Donne as a Metaphysical Poet
Metaphysical
poetry is a distinct type of poetry that flourished in the 17th
century introduced by John Donne. Metaphysical poetry is a revolt against the
Elizabethan poetry of conventional form and theme. By metaphysical poetry we
mean that type of new school of poetry which implies some salient
characteristics of abrupt and striking beginning, complexity, dramatic
quality, blending of passion and intellectuality, argument and wit, conceits
and images, philosophic and reflective tone, the use of colloquial language etc.
we need to analytical discussion of Donne’s major poems and their
characteristics in order to evaluate Donne as the precursor of metaphysical
poetry.
Abrupt and
striking beginning is an important aspect of metaphysical poetry. For example,
we can quote the opening line of “The Canonization”:
“For
God’s sake hold your tongue and let me love”.
Undoubtedly, all
of Donne’s poems have such kind of striking beginning that arrest our attention
instantly.
Another
important aspect of metaphysical poetry is dramatic quality. In Donne’s poems
have always a dramatic development and atmosphere that attract the readers and
create dramatic suspension in their mind. For example
“Go
and catch a falling star
And
swear
No
where
Lives
a woman true and fair”.
The abundant use
of conceits and farfetched imagery is a fundamental trait of Donne’s
metaphysical poetry which is a comparison between two dissimilar things. The
most famous conceit is the comparison of a man who travels and his beloved who
stays, to a pair of compasses in his poem “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”.
Wit
is the dominant feature of Donne’s metaphysical poetry. Donne’s wit may be
found in his use of puns, wordplay, oxymoron, paradox, etc. For example in “The
canonization” his wit is seen:
Observe His Honour, or His Grace
Or
the king’s real, or his stamped face”.
In Donne’s love
poetry, we find a peculiar blend of passion and thought, feeling and
ratiocination. Each of his love poems arises out of a particular emotion but he
explains that emotion with the help of his intellect.
To conclude, we
can say that Donne is metaphysical both in the treatment of theme and
technique. He is perfectly a metaphysical poet by virtue of his learning and
intellect, displaying an abundance of wit and conceits and above all, his blend
of passion and thought.
short, easy and complete in itself
ReplyDeletethanks
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