John done as metaphysical poet

Friday, May 5, 2023 9:02 PM

John Donne: An English Poet

John Donne was an English poet, a soldier, and a scholar. He was born on
January 22, 1572, in London. His family was recusant Roman Catholic, and at
that time, that religion was illegal in UK. His father’s name was same as him.
Donne received his early education privately. He joined Hertford College,
Oxford at 11. He studied for three years at University of Cambridge. He
couldn’t get a degree from these institutions because of his religion. He didn’t
take Oath of Supremacy that was requirement for graduation. He also studied
at Thavies Inn and Lincoln’s Inn. Donne began questioning his faith after death
of his brother in prison due to protecting a Catholic priest. Donne travelled
across Europe and fought alongside Earl of Essex. He became secretary of
Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, but lost his post when he married his niece of
Sir Thomas Egerton secretly.
He had twelve children of which five died. His life circumstances were bad
and he considered suicide but wrote Biathanatos, in his defence of not
committing suicide. His wife died in 1617 after giving birth to a stillborn child.
He wrote about loss of his love in his 17th Holy Sonnet. Cambridge University
gave Donne an honorary doctorate in divinity in 1615. In 1623, he faced an
almost fatal illness and wrote many meditations and prayers for health and
sickness. He delivered his famous sermon Death’s Duel before King Charles I,
at Palace of Whitehall in February 1631. John Donne died on March 31, 1631
and buried at St Paul’s Cathedral in London where he was a dean. (1) John
Donne’s was most prominent of the metaphysical poets of 17th century. His
contemporaries include Andrew Marvell, Abraham Cowley, George Herbert,
Henry Vaughan, Thomas Traherne, Richard Crashaw, etc.
Now let us discuss about the most important metaphysical poet of that time,
John Donne.

However, there is no denying the fact that metaphysical elements

in Donne’s poetry make him famous among other poets. If we
want to know about John Donne and metaphysics poetry then we
first have to know about the second kind of poetry, which was
being written before John Donne.

Metaphysical poetry emerged in the 17th century as a revolt against the

contemporary fashion of poetry. It reacted against the Renaissance softness,
smoothness, and sweet expression of Petrarchan style and took up the manner of
Gongora in Spain and Marino in Italy. The word metaphysical refers to style rather
than to subject matter. Metaphysical poetry is the expression of a new attitude of
the mind. It wanted to convey new thoughts in a new way. It reveals a union of
mind and soul, of thinking and emotions.
John Donne, the shining star of the 17th century, can indeed be called the bell
ringer of “metaphysical poetry.” His poetry combines all elements of metaphysical
poetry, i.e., Passion, wit, conceit, an amalgam of Passion and intellect, paradoxes,
and hyperboles are characteristics of metaphysical poetry. He brings together
physical and spiritual love in his poems. His images are always unique and
exclusive, often drawn from classical and contemporary branches of learning.

Traditional Poetry Vs. Metaphysical Poetry

We have learned that before Donne, everyone was following the
convention. The question here arises that what was that convention
and tradition? Well, the answer is; every poet was copying poetry
instead of presenting new ideas through imitation. There were three
traditions which were being followed; Spenserian, Arcadian, and
Petrarchan. John Donne and Ben Jonson were against those traditions.
Conventional poetry lacked emotions; therefore, it was artificial. So,
there was no originality in it. John Donne, on the other hand, presented
his own emotions. Every poem, by John Donne, reveals his
autobiography yet it is universal in nature. Human emotions and
feelings have not been changed so far; therefore, everyone felt that
Donne is talking about him. Readers were greatly impressed by his work.
Metaphysical poetry starts from John Donne, therefore, he is the best
metaphysical poet.

What is Metaphysical Poetry?

It is also in our knowledge that “meta” means beyond and “physics”

means physical nature. In simple words, metaphysical poetry is that in
which a poet remains away from the description of physical intimacy.
We hardly see any poem by John Donne, in which he talks about the
physical beauty of any woman. In his “Love Poems”, he demonstrates
his feelings and emotion by using precise and exact words yet he has
never praised any woman’s physical beauty. Moreover, this kind of
 poetry is away from imagination. Like John Keats, he does not create a
world of his own in his mind; instead, he puts reality in front of his
readers; nevertheless, his metaphors are far-fetched and complex in
nature. Furthermore, there are some elements of metaphysical poetry,
which are frequent in every poem of Donne. Following are some
attributes, which make John Donne a good metaphysical poet.

