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Speech on John Donne's religious and love poetry

             It is fair to say that John Donne is acknowledged for his explorations beyond physical aspects in life during the period of the Renaissance. This "rebirth" in his poetry is essentially illustrated through his use of devices and his expression in meaning. What comes to debate is whether poetic techniques utilized are more significant than the content that is induced. My interpretations of the poems "The Sunne Rising" and "Batter My Heart" encourage the.
             idea that in Donne's poetry one is influential over the other. Generally, content relies on the techniques being employed, but techniques would be ineffective without the result of useful content. The critical readings of Helen Gardner and M.E. Rickey claim some similar as well as different insights regarding this notion.
             A tendency that can be followed in Donne's work is his exploration of "metaphysical" emotions conveyed by the persona. In view of the fact that love results in the complex range of experiences that need to be articulated, Donne may have expanded his content in some poems in order to express exactly what he feels. The theme of love is relevant in his poem of "The Sunne Rising", where Donne endeavors to create a harmony between the persona and his mistress with pride and boastful admiration, which is seen through his use of hyperbolic conceits: "She is all states, and all princes I, Nothing else is.".
             Rickey states that "in Donne's world the physical laws of the universe must adhere to the complexities of love and passion". This implies that despite techniques content is fundamental when dealing with different levels of metaphysical sense. Hence it is seen that each stanza holds different emotions beyond the practical. Techniques are just one of the elements that make up Donne's unique style in Renaissance poetry. The persona introduces a mock-angry tone as devices of outbursts and insults towards the sunne's disturbance between the couple's love, calling it a "Busy old fool, unruly sun" as well as a "Pedantique wretch".


Essays Related to Speech on John Donne's religious and love poetry

1. Critical study of john donne

John Donne Although all of Donne's poetry is often different in subject matter and form, "The Sunne Rising" can be shown representatively of his work, as they remain notably similar in tone and emotion to the other work he displays. Donne implies the same intellect, emotion and extremity though out all his poetry, whether it is a romantic love poem, such as "The Sunne Rising", presenting an idealised view of his love for the women he shares a bed with, or a religious sonnet, "batter my heart", a time where Donne was in conflict between sin and redemption, a very dramatic and powerfu...

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2. John Donne

The characteristic elements of John Donne's poetry are plentiful. ... John Donne uses amazing poetic devices, style and form in his three main themes of metaphysical love, death, and religion. ... John Donne has written many poems with a love theme, often with an idealized view of sexual love. ... John Donne is also known for his religious poetry, which he mainly wrote between 1618 and 1631. ... John Donne sadly died in 1631. ...

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3. John Donne

John Donne John Donne used poetry and spellbinding sermons to examine platonic love that transcends the body to a more divine level (Knauss 1: 2). ... This solid religious foundation would exhibit itself in John Donne's upbringing and later, would have a large influence on some of his most stimulating poetry and sermons. ... Later, in a characteristic pun, John summed up the experience: "John Donne, Anne Donne, Undone (McDaniel "Donne's Love Poetry-)." ... In "The Good-Morrow,"" Donne speaks of his "wide-ranging exploration of love in all forms (McDaniel "Donne's Lov...

  • Word Count: 1954
  • Approx Pages: 8
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4. Analysis of John Donne

Follows natural speech 7. ... He lived in Elizabethan England, a thriving, vital Renaissance state, yet also a time of religious turmoil. ... Religious allegiances, theological disputes filled s life. ... Love Songs and Sonnets: In fact Donne is unusual, if not unique, for his era in that courtly love hardly appears in his poetry at all. ... The variety of feeling lends Donne's poetry much of its impact, for we seem to be reading an individual's personal experience of love, and not just a poet's contribution to a long-standing tradition of poetic love. ...

  • Word Count: 7662
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5. Critical Analysis comparing Donne

The metaphysical, poets John Donne and George Herbert can also be compared with each other as there are distinct differences and similarities between them. ... However, most of the poetry of Herbert's that is influenced by Donne, is love poetry, and his religious verse is of a later period in his life (T.S Elliot, 1962, pg 18). ... The content of John Donne's poem "To his mistress going to bed", can be seen in contrast to that of George Herbert's "Prayer". ... John Donne is expressing a sexual desire for a woman rather than a yearning for the understanding of God's idea of...

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