## parse()


Parse a Markdown string and return the root AST node.


Usage

``` python
parse(
    text,
    *,
    hardbreaks=False,
    smart=False,
    normalize=False,
    unsafe=False,
    footnotes=False,
    extensions=(),
    options=0
)
```


This is the primary entry point for AST-based document inspection and transformation. The returned [Node](Node.md#multimark.Node) provides tree traversal, property access, mutation, and rendering methods.


## Parameters


`text: str`  
The Markdown string to parse.

`hardbreaks: bool = ``False`  
Render soft breaks as hard breaks. Default `False`.

`smart: bool = ``False`  
Enable smart punctuation. Default `False`.

`normalize: bool = ``False`  
Consolidate adjacent text nodes. Default `False`.

`unsafe: bool = ``False`  
Allow raw HTML passthrough. Default `False`.

`footnotes: bool = ``False`  
Enable footnote syntax. Default `False`.

`extensions: Sequence[str] = ()`  
GFM extensions to enable.

`options: int = ``0`  
Raw [Options](Options.md#multimark.Options) bitmask.


## Returns


`Node`  
The root document node. Its `~Node.type()` is [NodeType.DOCUMENT](NodeType.md#multimark.NodeType.DOCUMENT).


## Examples

``` python
from multimark import parse, NodeType

doc = parse("# Hello\n\nWorld!\n")
for event, node in doc.walk():
    if event == "enter" and node.type == NodeType.HEADING:
        print(f"Found heading level {node.heading_level}")
```