Adjective
Petrarchan (comparative more Petrarchan, superlative most Petrarchan)
Of or relating to Francesco Petrarch, a renowned Renaissance Italian humanist.
A more thorough reform of handwriting than the Petrarchan compromise was in the offing. Source: Internet
For example, when Romeo talks about Rosaline earlier in the play, he attempts to use the Petrarchan sonnet form. Source: Internet
In the Petrarchan sonnet, the turn tends to fall around the division between the first two quatrains and the sestet, while English sonnets usually place it at or near the beginning of the closing couplet. Source: Internet
Petrarchan sonnets were often used by men to exaggerate the beauty of women who were impossible for them to attain, as in Romeo's situation with Rosaline. Source: Internet
These sonnets were all essentially inspired by the Petrarchan tradition, and generally treat of the poet's love for some woman, with the exception of Shakespeare's sequence of 154 sonnets. Source: Internet
When Romeo and Juliet meet, the poetic form changes from the Petrarchan (which was becoming archaic in Shakespeare's day) to a then more contemporary sonnet form, using "pilgrims" and "saints" as metaphors. Source: Internet