Summary:
"Whilst Petrarch's sonnets represent the idealised female form, they simultaneously explore deeper issues of love, lust and morality." Petrarch's Sonnet 3, Sonnet 189, and Sonnet 190 best represent these ideas, through Petrarch's expressions of his feelings toward Laura.
"Whilst Petrarch's sonnets represent the idealised female form, they simultaneously explore deeper issues of love, lust and morality"
How do the sonnets you have studied support this statement?
"Whilst Petrarch's sonnets represent the idealised female form, they simultaneously explore deeper issues of love, lust and morality." Love can be defined as to experience deep affection or intense desire for another, lust as an intense or obsessive desire and morality as the quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct in this case especially in regard to his religion. The idealised female form within Petrarch's sonnets was representative of Laura, a woman whom Petrarch saw as perfection, the most ideal female form. Petrarch has composed an array of sonnets, which have had love, lust, morality and the idealised female form as their focal points. The chosen sonnets that best represent these ideas include Petrarch's Sonnet 3, Sonnet 189 and Sonnet 190.
Sonnet 3 was one of the first sonnets composed by Francesco Petrarch. It was written at a time when Petrarch had first met his beloved and idealised Laura on a Good Friday. The idealised female form of Laura was expressed throughout the sonnet quote vividly. The lines that are representative of the idealised female form include the metaphor, "when I was caught, and I put up no fight, my lady, for your lovely eyes had bound me" which emphasises that he was powerless against the attraction that he had for her beauty.
The issues of love, lust and morality are simultaneously explored throughout Sonnet 3. The issue of love is representative within nearly each and every one of Petrarch's sonnets. When we look at the courtly love tradition it was seen that love was generally personified throughout the sonnets of that time, the use of personifying love is seen in Sonnet 3 where stated, "Love found me all disarmed and found the way was clear to reach my heart down through the eyes." This use of personification indicates that Petrarch felt such a love a first sight that it weakened him to the point of being unable to control the love he felt for her.
Petrarch's sonnets reflect upon more than just his love for Laura, another issue being the lust he had for her. The main example within the sonnet is through the personification of the issue of lust where stated, "It seems to me it did him little honour to wound me with his arrow in my state and to you, armed, not show his bow at all." The use of this language feature leads one to believe that lust is expressed by Petrarch, as only love can be felt truly when requited by another and so these lines indicate to the responder that he appears to intensely desire the idealised female, Laura, yet has received no indication that there lies any feelings for him.
Morality was seen to be in this sonnet one of the major features. The sheer fact that Petrarch appeared to develop feelings for this idealised female on a Good Friday left him feeling as if he were vulnerable yet also unfaithful to his religion. This is indicated through the use of personification, yet again, with the line, "It was the day the sun's ray had turned pale with pity for the suffering of his Maker when I was caught, and I put up no fight, my lady, for your lovely eyes had bound me."
Sonnet 189 was written at a time when Petrarch's feelings for Laura had grown to a point of no return. The idealised female form of Laura in a way is metamorphosed into "the ship full of forgetful cargo", the persona wishes to forget the memories of this idealised being but it appears that he cannot let go, it is as if this figure holds innumerable power of him. The lines that are representative of the metamorphosed idealised figure with innumerable power and control is the first quatrain consisting of the technique of metaphor where stated, "My ship full of forgetful cargo sails through rough seas at the midnight of a winter between Charybdis and Scylla reef, my master, no, my foe is at the helm." The quatrain shows that the idealised female was one possessive of power and control.
While the idealised female is represented in Sonnet 189, the issues of love, lust and morality are simultaneously represented throughout Sonnet 189 aswell. The issue of love was a main feature of Sonnet 189. This sonnet though, was used to emphasise the fact that the composer feels as if he is tortured by his situation and that he is still having issues with the unrequited love he is receiving from Laura. It also employs a more pessimistic attitude from the composer on Laura's unrequited love for himself and the sheer fact that he feels he will never be able to get over her. This is shown through metaphor, "a rain of tears, a mist of my disdain washes and frees those all too weary ropes made up of wrong, entwined with ignorance", which is metaphorically detailing the situation the composer is currently in, where he love is unrequited, yet he see himself getting over this love he feels.
Petrarch's Sonnet 189 does not only dwell on the love that he had for Laura, but the lust and desire he had for her. Lust is basically represented in the sonnet by the simple fact that Petrarch feels that he will never be able to get over her as he has such an intense desire for her as he has dwelled upon her basically his entire life. The main example of lust represented in the sonnet is through the use of emotive language, "and I despair of ever reaching port" as it implies that he doesn't think there is any hope of breaking away from the control she has over him, the lust he has for her.
Within this sonnet we can gather that morality was not one of the main features within the sonnet, yet was still a component. We are led to believe that the composer felt that it was morally wrong to be having these ongoing feelings for someone who would neglect them so. The use of personification within the lines, "hidden are those two trust signs of mine; dead in the waves is reason as is skill", which implies that the composer is now beginning to realise it is wrong to be feeling how he does at this point in time.
Sonnet 190 was written directly after Sonnet 189. It seems to be written at a time when the composer finally was able to in a way release himself from the innumerable control that the idealised figure of Laura had over him. The idealised form of Laura was the main focal point of this sonnet. The idealised female form was shown to be pure and untainted by the composer where stated through the symbolic line, "a Doe of purest white upon green grass." The line implies that the idealised woman is as innocent as a female deer and by using the colour white symbolising purity and innocence aswell.
The idealised female was not the only issue represented in Sonnet 190. The issues of love, lust and morality were again re-iterated within this sonnet aswell. Love, as it was generally the focal point of all of Petrarch's sonnets, again was re-iterated within this sonnet. In this sonnet the love that Petrarch had for his idealised female, Laura was seen to be in a way relinquished as he was able to break away from the love that had been controlling him and realise that a life of unrequited love is not the answer to the love and happiness that he wanted from Laura. This is reinforced by the use of imagery where stated, "the sun by now had climbed the sky midway, my eyes were tired but not full from looking when I fell into the water, and she vanished." The line basically reinforces that by Laura vanishing he was able to break away from the love and control that he had been experiencing.
Sonnet 190 by Francesco Petrarch also dwells on the lust that the idealised figure of Laura enforced upon him. The phrase containing an oxymoron and a simile, "the sight of her was so sweetly austere that I left all my work to follow her, just like a miser who in search of treasure with pleasure makes his effort bitterless", implies that the lust that had blurred reasonable action caused for Petrarch to be tempted by a woman who appears to be innocent but the attraction/lust that he has for her evokes the thought that Laura is in fact controlling him and clouding his judgement completely.
Morality was seen to be an issue, which was more so detailed within Sonnet 190 rather than other sonnets, which have been studied. The main example which details morality within this sonnet is the use of imagery throughout the lines, "No One Touch Me, around her lovely neck was written out in diamonds and in topaz, It has pleased my Lord to create me free." These lines imply to the responder that the composer feels as if it is immoral to be having such strong feelings for one whom is already in a life long relationship and of a higher class and status. It also shows that the composer is in a dilemma as he feels that in a way it is immoral to be feeling like he is, but his emotions and feelings are so strong that he can not stop feeling like he does.
These three sonnets all indicate the simple fact that Petrarch's sonnets represent the idealised female form and the deeper issues of love, lust and morality, simultaneously. Sonnet 3, Sonnet 189 and Sonnet 190, all by Francesco Petrarch re-iterate the fact his sonnets concurrently represent these ideas together. For without all of these issues being represented throughout Petrarch's sonnets one would not be able to gather the true and deeper meaning of his pieces.
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