Metaphysical poetry:-
• Is free from artificiality
• Contains conceits and hyperboles
• Is intellectual
• always remains away from female physique
• Is about emotions and psychological experiences

Donne’s poetry is Free from Physics:

Although Donne presents his emotions in his poems yet he never appreciated
the physical beauty of any woman. In “Love Poems”, he talks about worldly
love and his beloved Anne Moore but the readers can never find any poem in
which he talks about the physical beauty of his beloved. As far as later poems
of John Donne are concerned, they are spiritual and divine. In them, there is
no concept of artificial beauty. To differentiate Donne from other poets, let’s
take an example. In “Rape of the Lock”, Alexander Pope in the description of
Belinda writes words about his physical look but in Donne’s poetry, this kind of
appreciation can never be found. Thus, John Donne keeps himself away from
the appraisal of artificial beauty of women.

John Donne as Metaphysical Poet:

John Donne, indeed, is a metaphysical poet but many critics doubt it. It is
because Donne’s poetry is limited to emotions, whereas in conventional
terms, metaphysical poems are long and poetry of metaphysics is about the
philosophical system of the universe. Donne’s poetry is personal in nature;
there is no philosophy in it; if it has any philosophy then it is only of love. On
the other hand, many critics defended John Donne. For instance, Grierson
points out
 “Donne is metaphysical not only by virtue of his scholasticism but
by his deep reflective interest in the experiences of which his
poetry is the expression, the new psychological curiosity with
which he writes of love and religion.”
Grierson
In his eyes, John Donne has created new kind of metaphysical
poetry, which has psychological curiosity and it is based on
personal experiences. Thereby, he considers John Donne a
metaphysical poet.

Donne’s poetry is Free from Physics:

Although Donne presents his emotions in his poems yet he never

appreciated the physical beauty of any woman. In “Love Poems”,
he talks about worldly love and his beloved Anne Moore but the
readers can never find any poem in which he talks about the
physical beauty of his beloved. As far as later poems of John
Donne are concerned, they are spiritual and divine. In them, there
is no concept of artificial beauty. To differentiate Donne from other
poets, let’s take an example. In “Rape of the Lock”, Alexander Pope
in the description of Belinda writes words about his physical look
but in Donne’s poetry, this kind of appreciation can never be found.
Thus, John Donne keeps himself away from the appraisal of
artificial beauty of women.

John Donne’s Intellectualism and Wit make him

Metaphysical Poet:

Metaphysical poetry can hardly be separated from wit ; both these

things are interlinked. Every poet of metaphysics intellectually
describes things. Donne gives arguments after arguments to
support his stance. Neither exaggeration nor artificiality is there in
John Donne’s poetry. He has used such words which are
acceptable by readers. His imagery is clean. He does not write
such words, which are unnecessary. Furthermore, he begins his
poems abruptly in a colloquial manner in order to get the
attention of his readers. Thus, Donne’s wit is significant to make
him the best metaphysics poet of every era.

Conceits and Hyperboles:

Conceits are peculiar elements of Donne’s poetry. He uses
farfetched examples to clear his stance to his readers. For
instance in “Valediction: Forbidden Mourning”, he shows the
separation of two lovers through two legs of a compass, who
apparently are away but in reality, they are part of each other;
they cannot go away. Similarly, in “Valediction: Of Weeping”, he
takes an example of moon and tides. He compares his beloved to
the moon and himself to tides. Thus, every poem of John Donne is
enriched with conceits and hyperboles. Abundancy of these
elements in the poetry of John Donne helps us to remember him
first as a metaphysical poet.
To conclude, John Donne without any doubt is a metaphysical
poet. Nevertheless, his poetry is different from other metaphysical
poets of his era. He uses conceits; his remarks are witty; there is no
artificiality in his poems; his demonstration is fresh and original. In
fact, he only presents his emotions and personal experiences of his
life. All these elements make his poetry remarkable and him best
metaphysical poet of every era.