Characteristics of Metaphysical Poetry - 876 Words

What is a metaphysical poem? Metaphysical poetry is concerned with the whole experience of man, but the intelligence, learning and seriousness of the poets means that the poetry is about the profound areas of experience especially - about love, romantic and sensual; about man s relationship with God - the eternal perspective, and, to a less extent, about pleasure, learning and art. Metaphysical poems are lyric poems. They are brief but intense meditations, characterized by striking use of wit, irony and wordplay. Beneath the formal structure (of rhyme, metre and stanza) is the underlying (and often hardly less formal) structure of the poem s argument. Note that there may be two (or more) kinds of argument in a poem. In To His Coy†¦show more content†¦In 17th century England new discoveries were being made and social customs such as men being the dominant over women still applied. Through Donne s poetry we can see that he is goaded and confused by the new discoveries and the social customs avert him from reaching his desires. This is incalculably recognized in his two poems, The Sunne Rising and The Flea where Donne s arguments challenge some beliefs of the 17th century England. Through The Sunne Rising we gain a sense of meaning that Donne is irritated and perplexed with new discoveries and that he believes his loveis everything in the whole world. In The Flea we can see Donne challenging the social costumes of the 17th century, such as chastity of women, his tremendous persistence to sexually unite with the woman and the overall dominance presented over the woman. In both of these poems Donne uses vividly striking differences in the argument to emphasize the overall meaning of the poem. These dramatic contrasts include conceit, binary opposition, imagery, specific words and the movement of the poem, which are additionally affirmed by poetic devices. The Sunne Rising implies that when a couple unearths perfect love together they become one, shaping a world of their own, which has no need for the outside world. He suggests that even the physical laws of the universe must defer to those persons caught up in the larger universe of infatuation. We also see Donne is going through a struggle of the oldShow MoreRelatedJohn Donne1376 Words   |  6 Pagessense founded the metaphysical lyric, which was practiced by scare of writers. As Dowden says, â€Å"We are told that in the decline of the greater poetry of the Elizabethan period, a metaphysical school arose and that John Donne was the founder or the first eminent member of this school.† John Donne set up a new tradition in versification by and large Donne must be regarded as an original poet, â€Å"a poet who gave much more than what he borrowed from his age.† The word â€Å"metaphysical† has been definedRead MoreCritical Appreciation Of T. S. Eliot s The Metaphysical Poets1382 Words   |  6 Pagesof T. S. Eliot’s â€Å"The Metaphysical Poets† T. S. Eliot’s essay â€Å"The Metaphysical Poets† was first published in The Times literary Supplement, 1031 (1921) and reprinted in Homage to John Dryden  (1924) and Selected Essays  (1932). It was published as a review of J.C. Grierson’s Edition of Metaphysical Lyrics and Poems of the 17th  Century.  The essay possesses a high critical value and significance. Eliot begins the essay by praising Grierson’s scholarly edition of Metaphysical lyrics and Poems of theRead MoreElements Of Metaphysical Poetry1092 Words   |  5 PagesDuring the 1600s, a group of poets created a type of poetry known as metaphysical poetry. Metaphysical poetry is a type of poetry that is devotional and mystical in content; it incorporates intellect, logic, and argument to demonstrate concepts such as love and death. Metaphysical poems have the elements of metaphors, metaphysical conceits, paradoxes, and analogies. Metaphors and metaphysical conceits, a type of extended met aphor, are used to show a connection between two things that are not similarRead MoreThe Metaphysical And Victorian Concept Of Love Essay1308 Words   |  6 PagesThe Metaphysical and Victorian concept of love is as diverse as it can be particularly comparing the intense love shown in Porphyria s Lover by Robert Browning with the playful love in nature in To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell. Love has multiple definitions and it has so far remained among the most complex subject that require a single particular definition to define its meaning. Plato once said At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet and that s why may be we have so many diverseRead MoreTHE MAIN FEATURES OF THE METAPHYSICAL POETRY ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN DONNE1637 Words   |  7 PagesFEATURES OF THE METAPHYSICAL POETRY ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN DONNE The term metaphysical poetry is used to describe a certain type of 17th century poetry. Metaphysical poetry is concerned with the whole experience of man. It means that the poetry is about showing knowledge and thoughts from different areas of experience, especially about love, romantic and sensual; about mans relationship with God and about pleasure, learning and art. Metaphysical poems are lyricRead MoreThe Flea By John Donne1314 Words   |  6 PagesDuring the 15 and 1600 s, love was a very common theme in much of the poetry written in that time period. Most including, and wearing out common cliches about love such as, cheeks like roses or, hearts pierced by the arrows of love.. John Donne, a well known poet of that time period writes many poems about love, but none using all those tired, worn out cliches. Donne brings his poems to life using vivid imagery and elaborately sustained metaphors known as conceits. (The Norton AnthologyRead MoreMetaphysical Poetry of John Donne1441 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Donne’s metaphysical poetry includes analysis of Donne’s use of topic, structure, scansion, style and theme. John Donne is known as one of the best writers of metaphysical poetry, a genre of poetry that is characterized specifically by themes of knowledge, intellect, and having a somewhat unrecognizable meter or rhyme. Metaphysical poetry forsakes pure and genial nature of other Elizabethan poets. Paradox, juxtaposition, and philosophy are few of many recurring ideas of metaphysical poems. He hadRead MoreRepresentations of Romantic Love in Poetry Across the Periods1480 Words   |  6 PagesNo topic in poetry has received more attention than romantic love. Conversely, the ultimate expression of love is through poetry. In each poetic period, the representation of romantic love has been informed by the social and cultural values of the time. Thus, across time, attitudes towards romantic love have shifted with changing values and beliefs. ‘Sonnet 130’ by William Shakespeare from the Elizabethan period, ‘Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ by John Donne from the metaphysical period, and ‘Lullaby’Read MoreRenaissance: Impact on English Literature1723 Words   |  7 Pagesof the Renaissance on Elizabethan poetry, drama and prose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Under the influence of the Renaissance English poetry awoke as from a long sleep at the court of Henry VIII. The English poetry was kindled into new life by contact with the Italian Renaissance. There appeared a group of courtier-poets who, under the influence of Renaissance individualism, inaugurated a new fashion of writing poems of personal kind (for the great characteristic of medieval poetry was its impersonal character) dealingRead More John Donnes Use of Wit Language and Metaphor in Poetry Essay754 Words   |  4 PagesLanguage and Metaphor in Poetry As discussed on a previous short essay question, John Donne is considered to be one of the greatest metaphysical poets of our time, even though he published only a small number of poems in his lifetime. The poems he did write were metaphorical and often humorus poems telling the tale of religious love and sex. Being a metaphysical poet he exhibited many characteristics of the metaphysical poets. He wrote with metaphysical wit, metaphysical conceit, metaphors, symbols