Introduction
There are many great writers whose literary works still fascinate people and are studied by students and researchers. One such person is John Donne – an Anglican cleric and English writer of the late sixteenth – early seventeenth century. Researchers note that his art “is distinguished by its emotional and sonic intensity and its capacity to plumb the paradoxes of faith, human and divine love” (Poetry Foundation). Overall, this paper has two major purposes, and one of them is to analyze Donne’s poem “Death Be Not Proud” and five of his elegies. The second aim is to discuss various religious, political, and sexual tones in his literary works and explain why he is a metaphysical poet and why his work was and is controversial.
Analysis of Donne’s Elegies
John Donne’s elegies cannot be compared to any other English poems. They are filled with satire and many literary devices and cannot be considered typical because the author departs from a traditional definition of an elegy as a lament for the dead. Although all his twenty elegies are valuable to modern literature, only five of them are discussed in this paper.
“Jealousy”
It is rather paradoxical that Donne, being a minister of the church, was so subtle in understanding the problems and intricacies of love. “Jealousy” represents an inner monologue or an actual dialogue of a person who has a mistress married to another man. According to the speaker, the unfaithful wife would be so glad to see her “swollen and pamper’d with great fare” husband dead (Donne, “Jealousy” line 21). The woman does not love and even despises her spouse, and she is tired of his jealousy.
Further, it becomes evident that neither the speaker nor the unfaithful wife is ashamed of their immoral actions. Though they admit that cheating on her husband in his own house is not right, the fact that it is also dangerous is more important to them, and they decide to “exile / Into another country, and do it there” (Donne, “Jealousy” 28-29). Finally, the speaker offers his mistress to scorn her husband like people on the right side of Thames despise the mayor of London, and many Germans ignore the ruling of the Pope (Donne, “Jealousy” 33-34). This is quite an interesting example of simile, and this trope is used several times in this poem.
This elegy is quite a vivid representation of the feelings and inner conflicts of a wife who cheats on her husband and a person who steals someone’s spouse. Throughout the poem, it is difficult to decide which side to choose because the couple’s actions are immoral, but the husband himself, according to his wife and her lover, is disgusting and ugly. At the same time, it is impossible to trust the lovers’ words since they can be biased, and when they talk about the husband as “swollen with poison,” it can be interpreted in two ways (Donne, “Jealousy” 3). For example, it may be the speaker’s and his mistress’s plan to poison the spouse, but it can also be his own jealousy that is already poisoning him.
“The Perfume”
This elegy is twice as long as “Jealousy,” and there is more satire and tropes. The poem, which can be divided into two parts, describes a young couple whose love is forbidden and not welcomed by the girl’s family. It may seem to the readers that the speaker is addressing both his beloved and the destiny itself. He complains about the girl’s relatives because, once finding them together, they now suspect the speaker of all sins.
To describe the evil nature of the girl’s parents and siblings, the speaker uses exaggerated allusions and comparisons with mythical creatures. For example, her father’s “glazèd eyes” can “kill a cockatrice;” the mother is an undead creature that can “sleep out daylight, / And watch thy entries and returns all night” (Donne, “The Perfume” 7-8, 15-16). Additionally, the little brothers of the girl are “like fairy sprites” – a good and bright simile (Donne, “The Perfume” 27). The author also uses many great epithets to make the elegy more vivid.
Further, in the second part of the elegy, the author uses personification to make the poem more satiric. The speaker now blames not only the parents but also his own perfume and refers to it as a living creature who has betrayed the couple. Finally, at the end of the elegy, the speaker decides to use all his perfume to “embalm thy father’s corpse,” which may mean that the couple plans to kill the tyrant (Donne, “The Perfume” 72). Before these last lines, the elegy seemed funnier and more satiric.
“His Parting from Her”
Jonh Donne’s thirteenth elegy also explores the topic of love. According to Mahlstedt Jones, “structurally the elegy comprises four parts addressed to Night, Love, Fortune and the mistress” (147). In the first part, the speaker asks the Night to come and environ him with darkness because he is lonely and should mourn and suffer when his lover is gone (Donne, “His Parting from Her” 1-4). When addressing Love, the speaker cannot decide who to blame for the separation from his beloved. It may be the love itself, the speaker, or a conspiring destiny, “which, since I loved in jest before, decreed / That I should suffer, when I loved indeed” (Donne, “His Parting from Her” 23-24). Finally, after deciding that it is not the fault of Love, “the lover requests that he and his mistress become so “riveted” together that they cannot be physically separated” (Mahlstedt Jones 147). Indeed, this is a rather tragic elegy, the tone of which is different from what is felt from the previous two poems.
Further, when addressing Fortune, the speaker challenges it and speaks of the inability to separate the lovers since their souls will be united forever. Finally, in the last part, the speaker talks about the mutual promise of eternal love from him and his beloved. In this elegy, the author uses rather gloomy and sad metaphors and epithets, including “strange torments,” “old Chaos in the pains we feel,” and “blinded justice” (Donne, “His Parting from Her” 14, 18, 33). The Night itself is a metaphor that signifies loneliness and sadness.
“Julia”
The title may trick the readers into thinking that this elegy is also devoted to love. However, this is not true, and in this particular elegy, there is a personification of envy, which the author presents as an evil, grumpy, and hateful woman named Julia. Donne uses unusual allusions and metaphors to enumerate all the vicious mental characteristics that depict her nasty character. For instance, Julia is described as a mythical creature:
Chimera that hath eyes of fire,
Burning with anger—anger feeds desire—
Tongued like the night crow, whose ill boding cries
Give out for nothing but new injuries (Donne, “Julia” 15-18).
