Melchiorre Cesarotti facts for kids
Melchiorre Cesarotti was an important Italian poet, translator, and thinker. He lived a long time ago, from 1730 to 1808. He is best known for translating famous old stories and for his ideas about language and writing.
About Melchiorre Cesarotti
Melchiorre Cesarotti was born in Padua, Italy. His family was once noble, but they had become poor. He studied at the Seminary of Padua. Right after finishing his studies, he became a professor of Rhetoric there.
Later, at the University of Padua, he became a professor of Greek and Hebrew in 1768. In 1797, he also taught Rhetoric and Literature.
Cesarotti believed in the ideas of the Enlightenment. This was a time when people focused on reason and new ways of thinking. When the French invaded Italy in 1797, he supported them. Because of this, Napoleon I, a famous French leader, gave him a special award and some money. Cesarotti even wrote a poem for Napoleon.
A Famous Translator
Cesarotti is most famous for his work as a translator. He translated the works of Ossian, an ancient poet. These translations became very popular in Italy and France. Even Napoleon admired them a lot!
As a professor of Greek, Cesarotti also translated the speeches of Demosthenes, a famous Greek speaker. He also made two different versions of Homer's Iliad. One version was very true to the original story. The other, called The Death of Hector, tried to make the text more modern for people at that time.
Ideas and Writings
Besides translating, Cesarotti also wrote many important books about language and writing. He wrote a Course of Greek Literature. He also wrote essays like On the Origin and Progress of the Poetic Art (1762) and On the Sources of the Pleasure derived from Tragedy (1762).
One of his most important works was On the Philosophy of Language (1785). This book was a big deal in the field of linguistics (the study of language) during the Enlightenment in Italy.
