Petrarchan love

A convention of love poetry, associated with the Italian poet Petrarch, in which a suffering lover idealises an often unattainable beloved.

A literary convention in which a lover idealises an unattainable beloved and expresses intense suffering, often through exaggerated comparisons and contradictions. It takes its name from the Italian poet Petrarch.

At the beginning, Romeo loves Rosaline, who has chosen chastity and does not return his feelings. He withdraws from company and dwells on his unhappiness. This is unrequited love, shaped by the conventions of Petrarchan love: the suffering male lover praises an inaccessible woman while describing his own emotional extremes.

A tradition of love poetry associated with the Italian poet Petrarch, in which a suffering lover idealises a beautiful, often unattainable woman.

A literary convention, associated with the Italian poet Petrarch, in which a suffering lover idealises an unavailable beloved.

A love-poetry convention, associated with the poet Petrarch, in which a suffering lover idealises an unattainable woman.

A literary convention, named after the Italian poet Petrarch, in which a lover idealises an unattainable beloved and expresses intense suffering through elaborate, often contradictory language.

A convention of love poetry associated with the Italian poet Petrarch: a suffering lover idealises a beautiful, often unattainable woman and describes contradictory feelings.

Definition

How each exam board covers it

AQA GCSE English Literature · 8702

Edexcel GCSE English Literature · 1ET0

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OCR GCSE English Literature · J352

Eduqas GCSE English Literature · C720