The poems contained within The Canzoniere are spellbinding tales of love. The object of this love is Laura, the ideal woman according to the author, Francesco Petrarch. Petrarch expresses his desire for true love and spiritual fulfillment through his yearnings for Laura.

In Petrarch's opinion, Laura exemplifies perfection. Her every mannerism evokes feelings of passion and love in his heart and mind. He admires "her sweet presence and her soft, lovely glance." (Petrarch 37) At first, Petrarch seeks physical consummation with Laura. This profane love is hampered by Laura's unwillingness to fall for Petrarch and is eventually purified by her virtue. By the end of The Canzoniere, Petrarch's love of the ideal, Laura, is transformed to the love of God. Consequently, Petrarch's spiritual ideologies expand and dilate in ways he previously conceived unthinkable. This transformation takes place as a result of Petrarch's newfound willingness to go through the fires of purification in order to spend eternity with his beloved Laura. In short, Petrarch reaches a new, more fulfilling understanding of God.

But for the first half and part of the second half of T

Ultimately, Laura's significance lies in her ability to represent beauty, true love, and spirituality without sacrificing her own image. Granted, some critics have alleged Laura is merely an ideal in Petrarch's mind, a literary device if you will. However, Laura's importance is certainly more striking when considered in her metaphorical uses. Petrarch dreams the impossible dream that one day Laura will love him. This dream parallels his quest for spiritual nirvana. Furthermore, Laura's perfection parallels the perfection that is God.

confidence and beauty, yet also desperation to some extent. Petrarch believes poetry is the greatest force in the world, yet literary critics contend that Laura did not care for poetry, even for Petrarch's. Thus, Petrarch's attempts to woo Laura become all the more difficult. Despite these obstacles, Petrarch worships this woman. "The way she walked was not the way of mortals/but of angelic forms, and when she spoke/more than an earthly voice it was that sang." (Petrarch 30) By comparing Laura to an angel, Petrarch acknowledges to some extent that he will never win her hand. He places her on a pedestal unreachable to mere mortals. Nevertheless, Petrarch remains a hopeless romantic. He follows his heart, no matter what the emotional consequences.

Although Petrarch's love for Laura remains unrequited

Some common words found in the essay are:
Mount Ventoux, Ultimately Laura's, Prior Laura's, Laura Petrarch's, Petrarch's Petrarch's, Consequently Petrarch's, Laura Indeed, Canzoniere Laura, Furthermore Laura's, Spiritual Fulfillment, true love, love laura, petrarch's love, love spirituality, love spiritual fulfillment, petrarch's desires, petrarch's opinion, laura's death, indirect path, ascent mount ventoux, easier indirect, true love spiritual, death petrarch, petrarch's love laura, laura's death petrarch,
Approximate Word count = 913
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)