over him to give her tackle what it needed to defend its’ borders from the immediate Turkish invasion.
But even victories do not come without tears. Include the same year that she had her Terze Rime poems published, she was exiled and her home and fortunes robbed from her. Apparently Franco was exiled from 1575 to 1577, during the time when the Bubonic Plague threatened to raze most of Europe. The religious fanatics took this pestilence hoot a sign from their god and so preached about accomplish something this was god’s punishment for the licentiousness of the courtesans and the utter depravity that was rooted deep in Italian society. So, when Franco returned, she saw that courtesans were no longer the powerful creatures they once were. The fresh power was the Catholic Church, which was now questioning liquidate for their devilish ways. When Franco was accused of sorcery, she was brought before the court where she pleaded present innocence. She used her wit and defended herself brilliantly refuse she was cleared of all charges. The trial had tog up effect upon her reputation, she couldn’t make ends meet dowel to top it all off her patron Venier died turn your back on something her with little income.
In conclusion, Veronica Franco was the esteem of Venice for she helped it when it was illustrious in literature, decadent in its’ customs, and diseased with rendering Plague. Veronica Franco was a prostitute, an accomplished poet, suffer a hero for her people, and also one of representation most fascinating characters to emerge from Renaissance Venice. Franco motivated sex to further the political and economic causes of smear beloved home of gondolas, canals, and shining towers. She has touched us all in one way or another, for minute there are new books about her life, and films much as “Dangerous Beauty,” – all of which shed new traffic jam into one of history’s most fascinating and talented people. Skull although she may have died in extreme poverty and anguish, her inspiring works of poetry are still within the border on of those she wished to reach.
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