Love in John Donne's A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning and Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress

1635 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The original version of A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

Love in John Donne's A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning and Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress

John Donne's "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" and Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress" both talk about love but has different views about it, one talks about physical love and the other talks about spiritual love. John Donne's "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" compared love to a circle while Andrew Marvel's "To His Coy Mistress" compared love to a straight line. Both poems are act of persuasions. "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" is persuading the reader that true love is eternal while "To His Coy Mistress" the speaker is persuading the mistress to make passionate sex with him. Therefore, with all of these similarities and differences, it's commendable to compare the two works of literature.

"A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" has a subtle theme of religion in itself particularly, Christianity in relation to life after death. The main theme of the poem is true love will continue on, even after death. Lines one through two illustrate the notion of afterlife. "As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go..." Essentially, it implies that we have souls, and souls are the immortal part of men (human beings). John Donne's notion that we have souls and there's life after death are presumably based on his Christian beliefs. Donne was born in England and raised by a prosperous Roman Catholic family. At the age of 42, Donne accepted ordination in the Angelican Church. He, then, became and earned a reputation as one of the greatest preachers (Abcarian and Klotz 1121). Donne was 60 years of age when he wrote the poem; presumably, he was still a preacher at the time. Therefore, his poem can be suggested as...

... middle of paper ...

...ourning." Although the main central theme of the poems were directly opposite of each other, we can relate that physical love and spiritual love has a connection to each other. Physical love can turn to spiritual love or perhaps spiritual love can turn to physical love. At one point or another, we have experienced both physical and spiritual love. On the surface, we can say that spiritual love is a cut above physical love. However, it's hypocritical to say that we do not come into contact with emotions such as desire or lust. Therefore, physical love is at the same level as spiritual love. It is merely difficult to admit that we do experience lust because it is not something to be proud about. Social convention dictates that we should not feel lust. Moreover, lust is one of the seven sins. However, lust is a valid emotion that every one experience once in a while.

Show More
Related

  • The Events and Impact of the Seven Years War

    1517 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the years leading up to the Seven Years War, there were already many skirmishes in the thirteen colonies between the British and the Native American tribes in the area.1 The first official year of fighting also led to many decisive defeats to the overextended British Empire. Many small battles for dominance between the British and the French also occurred along the Indian coast. In response to the acts of expansion by the French, the British decided to defend its own territory in North America and India.2 There were many battles scattered across the world, with significant naval battles in the Indian theatre and the Mediterranean. At first, the French won many decisive battles with the aid of its allies against the British Empire. Both countries however, were relatively equal in size and power at the time, but that would soon change. The British began to turn the tide as they made significant lead...

    Read More

  • Benedict Arnold

    1778 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the most notorious names in history is Benedict Arnold, an American Revolutionary War leader, who is known for being the “traitor to his country.” Yet, without his courageous and heroic deeds in the fight against the British, the Americans may have not gained freedom. In Saratoga, New York, a monument is dedicated to Arnold’s contribution to the victory of the Battle of Saratoga; however, there is no name on the monument. Biographer James Kirby Martin once said, “The tragedy of Benedict Arnold is that his incredible acts … have been washed away and basically forgotten.” Although Benedict Arnold was once a respected and admirable leader of the Americans, he was branded as a selfish and unethical traitor after the Revolutionary War and his efforts towards the success of the Americans were often overlooked or forgotten.

    Read More

  • Love and Lust in Play-By-Play, Sex without Love, and Junior Year Abroad

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this poem the main character is lustful of both the new man she has met in Paris as well as the man she left behind her homeland, although she was under the false perception that it was love. The often confused words 'love' and 'lust' are becoming used interchangeably more and more every day. Indeed, many definitions are being loosened up, and many words are being used improperly. When people use the words 'love' and 'lust', they should be more careful which word it is that they mean to say.

    Read More

  • Comparing Tone in To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time and To His Coy Mistress

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Rober Herrick and Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress” have many similarities and differences. The tone of the speakers, the audience each poem is directed to, and the theme make up some of the literary elements that help fit this description.

    Read More

  • Steroid Use in Baseball

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    Steroid usage is rampant in baseball and players make choices to use the steroids despite the fact that MLB banned the usage of steroids in 2001 (Drug Policy, 2014). MLB did not begin drug testing for steroids until March of 2003 or institute fines and suspensions until 2005 (Drug Policy, 2014).

    Read More

  • Vulnerability in the Works of John Donne

    2695 Words  | 6 Pages

    John Donne uses poetry to explore his own identity, express his feelings, and most of all, he uses it to deal with the personal experiences occurring in his life. Donne's poetry is a confrontation or struggle to find a place in this world, or rather, a role to play in a society from which he often finds himself detached or withdrawn. This essay will discuss Donne's states of mind, his views on love, women, religion, his relationship with God; and finally how the use of poetic form plays a part in his exploration for an identity and salvation.

    Read More

  • Holy Sonnet 10

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin with, when Mr. Donne first commences his poem, he uses the personification “Death, be not proud” (1). The author gives death the human characteristics of being “not proud.” The rest of the line continues as “though some have called you thee”. ” Death should not be prideful even if people think it is. John displays through this first line how he feels about death: he is too proud for his own good.

