Soleasi Neel Mio Cor Analysis

A traditional Petrarchan Sonnet consists of 14 lines that are divided into two parts, an octet and a sestet. The poem is written this way to provide a “shift” in the poem. This is similar to that of a climax in a short story or novel. The shift can also represent a change in a characters motive, desires or even personality. In the poem Soleasi Nel Mio Cor by Petrarch, the poem shifts from happy to glum as the speaker realizes that he is soon to face death. In the first line, the speaker introduces the reader to a woman who he deeply desires. He appraises the woman and compares her to a goddess by saying “’Tis I am mortal proved, and she divine.” It is revealed in the next two lines that the he woman who the speaker is worshiping has passed.