Metaphysical Poetry PDF
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This document provides an overview of Metaphysical Poetry, a style of 17th-century English poetry characterized by its use of wit, unusual imagery, and intellectual arguments. It discusses key features like obscurity, conciseness, and unified sensibility, highlighting the work of influential poets like John Donne.
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English Poetry of the Seventeenth Century (The Metaphysical Poetry) A group of the poets emerged in the beginning of the 17th Century, who wrote in a witty and complicated style. John Donne was the most famous Metaphysical Poet. Other members of this group were ‘George...
English Poetry of the Seventeenth Century (The Metaphysical Poetry) A group of the poets emerged in the beginning of the 17th Century, who wrote in a witty and complicated style. John Donne was the most famous Metaphysical Poet. Other members of this group were ‘George Herbert’, , ‘Henry Vaughan’, ‘Andrew Marvell’, and ‘Richard Crashaw’. John Milton in his ‘Comus’ also fell into this group. As compared to Metaphysical poets, ‘The Cavalier poets’ that include ‘Ben Jonson’, ‘Richard Lovelace’, ‘Robert Herrick’ ‘Thomas Carew’ wrote in a lighter, elegant and artificial style. When the songs and sonnets of the great Elizabethan age passed away slowly, the lyrical power began to lose its force. A group of poets, known as the Metaphysical poets, began to write poems which were less beautiful and less musical, but contained tricks of style and strange images. These poets tried to say what they hoped had never been said before. They searched all fields of knowledge, science, as well as, nature, for comparisons. This made their images difficult to understand. The metaphysical style was started by John Donne, early in the 17th Century. Donne was a lawyer and a priest, and he also wrote religious poetry. He wrote many good things but no perfect poetry. His songs and sonnets are his finest works. He had made good use of direct speech to give a colloquial touch to his poems. He also used dramatic realism in his poetry. He said effective things in a few words. Donne’s influence was seen in the religious poets that followed him. One of them was George Herbert. He wrote poetry that was simpler than Donne’s because his experience was narrower. Henry Vaughan considered both Donne and Herbert as his masters. He was more lyrical and gave sensitive descriptions of nature. The term “Metaphysical Poetry” was first coined by Samuel Johnson, the famous poet and the critic. The Metaphysical Poetry Definition as he mentioned a small group of highly educated English poets of the 17th century and called it the “Metaphysical Poets”. He further explained that how they shared the intensive use of unusual conceits and paradoxes to describe the unexplainable (obscure) emotions and events. It is the type of poetry, which has scope beyond the physical world and deals with the notion of existence. Metaphysical Poetry is a vast topic to discuss, but to put in a nutshell, the type of poetry, which is about the correlation between the physical realm and spiritual realm, soul and being, real and conceptual. Characteristics of Metaphysical Poetry Obscurity: The Metaphysical Poetry is highly ambiguous and seems obscure due to the high intellect of the poets. Therefore, it becomes really difficult for the reader to get the roots of the topic in the very first understanding. Conciseness: The poems are very short, succinct and brief. Each line has its complete meaning in fewer words. The poets have lots of maxims and the sayings to describe the function of the lines. Unified Sensibility: Unified Sensibility is the term used for the fusion of reasoning and the emotions together. The Unification of the Sensibility is the major and imperative aspect of the Metaphysical Poetry. These poets didn’t try to separate the feelings and emotions; instead they fused them together smartly. As we stated before, this poetry is the mixture of physical and spiritual, abstract and concrete, passionate feelings and logical arguments. Carelessness in Diction: Colloquialism is also another important feature of the Metaphysical Poetry. The poets reacted against the conventional expressions of harmony and sweetness of the Elizabethan Poetry. They used kind of like informal, colloquial, and unpoetic words. Originality: The Metaphysical Poets are called the most original poets of the English Literature History. They were the rebels, who presented the unseen, unheard ideas that made them distinct from others. This poetry surprises its readers and makes them think about the questions never asked before. Wit: Wit, another vital feature of Metaphysical Poetry, is the expression of the ideas, while aptly using the figures of speech, in such a way that can bring pleasure and joy to the reader. Although the poets were talking about the very serious questions, they made sure to add the element of humor as well. Johan Donne, the leader and founder of Metaphysical Poetry, was named the “Monarch of Wit” due to his logical, argumentative and informal language. Conceit: The Conceits are the unique property of Metaphysical Poetry. They can be defined as the extended metaphor between the two apparently dissimilar objects that don’t have many things in common. JOHN DONNE (1572-1631): John Donne is regarded as the