In the study of sonnet sequence as a genre, invented by Italian Renaissance sonneteers and practiced up to the seventeenth century, we find out that Petrarch has not only been the most influential figure who established the elements of the convention but he also seems to have become an integral part of the sonnet convention. Petrarchan elements such as the idealized images of the beloved, the theme of subJimation, and the tone of lamentation receive a totally different treatment in Donne's Songs and Sonnets that is far from the spirit of Petrarch's poetry. As a metaphysical poet, Donne uses these elements either in a mocking tone to question the purity of love or with a serious attitude to reflect the paradoxical nature of love. The objective of this paper is to elaborate briefly on the Petrarchan elements and then discuss Donne's violation of such a convention.
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