Petrarch

The sonnets of Petrarch describe an unattainable woman who is in comparison with a goddess in ways. In the sonnets translated by Thomas Higginson there are words that describe her as “pure grace”, “the hair’s bright tresses, full of golden glows”, “angelic smile”, “infinite beauty that all eyes doth fill” and several more. All three sonnets have the same gist: they loved this enchanted lady who is now gone and who has left them heartbroken. Their sonnets lead me to believe that she may not even exist. Someone who can enchant the heart and then leave suddenly as if not there for long, leaving several in woe sounds unrealistic in the medieval romance era. It is more believable that she was a mythical creature of a figment of delusional minds aching for a rare love. The death aspect to these sonnets makes it more believable but still leaves me weary. It did however surprise me when Shakespeare referred to this lady in an ugly manner. Comparing her breast to dun, stating her eyes are nothing like the sun, and suggesting her breath was wretched are examples of how his sonnet is completely different from the others. It is amusing that the others where entranced while Shakespeare was not. Again as if she is an enchanted figment of their imagination.