The 'Petrarchan Poets' of Today

The Petrarchan sonnet became popular in England in the 16th Century. The poetic form was perpetuated in this era by the misogynistic themes of English language poets. Thus, the stereotype of the Petrarchan poet came to be defined as a womanising man who objectifies women in his poetry and personal life. So who could be considered the 'Petrarchan Poets' of today?

The Petrarchan sonnet is named after the lyrical poet, Francesco Petrarch, of 14th Century Italy. It is comprised of fourteen lines divided into an eight-line octave and a six-line sestet.

The themes of the misogynistic Petrarchan poem include: selfish despair, melodrama, natural imagery, love as suffering, hyperbolic suffering, 'fickle' women, objectification of women, and the male pursuit/hunt of women.

The ultimate contradiction of this poetry is that the male speaker objectifies the female subject and dominates them yet the speaker says the woman is the one who dominates, controls, and tortures him by simply existing. Major victim-blaming vibes!

Most famous examples...

The Independent/ The British Library/ Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature/ Banf & Macduff/ Elizabethan Era

Sir Thomas Wyatt:

Wyatt is still to this day largely rumoured to have had an affair with Anne Boleyn. He at least had a deep infatuation with her at court. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London on grounds of adultery and likely witnessed Boleyn's execution from his cell window. Wyatt was fond of writing about women as if they were forest animals he'd never give up hunting.

John Donne:

Donne loved to blame Eve and her daughters for the fall of humanity in his poetry and whilst he claimed to be a deeply religious man, he had many lovers and secretly married 17-year-old Anne More of whom he had 12 children with. Yikes.

Lord Byron:

Byron is maybe the most famous and scandalous Petrarchan Poet of them all. He took countless lovers in London and all over Europe. He then married and had numerous infidelities, including with his own half-sister! Despite the relative 'charm' implemented in his poetry compared to his peers, the sexism and objectification still leaks through: 'For the night shows stars and women in a better light'. 

So who are today's Byrons? Who fit the criteria of a Renaissance Petrarchan poet? We look to the male musicians for our answers. They will be judged on how similarly their lyrics embody themes of Petrarchan misogyny, their controversies surrounding women, and how much their reported personal lives reflect that of a womanising artist. (Trigger warning: examples of abuse discussed.)

Matty Healy

Metro UK

The lead singer of 1975 is notorious for getting off stage and kissing fans in the middle of concerts. It is therefore no surprise that he is the subject of controversial news stories for his attitudes and actions towards women. For example Healy called rapper Ice Spice a 'chubby Chinese lady' after revealing he slid into her DMs (most likely a reaction to being rejected by her).

Relevant entanglements: Healy has dated quite a number of women including singers Halsey and FKA Twigs. He dated model Meredith Mickelson and it seems their relationship ended just weeks before rumours of Healy and Taylor Swift began to surface.

Examples of sexist lyrics: 'you’re some kind of sl*g' . He objectifies and insults women continuously in his music. There are more examples but they're that horrible I'm not writing them down, sorry.

Kanye West

BBC

The rapper is the definition of problematic. If we're focussing on his misogyny alone, the most notable examples are: dragging and bullying his ex-wife and mother of his children on Instagram (because he does not understand that she is entitled to move on with her life); and going on public anti-abortion rants.

Relevant entanglements: Model Amber Rose claims she endured 'constant bullying' from Kanye when they were together. He married Kim Kardashian and he continues to publicly bash her.

Examples of exist lyrics: 'I made that b*tch famous', 'My ex said she gave me the best years of her life. Seen a recent picture of her and I guess she was right'. There are more but they are too explicit.

The Weeknd 

Hyperbeast

The Weeknd rose to fame by writing music about passionate and explicit affairs so naturally he has lyrics that are unfavourable to women. Most recently however, he produced and starred in HBO's The Idol, which shows the female lead Jocelyn (Lily Rose Depp) in many humiliating and vulnerable scenarios. The show also ends with a 'twist'. Jocelyn is revealed as the real 'manipulator' and villain despite The Weeknd's character incessantly pursuing her. This fits the common Petrarchan narratives that demonise women as calculated temptresses torturing men's feelings.

Relevant entanglements: It is widely speculated that in The Idol, Jocelyn, a young female musician who struggles with mental illness, is inspired by singer Selena Gomez (The Weeknd's ex-girlfriend). Gomez had very similar experiences to the character. For example Jocelyn wears a 'psych hospital' band in a music video which is exactly what happens in Gomez's Bad Liar video.

There is no point picking sexist lyrics from The Weeknd's songs because if you go and listen to any of his music you can't miss them.

John Mayer

Rolling Stone

John Mayer has dated quite a number of famous women, many of whom have commented on his toxic behaviour towards them. For example, singer Jessica Simpson said he was manipulative and broke up with her 9 times over email. Worse still, he has a history of dating and flirting with women significantly younger than him. Miley Cyrus was 18 when 33-year-old Mayer kissed her backstage at the Grammys. Actress Shanae Grimes was 20 and Taylor Swift, 19, when in relationships with Mayer at 32. Swift has written songs about how his toxic treatment of her at the time was mentally damaging.

Sexist lyrics: Mayer's song Daughters is infamously deemed sexist. The song basically says a woman's only worth is to love a man and become a mother. In the same song he also sings: 'I know a girl... but she's just like a maze, where all of her walls continually change' - very poetically Petrarchan!

Chris Brown

The Sun

Chris Brown's most famous controversy is his assault of fellow singer and girlfriend at the time, Rihanna in 2009. He has not been apologetic for his behaviour and violent reputation towards women over the years since. In 2016, he was accused again of assaulting model Baylee Curran and sold T-shirts with the words 'This B*tch Lyin'. In 2023 Brown posted about the Rihanna assault on his Instagram story: 'If y'all still hate me for a mistake I made as a 17 year old [he was in fact 19 and not a minor], please kiss my whole entire ass!' His girlfriend of 2017, Karrueche Tran, got a restraining order against him because she says Brown threatened her.

Whilst physical violence against women is not considered inherently Petrarchan, Brown is obviously misogynistic. He also lashes out at women who say his lyrics are offensive to them.

Sexist Lyrics: 'These h*es ain't loyal'. Many of Brown's songs have violent predatory imagery towards women, such as the songs: Poppin', Take You Down, Back To Sleep and Ain't No Way (You Won't Love Me).

Alas, the Petrarchan poet's attitudes towards women are still very much alive and well today in the music industry. It is fascinating to see how little has really changed when it comes to male artists' misogyny. Whilst people call out the behaviour now, the accountability and consequences don't really happen, as all of the musicians named above still have successful careers (even those who have committed literal crimes)! The spirits of Wyatt, Donne, Byron, and their 16th Century values live on.