Dante Alighieri's Beatrice and Francesco Petrarca's Laura influenced the lives and writings of these two great authors.

Francesco Petrarca, better known to the literary world as Petrarch, met the woman who would become the driving force behind his writing on Good Friday, April 6, 1327. In a Church of Santa Chiara in Avignon, Petrarch first lay eyes on Laura de Sade, wife of Hugues de Sade (Jerrold 19). Though her existence has been doubted, most critics agree that the evidence supports the idea that such powerful words must have had a living, breathing inspiration. When putting together Petrarch's Laura, and Laura de Sade, one notices similarities, such as the same name, suitable age, wealth, illnesses and frequent childbirths, and the burial in a Franciscan church. Petrarch's Laura dies April 6, 1348. Laura de Sade made her will April 3, and died of plague shortly after. Plague commonly killed in three days (Bishop 65).

Laura's wonderful beauty is certain, as is the fact that the poet felt a certain passion for it (Jerrold 20). She is described mostly in Petrarch's Italian poems, however the descriptions of her beauty are never very detailed and specific. Her hair was golden, her complex

Beatrice is depicted at this first meeting as gentle and winning in her ways, with manners and speech far more sedate and modest than her small age required. Dante tells us that she was replete with beauty and held by many to be a kind of little angel (Bergin 34) . Her name means "bearer of blessedness" (Chubb 132). He met her yet again nine years later, and was privileged enough to receive her salute (Bergin 34).

Between 1347 and 1356 Petrarch was inspired by a new image of Laura. It was then that the spiritual transformation of Laura occurred. The poet began to endow her poetic image with the characteristics necessary to convert her into a lady-guide to the Christian heaven (Bernardo 30).

When Petrarch first began to give form to his Canzoniere, his setting was to be a classical poetic paradise in which Laura reigned as queen. He believed that Laura's beauty reflected the very essence of life, and his concept of her was impregnated with classical overtones. In the first form of Canzoniere Laura's image is projected against a complex background of classical mythology and history reflecting a wide spectrum of meaning (Bernardo 27).

Vita Nuova shows that Dante was learning to use philosophy and theology to understand love, but that work was limited to the love which Beatrice had awakened in him (Fergusson 51). In the Vita, Dante's image of himself changes, but all occurs within his cul

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Approximate Word count = 946
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)