leading metaphysical poet in the history of English literature. Like other poets of his age, he was totally different from them in his attitude, mannerism and treatment of subjects in his poetry. John Donne’s poetry is a mix of contradictions. His style can often be plain, yet his imagery is frequently complex, his use of extended metaphors requiring some careful observation. He is considered the most famous representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are noted for their strong style and include sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its inventiveness of metaphor. His early career was marked by poetry that bore immense knowledge of English society and he met that knowledge with sharp criticism. Another important theme in Donne's poetry is the idea of true religion. He is particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits. Common subjects of Donne's poems are love (especially in his early life), death (especially after his wife's death), and religion. Death, be not proud (Holy Sonnet 10) (1572-1631) It’s one of John Donne’s Holy Sonnets- also known as Divine Sonnets. They are a series of 19 poems. They weren’t published until 1633, two years after Donne’s death. As the title suggests, they are about religion, but, not exclusively, some of them are also about mortality. Donne was a preacher, and he wrote many exciting sermons in his lifetime. However, he is best known for his poems, among which the Holy Sonnets stand out. They are deep, intense, personal, complicated, and playful. Donne is commonly grouped among the Metaphysical Poets, a group of writers from the early 17th century. Along with Donne, the most famous Metaphysicals are Andrew Marvell and George Herbert. They weren’t a formal group at all, and the term didn’t exist until the famous literary critic Samuel Johnson coined it in the 18th century. "Metaphysics" is the study of the ultimate reality beyond our everyday world, including questions about God, creation, and the afterlife. These poets are known for using symbols and images from the "physical" world to spin complicated arguments about such "metaphysical" concerns. They are known especially for the use of wit, which involves a lot of wordplay. Death, be not proud (Holy Sonnet 10): Text of the Poem Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so; For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me. From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow, And soonest our best men with thee do go, Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery. Thou'art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, And poppy'or charms can make us sleep as well And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then? One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die. Death, be not proud (Holy Sonnet 10) Summary: The speaker starts talking directly to Death, whom he treats as a person. He tells Death not to be so proud, because he’s really not as scary or powerful as most people think. The speaker starts talking in contradictions, saying that people don’t really die when they meet Death – and neither will the speaker. Then, he compares him to "rest and sleep," two things that aren’t scary at all. Moreover, the speaker calls Death a "slave" to all kinds of other means that human beings might use to call upon death, such as "poison, war, and sickness." Besides, we don’t need Death – the speaker can just take drugs, and it will have the same effect: falling asleep. So death is just a "short sleep," after which, they will wake eternally in order to join God for eternity. Once this happens, it will seem like Death has died, rather than the humans he attempts to kill. Lines 1-2 Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so; Here Death is depicted as a "proud," arrogant” person. Everybody treats him like a king. They think that he has the power ("might") to do terrible ("dreadful") things. Here, we’re going to refer to Death as "he" because Donne talks to death as if it is a person. Also, when poets address a person or thing that isn’t there or can’t respond, it’s called an "apostrophe." This is one of the most famous examples of apostrophe in all of literature.) But, the speaker isn’t afraid. The speaker orders Death not to be proud, and then says that people are mistaken in treating Death as frightening being. Lines 3-4 For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me. Death thinks that he has the power to kill people, but he actually doesn’t. To make things more humiliating, the speaker starts to show his pity by addressing "poor Death," It seems totally ridiculous to say that Death doesn’t kill people or has the ability to kill the speaker. Lines 5-6 From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow, He compares death to "rest" and "sleep," two things that give us "pleasure." Therefore, death should give us pleasure, too, when we finally meet it. He claims that rest and sleep are only "pictures" of death. The difference between these two things and death is like the difference between a painting of an object and the real thing. If they give us some pleasure, then death will give "much more." The pleasure of death will "flow’ like water. The comparison of death to sleep or eternal rest is a classic metaphor. It is a way for people to talk themselves out of their fear of dying – compare it to an experience that they enjoy. Lines 