    Read More

  • Division of the Body and Soul in John Donne's "The Funeral" and "Sonnet 3"

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Donne's "The Funeral" and "Holy Sonnet 3" are undeniably similar in their discussions of the separation of the body and soul. Each poem deals directly with the idea of death and afterlife. However, the topic of death is referred to not as an ending but more of as a beginning to a new life, exclusively for the soul. Each poem reflects the soul being released from the body as a way of cleansing the spirit while allowing the mind to rid itself of things that might have troubled the speaker while living. Through death the soul is given a second life, free of previous concerns and with new virginity to the blessings of the afterlife.

    Read More

  • Love In Shakespeare's 'A Valediction Forbidding Mourning'

    1433 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 'Twickernham Garden ' Donne cleverly uses a spider as the conceit of the poem to comment on the nature of love, to emphasise that just like a spider love traps you insidiously and leaves you helpless. As well as that there is religious connotations to transubstantiation and manna and serpents. By doing this Donne finds another way to create an effective poem in emphasising his meaning and thoughts. The Major conceit in 'A Valediction Forbidding Mourning ' is that of a compass. Samuel Johnson a fellow poet, who coined the term metaphysical poetry criticised Donne by stating that 'the poem 's compass analogy highlights the violence used by metaphysical poets to force the most heterogeneous ideas together. Disagreeing with this statement, Donne 's use of the compass to reinforce the idea that their souls are like the legs of the compass, even though they will physically separate he will always come back as they create something perfect 'Thy firmness makes my circle just and make me end where I begun '. The conceit reassures his lover that it is inevitable that he will return because they are joined spiritually, mentally and physically, and their love is strong because he will always come back to

    Read More

  • The Flea and The Sun Rising

    1643 Words  | 4 Pages

    The metaphysical era in poetry started in the 17th century when a number of poets extended the content of their poems to a more elaborate one which investigated the principles of nature and thought. John Donne was part of this literary movement and he explored the themes of love, death, and religion to such an extent, that he instilled his own beliefs and theories into his poems. His earlier works, such as The Flea and The Sunne Rising, exhibit his sexist views of women as he wrote more about the physical pleasures of being in a relationship with women. However, John Donne displays maturity and adulthood in his later works, The Canonization and A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, in which his attitude transcends to a more grown up one. The content of his earlier works focused on pursuing women for his sexual desires, which contrasts heavily with his latter work. John Donne’s desire for physical pleasure subsides and he seeks to gain an emotional bond with women, as expressed in his later poetry.

    Read More

  • Compare the ways in which Donne presents the experience of love in ‘The Sun Rising’ and ‘The Good Morrow’

    1602 Words  | 4 Pages

    In both ‘The Sun Rising’ and ‘The Good Morrow’ Donne presents the experience of love, in a typical Metaphysical style, to engage his reader through sharing his own experiences. These poems show distinctive characteristics of Metaphysical poems which involve colloquial diction, drawing inventive imagery from unconventional sources, passionately analysing relationships and examining feelings. Donne presents the experience of love through conceits, Metaphysical wit, language techniques and imagery, in a confident tone using logical argument. The impact of Donne’s use of direct and idiomatic language shows the reader how he feels about a woman and ultimately love.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Passionate Shepherd To His Love And Sonnet 18 By Edmund Spenser

    1322 Words  | 3 Pages

    He compares his relationship with his love as “stiff twin compasses” and other similar comparisons to describe their unity (Dunne 26). Like a compass, they always seem to be working cohesively as one unit. It could have the same theme as “The Passionate Shephard to His Love” by Christopher Marlowe, the theme of love conquering all. They both seem to have an idealistic view to the relationship as well, as the shephard in Marlowe’s poem insists that his love “will all the pleasures prove” if she were to go with him (Marlowe 2). Both poems aim for a perfect life with their love, and Donne’s poem manages to come up with a more realistic option out of the

    Read More

  • The Word "Love" is Misunderstood

    559 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some people get the word love mixed up with lust. People do this because they tend to forget that when in love, sex is never a necessity but an accessory to the feeling. Lust and love have so many differences it is considered ridiculous. Some people say that they love someone just to get the physical action that is so commonly wanted but never really needed. Lust is something that is completely physical, while love is the complete opposite. Love is a feeling so euphoric that everything, but at the same time nothing m...

    Read More

  • Gandhi's intent with Hind Swaraj

    1782 Words  | 4 Pages

    The measured dialogue between Reader and Editor serves as the framework through which Gandhi seeks to discredit accepted terms of civilization and denounce the English. These principle characters amply assist in the development o...

    Read More

  • Death, Be Not Proud by John Donne

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Donne will not accept death as the finale, his religious conviction supports in the belief of eternal life proceeding death. Throughout the poem Donne’s main purpose was the personification of death, his use of figurative language gave death humanistic characteristics and made death vulnerable and unintimidating. The structure of three quatrains and a couplet for the poem allowed for easier understanding of the context because the layout and rhyme scheme helped the poem flow and also revealed the tones. The imagery of death described by Donne breaks down death’s pride and bravado, as well as shine an encouraging light past the process of dying, on to the hope of delivery to eternal life. Each element played a significant role in the interpretation of the paradox of the poem, that ultimately death is not the universal destroyer of life.

    Read More

More about Love in John Donne's A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning and Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress

Open Document