A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANTI-PETRARCHAN SENTIMENTS IN THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE POETRY

The sonnet as a form of poetry was first introduced from Italian into English during the Elizabethan age. Poets like Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard were pioneers in translating the works of Italian sonnet master Petrarch into English. Therefore, it is not surprising that they were also first to experiment with the sonnet form. They were followed by significant poets of the era, such as Edmund Spenser. However, it was William Shakespeare that greatly contributed to maturing the sonnet form in English. As well as writing plays for the theatre, he mastered in writing sonnet. As a result, the sonnet became the prevailing form of poetry during the Elizabethan era. However, the English sonneteers did not solely copy or imitate the works of Petrarch. On the contrary, they transformed the Italian sonnet form in a way that resulted in creating a new pattern called the English sonnet. In these contexts, this study sets out to analyse various ways by which English Renaissance poets made a contribution or reacted to the Petrarchan convention of love poems. Therefore, it mainly discusses how Petrarchan traditions and conceits were used (and abused) by English poets. Particularly, the anti-Petrarchan attitudes which arose in the 1590s and later are examined in order to show the differences between Italian and English sonnet forms. To do so, first, Thomas Wyatt’s poems is going to be analysed to illustrate the way how he adapted the Italian sonnet form into the English language. Then, Edmund Spenser’s Amoretti (1595) is going to be examined to reflect the poetic differences that are in contrast with the Petrarchan sonnet tradition. Finally, William Shakespeare’s Sonnets (1609) are going to be studied to demonstrate anti-Petrarchan elements in the English sonnet form.