Her mind is filled with potential, partly, and fully formed evil, and it is notable that, according to the author, her actions hurt not only other people but also Julia herself. Thus, when listing all her hateful deeds, including mischiefs, curses, corrupt thoughts, self-accusing hatred, and inevitable errors, Donne relates the last two to Julia herself (“Julia” 24-28). It is possible that, by mentioning this, the author warns readers themselves against envy.
“A Tale of a Citizen and His Wife”
This poem lacks interesting metaphors and symbols; instead, this is a satiric story that describes how the speaker overtakes a citizen and his spouse on their way home. While the citizen turns out to be rather boring, the speaker and the woman take advantage of the situation and flirt with each other, hoping to meet again during the night (Donne, “A Tale of a Citizen and His Wife”). Mahlstedt Jones states that this poem recreates a restoration comedy concept of seducing a citizen’s wife and not considering it immoral (74).
Analysis of the Poem “Death Be Not Proud”
Apart from twenty elegies, many other literary works still make John Donne a famous and talented writer. For example, one of his most well-known poems is “Death Be Not Proud,” which is often referred to as “Holy Sonnet 10.” It was created in 1609 and then published more than twenty years later, in 1633 (Poetry Foundation). In this poem, Donne personifies Death and addresses it with mixed disdain and sympathy, expressing his idea of dying.
The first two lines demonstrate the main idea of the writing. Though many people consider death dreadful, unknown, mighty, and inescapable, and this is why Death is so proud. However, the speaker says: “Death, be not proud, /…, for thou art not so” (Donne, “Holy Sonnets: Death, Be Not Proud” 1-2). The writer’s arguments are outlined further, and the main one is that people never actually die. Instead, the process of dying is merely a phase that takes a person from this world to another one, where Death cannot exist. Additionally, Donne mentions some other associations with Death, including rest, pleasure, and sleep, as if to tease it (“Holy Sonnets: Death, Be Not Proud” 5-6). Therefore, there is nothing in this process that can scare the speaker or should terrify other people.
Furthermore, there is another argument that proves that the power of Death is not unlimited. According to the poet, people are not the servants of Death, but vice versa. Since Donne further mentions fate, disease, kings, poisons, and wars, these lines become quite interesting (“Holy Sonnets: Death, Be Not Proud” 9-10). Indeed, it is generally accepted that Death itself chooses when to take a person. Still, if one looks from a different point of view, it actually depends on the circumstances listed above and is forced to obey them.
Consequently, the main topic of the poem is the actual powerlessness of Death, which many people consider the mightiest on earth. Apart from metaphors, Donne uses symbolism, and there are symbols of sleep and slavery. It is hard to disagree that the former is typically associated with dying because many people pass away in their sleep. As for the latter, the author clearly says that Death is the slave of circumstances, fate, and people. Finally, Donne finishes the poem with a paradox – he says that all people will eventually get to another world, and Death will die itself. The poem is a rather strong literary work because the poet demonstrates his disdain for Death, and the reader may wonder if there is even a force in this world worth fearing.
Religious, Political, and Sexual Tones
To begin with, it is essential to note that Donne was an Anglican cleric, and religion is closely related to his art. In his literary works, the poet sometimes questions his belief and then arrives at a strong faith, which can be seen in his poem “A Hymn to God the Father.” What is more, the fact that the author believed in the afterlife in paradise is proved by “Death Be Not Proud.” As for the political tones, DeStefano states that the storms in Donne’s poems “could intimate a political body, such as Parliament or a system of courts” that oppressed the public and abused its power. Finally, as for the sexual tones, they are evident in his erotic poem “The Flea,” where a man tries to convince a woman to have sexual intercourse with him. Overall, sexual notes are also mentioned in “Jealousy” discussed above, though it may be strange to read such poems written by an Anglican cleric.
Donne’s Controversial Art and Metaphysical Poetry
It is fair to notice that John Donne was and is a controversial poet. In his literary works, he touched on several topics on which people have no consensus. For example, the characters in his elegies are immoral but do not admit it. Additionally, Donne was not supposed to create erotic poetry since he was rather religious, and his choice is itself controversial. As for metaphysical poetry, it may be defined as depicting unnatural in a rather natural way. Donne is considered its representative since he talks about love, death, and many other concepts in an untraditional way. For example, in “His Parting from Her,” the speaker uses his physical love to achieve the spiritual one after his mistress dies. In “Death Be Not Proud,” Death is personified, and such a complex metaphor is inherent in metaphysical poetry.
Works Cited
DeStefano, John. “Political and Social Criticism in “The Calme” by John Donne.” Luminarium, 2012,.
Donne, John. “His Parting from Her.” Luminarium.
Donne, John. “Holy Sonnets: Death, Be Not Proud.” Poetry Foundation.
Donne, John. “Jealousy.” Bartleby.
Donne, John. “Julia.” Luminarium.
Donne, John. “The Perfume.” Bartleby.
Donne, John. “A Tale of a Citizen and His Wife.” Luminarium.
Mahlstedt Jones, Freda. Meaning and Metaphor in John Donne’s Elegies. 2012, PhD dissertation. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.
Poetry Foundation. “John Donne.”