John_Donne

Donne expresses more intense passion for his woman than for his God. Discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement by using at least two poems as your reference “Donne draws on the Neoplatonic conception of physical love and religious love as being two manifestations of the same impulse” (SparkNotes Editors). According to Answer.com, “the founder of Neoplatonism was Plotinus, who constructed an elaborate hierarchy of spiritual levels through which the individual soul could ascend from physical existence to merge with The One”(The Supreme). As we delve into John Donne’s sonnets, this progression of love that transcends into love of God, or spiritual fulfillment becomes clear. The transcendence from raw physical needs to one of pure devotion for his God is explored in Sonnet 14 and The Apparition. The poet employs graphic images of haunting and the haunted in The Apparition to express his love for his lady, but upon closer scrutiny, the speaker appears to be threatening her. In the first line, he addresses her as a “murd'ress” as though to give the impression that his love for her is so strong that if she does not return his affections, he would simply die. The speaker immediately arouses sympathy for himself with this pitiful visual image; in addition, he also paints a picture of a cruel woman when he uses the word “scorn”. This forms an image of a haughty lady who gives no regard for anyone who does not meet her fancy. But then, like a snake striking, he tells her that “thou think'st thee free” as though to imply that it would not end there. The speaker resorts to eerie visual imagery and tells her that his “ghost” will haunt her. The speaker does not only threatens her, but he accuses her of feigning her virtue as though to create a sinful image of her. He proceeds to paint a colourful picture of a wanton whose husband would not be able to satisfy her insatiable sexual appetite. Within these images, the speaker also seems to be saying that she would not find anyone else like him and she would always be lonely. It is then that he would haunt her, when she is alone. He tells her “I will not tell thee now, lest that preserve thee; and since my love is spent”, after having already created this frightful image of his vengeance. Lastly, he manipulates her by telling her that it would be better then if she returns his affections now that he is alive than to face his vengeance when he dies. The intensity of this love that the speaker appears to be proclaiming is quite questionable and poses the question of how true is his love for this lady. With the images that he has created, it seems more like a persuasion to get the lady in his bed. According to Wikipedia.org, “the holy sonnets were composed in 1609 and 1610, in a period of great physical, emotional, and financial hardship, as well as religious turmoil.” Through an analysis of Sonnet 14, this turmoil becomes evident. The speaker employs strong use of imagery to show the intensity of his love for his God. In the opening lines, the speaker tells his god to “batter his heart.” The word “batter” immediately evokes a feeling of pain. It is as though the speaker wishes his God to use him, the same way as that of a lover who tramples on another’s feelings, causing intense hurt. The speaker then goes on to tell his God to “o'erthrow” him since he, the speaker, is at his mercy to “breake”, “blowe” and “burn” him. The word “o'erthrow” instantly conjures a visual image of a ruler whose rights have been taken away from him so that he no longer has any control over his kingdom. In the same way, the speaker appears to make a parallel between a defeated ruler and himself. He wants his God to take full control over him. But the speaker does not only seem to want to be simply controlled; he wants to be broken, burnt and blown away by his God. As the reader gets deeper into the poem, the image gets more brutal as though to match the speaker’s fervour and his total submission to be used by his God. The speaker continues his pleading to his God in the second quatrain. He compares himself to a “usurpt towne”. In this metaphoric comparison, the speaker appears to portray someone who belongs to another and who is “captived” and “weak” as though to indicate a struggle and his weakness to overcome his seemingly typical human qualities or what he refers to as ‘another”. With the word “betrothed” in the third quatrain, the speaker seems to be comparing himself to one who is promised to another, and not just anyone but God’s “enemy”. Perhaps what the speaker is implying by “betrothed”, “another” and “enemy” is that he is a mere man who is susceptible to things that are deemed sinful. The speaker expands this analogy by imploring to be “divorced” and “untie”. This is re-emphasized as the speaker compares his vulnerability to this marital tie that he wishes to break. In doing this, what the speakers appears to be pleading for is his freedom to serve his God. The speaker ends the quatrain with the line, “take me to you, imprison me…” as though to say that he willing to spend the rest of his life in servitude of his God. The word “ravish” denotes force and more violence that is usually associated with rape, yet the speaker employs this paradox as though to imply that it is only through pain that he would be able to truly be free to serve his God. It is as though the speaker wants to form a parallel between an abused person and himself, but instead of the devastating effects that this is supposed to have on someone, he, the speaker, would be pure to serve his God- quite an unconventional way of expressing one’s love; yet, throughout this sonnet, the poet creates these disturbing images. Perhaps, this is supposed to reveal the speaker’s intense feelings for his God to show that this sacrifice is not punishment, but an act of redemption. The diction in both poems differs. In The Apparition, the speaker resorts to language that is condescending by accusing her of feigning her virtue and being shameless. He appears to use language that indicates his selfish desires and which would place him above all else as though he is the only man who would be able to satisfy her. Instead of following the norm where men serenade the women with romantic notions, the speaker of The Apparition chooses to frighten and manipulate her into his bed. In contrast, Sonnet 14‘s speaker appears to be remorseful and humble. He appears to be ready to sacrifice his life to the servitude of his God. He completely puts his God above everything else. His surrender tells of the intensity and urgency of his love for his God as is also evident in Donne’s Hymn To God, My God, In My Sickness and Oh My Black Soul where the speakers express pure adoration for their God by focusing on death, resurrection and redemption, quite unlike The Flea and The Apparition where the speakers appear to seek to satisfy their own personal satisfaction. Donne may have started out writing his poems to express his passion for his woman, but with time and experience and self discovery, Donne’s use of language transcends into something greater than just expressions of love and lust for a woman. Instead, he appears to use the same ecstasy that one would experience sexually and transforms it into love for his God, only this time, he has done it selflessly-an act of pure spiritual enlightenment, much more intense than what he has expressed for his woman. Work Cited R. V. Merrill and R. J. Clements, Platonism in French Renaissance Poetry (1957): http://www.answers.com/topic/neoplatonism#ixzz2BzdmvNGL.Web.11 Nov.2012 SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Donne’s Poetry.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 July 2004. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.