Shota Rustaveli is a great Georgian poet of the 12th century. This was the heyday of the Georgian kingdom under the control of the famous Georgian Queen Tamara. It was a time when great Georgia was known all over the world - a small state on the Black Sea coast was respected by even stronger and more powerful neighbors. One of the most respected statesmen at that time was Shota Rustaveli.
Biography
The official sources telling about the early childhood of the great poet practically did not survive.
He was born at the turn of the 60-70s of the 12th century. It was not possible to determine the place of birth - most likely, the word "Rustaveli" is not a surname, but indicates the area in which Shota was born. The name "Rustavi" was carried by several settlements located in various regions of Georgia.
The origin of the future poet also remains a mystery. According to one source, Shota Rustaveli was born into a wealthy and influential family. The question then becomes, why did such a brilliant person hide his generic name? The guess that he was born into a family of poor people looks more logical, but for his abilities he was taken to bring up in the house of one of the Georgian nobles, probably Bagrationi.
Almost reliable is the information about the good education that Shota received: he spent his youth in one of the monasteries of Meskhetia, and then studied in Greece, brilliantly knew Greek and Latin, studied the legacy of Homer and Plato, theology, the basics of poetics and rhetoric. This knowledge was useful to him in the public service.
Georgia in the 12th century
The reign of Queen Tamara is not in vain called the golden age of the Georgian state. This woman united the small specific principalities in one large country. The reign of a smart and well-educated monarchine led to the flourishing of the culture and writing of ancient Georgia, to the creation of new literary works, rightfully taking their place in the list of world literary monuments of the past. In addition to the great Rustaveli, such poets as Shavteli and Chakhrukadze created their works at the court of Tamara, whose odes, which sang the Queen Tamara, partially survived to this day. Such an environment quickly ensured a literary take-off for the young poet, and Shota Rustaveli was able to please the world with his immortal work.
Poem creation
Somewhere between 1187 and 1207, Shota Rustaveli created his poem “The Knight in Tiger (Leopard) Skin”. The action of the poem takes place over a wide geographical space, and among the characters of the poem there are representatives of non-existent countries and nationalities. Skillfully using various literary techniques, the author faithfully depicted the multi-level reality of modern Georgia. The heroine of the poem is waiting for a marriage with the unloved. She refuses to marry him, for which cruel relatives imprison her in the Kadzhet tower. Three sister knights fight for her freedom and in the end they release the girl. In this literary monument, the victory of good and justice over envy and captivity is extolled.
The text contains several historical and literary indications of the allegorical meaning of the poem, as well as indirect indicators of the period of creation of this literary work. In the prologue, Tamara’s reign and her love for David Soslani are praised. In the final stanzas, the poet mournes the death of the tsarina, it also contains an allusion to Shota Rustaveli’s authorship - it is indicated that the author of these lines is “an unknown Meskh from Rustavi”.
Public service
The poem was praised by contemporaries. The author receives the post of royal librarian. Tamara presents him with a golden pen, which Shota Rustaveli awarded for his literary contribution. The poet's biography mentions that a gifted golden pen should always be in the head of a librarian. It was considered a sign of his scholarship, literary talent and personal favor of the queen. This feather everywhere accompanies Shota Rustaveli - photos taken from ancient frescoes prove that the poet always wore this insignia.
Days in Jerusalem
Gradually, admiration for the brilliant Tamara grew into a deeper feeling. When the queen found out about this feeling, Rustaveli fell into disfavor. The poet was forced to flee to Jerusalem.
There, he most likely took monasticism in the monastery of the Holy Cross and, in gratitude for the shelter, painted the walls of the ancient temple with remarkable frescoes reminding him of his distant homeland. There the Georgian poet died. The monastic brothers did not forget about the significant role of the poet - the inscription “Shota Rustaveli - Georgian statesman (vizier)” adorns his gravestone. There is also an image of Rustaveli in elegant Georgian clothes and with the corresponding inscriptions in Georgian. In the inscription, the poet asks God to be merciful to him and forgive him all sins.