The Lovers' Authority in John Donne's

Through imagery, the poet is able to convey the lovers’ feelings of superiority. The expected sentiment toward the sun would normally be that of adoration and worship. The sun brings life; everything is dependent on it. When the sun is personified, as it is in this poem, it is usually so that the people on Earth can idolize it. However, in this case, the sun is portrayed as an antagonist. An idol is not usually described with words such as “busy old fool [and] unruly” (1). By using such unpleasant adjectives to relate to the sun, the lovers must automatically appear outstanding in comparison.

The structure of the poem is also used to indicate the egoism of the lovers. The perfect construction can be seen by the rhyme scheme and the amount of syllables. There is a set rhyme scheme that is followed through the whole poem: ABBACDCDEE. There is also a set amount of syllables per line: 8, 4, 1

0, 10, 8, 8, 10, 10, 10, 10. Although it is difficult to understand a passion that can be structured or tamed, the reader is lulled into accepting it and enjoying the organization. It is when the poet strays from this pattern that the seeming precision is called into question. Line 25 jolts the reader because it breaks the pattern: it has an extra syllable. “Thou, sun, art half as happy as we,” (25) would initially appear to be an ordinary love-sick statement that belongs in a love poem. The extra syllable in “happy” causes the reader to question the poet persona’s true happiness. If someone is truly happy, it is unnecessary to point out his or her emotion to others. In the case of a poem, the feeling should leap off the page through the mood of the piece. Instead the overwhelming sentiment ranges from anger to mocking to self-centred.

In the third stanza the self-centred nature becomes overwhelming. While referring to himself and his lover the poet persona says, “She is all states, and all princes I, / Nothing else is. / Princes do but play us” (21-23). They are more important than all the other countries and royalty. In fact, these seemingly important people are simply trying to mimic the lovers. The sun is also assumed to be elderly: “Thine age asks ease” (27) which relates this situation to teenagers and parents. The young persons feel that because of the significant age difference, their parents do not understand them. Th

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