john donne - analysis of his poetry

8/9/2019 John Donne - Analysis of his poetry

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John Donne



The Flea The Flea THEMES THEMES

Erotic love: lines 1-9Religion and Marriage: lines 10-18

Erotic love and Religion: lines 20-28



Erotic oveErotic ove!irginit" as a trivial #atter

$ho% little that %hich tho& deniest #e is'(l) 2*

$+nd this, alas .s #ore than %e %o&ld do/(l) 9*

Mied lood (se&al act, a#il" loodlines*

$+nd 3a#3er/d s%ells %ith one lood#ade o t%o' (l) 8*



Religion andReligion and

MarriageMarriageMarriage as a sacred &nion

$4&r #arriage ed, and #arriage

te#3le is)'(l) 15*

Foridden love

/Tho&gh 3arents gr&dge, and "o&, %e/re#et/ (l) 16*



overs o&t ro# the %orld, inside the 7ea

/+nd cloister/d in these living %alls o et'

(l) 1*

Flea she, hi# and itsel (hol" trinit"*

illing it tri3le sin (#&rder, s&icide, sacrilege*

$Tho&gh &se #a;e "o& a3t to ;ill #e,

et not to that sel-#&rder added e,+nd sacrilege, three sins in ;illing three'

(ll) 1<-18*

Religion andReligion and

MarriageMarriage



The %o#an ;ills the 7ea

$=&r3led th" nail in lood o innocence>

?herein co&ld this 7ea g&ilt" e,'

(ll) 20-21*

Reinstates the trivialit" o the se&al act

$J&st so #&ch hono&r, %hen tho& "ield/st to #e,

?ill %aste, as this 7ea/s death too; lie ro#thee)'

(ll) 2@-28*

Erotic ove andErotic ove andReligionReligion



S"#ols andS"#ols and

.#ages.#agesFlea #eta3h"sical conceit

Mied Alood &nion o the lovers

Trinit" he, she and the 7ea

Tri3le sin ;ill,sel-#&rder " sacrilege

.nside the 7ea lovers o&tside the %orld,te#3le

Death o the 7ea se&al act



Marriage ed Marriage

Marriage te#3le sacred &nion

Alood essence o lie, &nion

S"#ols andS"#ols and

.#ages.#ages



For#For#5 stanBas

++AACCDDD each co&3let ne% idea

+lternates ia#ic tetra#eter %ith ia#ic

3enta#eter) ast co&3let is t%o ia#ic

3enta#etres)

+lliteration -s (deniest, suck'd, sucks, this,

bloods, know'st, this, said, sin, loss,enjoys...* related to the sna;e as carnal

te#3tation)



The S&n Rising The S&n Rising The 3oet co#3lains to the s&n or

%a;ing hi# and his lover &3) +rrogant tone) The 3oet is etter than

the s&n)



Rh"#e, or# andRh"#e, or# and

#etric#etricine 1, and < o each stanBa ia#ic tetra#eter

Busy old fool, unruly Sun, (l.1)

ine 2 di#eter

Why dost thou thus

Rest o the lines ia#ic 3enta#eter

Must to thy motions loers' seasons run! (l. ")



+AA+CDCDEE #i o =etrarchean andSha;es3earean sonnets)

+AA+ sets &3 the arg&#ent or i#age)

CDCD etends the i#age and 3rovides3roo or ans%er)

EE re3eats %hat %as 3revio&sl"stated in a stronger and #ore #e#orale%a")



StanBa 1 (lines 1-10*StanBa 1 (lines 1-10* The 3oet is angr" at the s&n eca&se

the #orning #eans the end o the

night %ith his lover)

Their love is a slave o the s&n)

S&n - 3assage o ti#e) Ene#" to

their love)



StanBa 1 (lines 1-10*StanBa 1 (lines 1-10*reat Chain o Aeing: ever" living thing hasa ran; in the divine sche#e o things)Ever"thing is s&ected to the s&n's 3o%er,

&t the co&3le) The lovers are in the highestran;)

ate school-o"s and so&r 3rentices,o tell co&rt-h&nts#en that the ;ing %ill

ride,

Call co&ntr" ants to harvest oIces)

Co&ntr" ants: 3easants)



ove, all ali;e, no season ;no%s nor cli#e#or hours, days, months, which are the ra$s oftime.%

ist %ith ti#e-related conce3ts to e#3hasiBe

the ast 3assing o the ti#e)

Contrast %ith eternit") His love or her %ill

never die, no #atter ho% #&ch ti#e 3asses)



. co&ld ecli3se and clo&d the# %ith a%in;

(l) 15*

Meta3h"sical conceit) S&r3rising i#age:

ecli3se the s&n %ith a %in;)

StanBa 2 (lines 11-StanBa 2 (lines 11-

20*20*



. her e"es have not linded thine,

oo;, and to#orro% late tell #e,

(ll) 1-1<*

=arado: i the e"es o the lover have not

linded the s&n's e"es, ta;e a loo;)


20*20*



?hether oth th/ .ndias o s3ice and #ine Ae %here tho& let/st the#, or lie here %ith #e

+s; or those ;ings %ho# tho& sa%/st "esterda",

+nd tho& shalt hear, +ll here in one ed la")(ll) 1@-20*

Meta3h"sical conceit) S&r3rising i#age: the %hole%orld is in the ed)