7-8 And soonest our best men with thee do go, Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery. only the good die young. The "best men […] soonest" follow Death into the afterlife, thinking that he will give the "rest of their bones," and free or "deliver" of their souls. They are the hardest-working and bravest people in society, so they enjoy eternal rest before everyone else. The best men among us soon achieve death, getting their physical body to rest and the soul liberated. Lines 9-10 Thou'art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, The speaker becomes more hostile towards Death, calling him names as a slave. With the metaphor of the slave, the speaker suggests that Death doesn’t act on his own free will, and instead is controlled or manipulated by other things like "fate, chance, kings, and desperate men." Like Death, Fate is often treated as a person in literature. Fate is thought to control everything that happens to people, including when they will die. So, Death doesn’t decide when people will die; he just carries out orders from Fate. "Chance" is kind of the opposite of fate. "Chance" is luck, the idea that things can happen for no particular reason. "Kings" are different from fate and chance because they are real people, but they have a similar kind of control over when and how people die. A king can send soldiers to die in battle or sentence people to execution. "Desperate men," we think, refers to people who commit suicide or do stupid and reckless stuff, which might as well be suicide. In line 10, the speaker brings another accusation against Death, claiming that he stays with or "dwells," with those notorious thugs or criminals, "poison, war, and sickness." In other words, Death’s friends are total losers. Donne treats these three things like people. What do poison, war, and sickness have in common? They all kill lots and lots of people. Moreover, they are all generally considered bad or painful ways to die. Lines 11-12 And poppy'or charms can make us sleep as well And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then? Here, the speaker asks "Who needs Death anyway? If I want to sleep really well, I can just use drugs and magic charms!" The "poppy" is a flower used to make opium, an old-fashioned drug that makes people really happy. In fact, drugs and magic charms work even "better" than Death at bringing on sleep. "stroke" means blow or shock. The speaker puts Death in his place, telling him not to "swell" with pride. Death has no reason to be proud, he is not particularly special. This rhetorical question culminates the poem’s entire argument up to this point. Lines 13-14 One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die. Donne, and the Metaphysical Poets in general, are masters of the surprise ending, and this one is no exception. First, he returns to the idea of death as "sleep,": it’s a "short sleep." According to the religious belief, it is thought that, when people died, it is like they are asleep until the end of the world or Judgment Day. At this point, God wakes everyone up to lead them to Heaven, where they will spend eternity. Therefore, when the world ends, there isn’t any more death. The poem’s final words assure: "Death, thou shalt die." Clearly, the final "die" just means that he won’t exist anymore. Death Lines 1-2: This has got to be one of the most famous examples of personification and apostrophe in all of poetry. The speaker treats death like a person who is considered "mighty" and "dreadful," which is personification. And, he addresses this person-like Death directly, even though Death obviously can’t respond, which is apostrophe. Lines 3-4: Donne uses apostrophe again to address, "poor Death," which is an embarrassing to talk to someone who considers himself a tough person. Lines 5-6: In this metaphor, he calls rest and sleep "pictures" of Death. So "pictures" are like a drawing or a painting. Lines 7-8: Continuing the personification of Death, the speaker says that good people allow death to lead them out of their earthly lives. The bones of the "best men" are a synecdoche, because they actually stand for the whole physical body. Line 8, then, draws a standard religious contrast between body and soul. Line 12: We often talk about people who "swell" with pride, and that’s what’s going on here, when the speaker asks, "Why swell’st thou then?" This is a rhetorical question, designed to make Death realize that he has no reason to be proud. Line 14: He uses the personified idea of Death who ceases to be there – which the last word "die" refers to. Rest and Sleep Donne didn’t invent the comparison between death and sleep, but it was an old one. Line 5: This metaphor compares "rest" and "sleep" to "pictures," like a painting or drawing. The point is that the rest and sleep are pale imitations, and Death is the real thing. On the other hand, Death is only a much stronger version of sleep, and not something scary and different. Line 11: The comparison between Death and sleep becomes an extended metaphor at this point. The speaker says that, if he only wants a really good sleep, he doesn’t even need Death; he can use "poppies" (opium, a kind of drug) or "charms" (magic or potions). Line 13: The extended metaphor continues. He calls the time between the speaker’s death and the Day of Judgment a "short sleep." When the speaker "wakes up," he will find himself in Heaven.