Dubrovnik, almost perceived as a fantastic city, gave some of the biggest Croatians known to this day. In the era of the Renaissance, there were several big names in Europe originating from Dubrovnik, but maybe the most important of them is Marin Držić, a name well known to anyone who has attended school in Croatia. A playwright who left us a fair amount of his well-acknowledged work was born in Dubrovnik in 1508. In a family of traders on the verge of a constant financial crisis.
Although there is not much information about his formal education, it is known that he was a priest prentice and also has played the organ which helped him get financial aid for further education in Italy.
After years spent in Italy and Austria, where he mostly worked as a servant, he came back to Dubrovnik and continued to work on all kinds of administrative positions in the Church, which inspired him to become a priest. From that moment on, he resided in Dubrovnik, where he wrote most of his literary work, although it can’t be confirmed in which exact years he wrote most of his plays.
During his life as a priest, he still had financial issues for which he even held a correspondence with the members of the famous Medici family.
In 1567. Držić visited Venice to seek help, but unfortunately, he never came back to Dubrovnik since he died during that trip.
His works are symbols of the Renaissance of Dubrovnik history, Croatian history but also European history since they reflected the spirit of that time with its irony, satire, and vitalism.
You can come to Croatia, to Dubrovnik just to experience the spirit of the real Mediterranean Renaissance and walk the streets where Marin Držić grew up, just check this tour.
