Petrarch

The sonnet developed in twelfth or thirteenth century Italy, but its reached its height in the fourteenth under Francesco Petrarch, who gave it the distinctive name. Conventionally, such sonnets as Petrarch's dealt with the theme of idealized love. From Petrarch, poets would receive a wealth of conventions or "conceits."

What are Petrarchan Conceits? A "conceit" is a fanciful notion, generally expressed through an elaborate analogy or metaphor. The sonnet tradition carried its own peculiar conceits which have made their way into our social consciousness. From Petrarch, the sonneteers of the Renaissance took not only a conventional form but also conventional sentiments. The relation between the poet and his beloved is presented in terms of an idealized courtly love: the persona is a "humble servant" tossed by a tempest on the sea of despair, the beloved can wound with a glance, and her beauty is described in stereotypical fashion. Her cheeks are like roses, her eyes sparkle, and her lips are ruby red. Shakespeare pokes great fun at such conventions with his "Sonnet 130: My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun."

In the court of Henry VIII, a group of poets arose who would make significant contributions to the development of a literature in English. Chief among these "courtly makers" were Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. With their translations of Petrarch's work, Wyatt and Surrey are responsible for introducing the sonnet form into English.

In addition to translating Petrarch, both Wyatt and Surrey created their own sonnets in English, thus establishing a poetic form and a poetic tradition for those writers who followed them.

Although its rules of order and arrangement might seem limiting, the sonnet was actually a challenging "proving ground" for poets: they tested their poetic mettle on it before branching off into other forms. It required the sort of discipline that prepared them for more creative, original works. In polishing their own writing and technique, they also polished English as a fit language for poetic endeavors.

Following the tradition of Petrach some poets even created a sonnet sequence, a collection of poems linked to one another and dealing with a single subject. Sidney's Astrophel and Stella, Lady Mary Wroth's From Pamphilia to Amphilanthus, Shakespeare's sonnets, and Spenser's Amoretti are examples of sonnet sequences.