Roo# and ed K s"#ol or the %orld) The %orld isthe co&3le)


20*20*



She's all states, and all &rinces Lothing else isL

(ll) 21-22*

The co&3le is ever"thing that eists in

the %orld) She's all states and he's all3rinces)

Chias#&s K reversal o %ords)


50*50*



Shine here to &s, and tho& art ever"%hereL This ed th" center is, these %alls th" s3here)(ll) 29-50*

?orld N Roo# The s&n onl" needs to shine on

the#)

=tolo#eic theor": Earth (NAed* as the center o the

Oniverse)


50*50*



Holl" Sonnet P.!Holl" Sonnet P.! The 3oet adresses od

Batter my heart, three&erson'd *od, for you%

(l) 1*

The 3oet %ants to get close to his

s3irit&alit"

!iolent, e#otional tone



+AA+ +AA+ CDCD EE

ote ll) 10 and 12But am betroth'd unto your enem y +

iorce me,'untie or break that knot

a$ain,

-ake me to you, im&rison me, for ,



.a#ic 3enta#eter %ith

ece3tions

ote ) 1 Batter my heart, three&erson'd *od,for you

(l)1*

Stressed s"llale at the start

!iolence



Aatter #" heart, three-3erson/d od, or

"o&

+s "et &t knock, breathe, shine, and seek

to mendL

That . #a" rise and stand, o/erthro% #e,

and end

Qo&r orce to rea;, lo%, &rn, and #a;e

1st &atrain1st &atrain



od is eing too sot

The 3oet %ants destr&ction and reconstr&ction

od, as a crats#an, can re#a;e hi#)

Behold, as the clay is in the &otters

hand, so are ye in mine hand, / house ofsrael%

0eremiah 12 "3

1st &atrain1st &atrain



2nd &atrain2nd &atrain., li;e an &s&r3/d to%n to/another d&e,

aor to/ad#it "o&, &t oh, to no endL

Reason, "o&r vicero" in #e, #e sho&ld

deend,

A&t is ca3tiv/d, and 3roves %ea; or

&ntr&e)



Conceit: =oet as a to%n

?ho $&s&r3ed' the 3oet> ?ho ;ee3s

his reason ca3tive>- Devil, evil

- Terrenal lie

Onailit" to let od in

2nd &atrain2nd &atrain



5rd &atrain 5rd &atrain

Co&3letCo&3let&atrain co&3let in rh"#e

CDCD EE

Sestet in s"nta)

T&rn) The tone changes)

The conceit changes

To%n roo#



Qet dearl"/. love "o&, and %o&ld e lov/d ain,

A&t a# etroth/d &nto "o&r ene#"L

Divorce #e,/&ntie or rea; that ;not again,

Ta;e #e to "o&, i#3rison #e, or .,

Ece3t "o&/enthrall #e, never shall e ree,

or ever chaste, ece3t "o& ravish #e)


Co&3letCo&3let



Se&al connotations

=aradoes

.nsec&rit"

Re3eated sit&ation>


Co&3letCo&3let



+rrogant, straight-or%ard tone

Des3eration and violence

The 3oet %ants od to hel3 hi#

Con7ict reason K s3irit&alit", od" Kso&l)

Sacred vs =roane love

Holl" Sonnet P.!Holl" Sonnet P.!

Concl&sionConcl&sion



Meta3h"sicalMeta3h"sical

ConceitsConceits The Flea

The ed as the %orld

The s&n ecli3sed " a %in;

The &s&r3ed to%n

The ridegroo#



Religio&s s3irit&alis#Religio&s s3irit&alis#

and erotic a#oro&snessand erotic a#oro&sness ?hen %riting ao&t love, Donne #a;es

contin&o&s reerences to religion and

#arriage) ove eco#es a sacred &nion,al#ost a %a" to salvation)

?hen %riting ao&t religion, Donne #a;es hisrelationshi3 %ith od so&nd li;e a ro#antic one, ;ee3ing the #asc&line, erotic tone)



.n this three 3oe#s, egocentris# is a;e" ele#ent) The 3oetic voice is al%a"s

as;ing or so#ething to an a3ostro3he)

Thereore, #asc&linit" is al%a"s3resent)

The general i#3ression is that Donneeels #ore co#ortale %ith erotica#oro&sness)

Religio&s s3irit&alis#Religio&s s3irit&alis#

and erotic a#oro&snessand erotic a#oro&sness



S"#ols to advanceS"#ols to advance

the#esthe#esCo#ination o religio&s and 3roane

s"#ols

+rg&#entative 3oe#s

Each s"#ol &s&all" introd&ces a ne%

arg&#ent



Donne/s #etric doesn/t ollo% an"

s3ecic r&les) .t &s&all" doesn/t res3ect

the ia#ic 3enta#eter or the n&#er

o s"llales that a sonnet %as s&33osed

to have)

D4E !SD4E !S

E.U+AETH+SE.U+AETH+S



Donne/s loo; at love is #ore 3h"sical

than the EliBaethan/s, %hich %as #ore

o a 3latonic, co&rtl" love)

.n Donne's 3oe#s, the lad" is 3resent in

the setting %hen the 3oet is tal;ing

ao&t her)

D4E !SD4E !S

E.U+AETH+SE.U+AETH+S

john donne - analysis of his poetry

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