John Donne

 It is a type of poetry written during the 17th century.

 Literary critic and poet Samuel Johnson first coined the term
'metaphysical poetry' in his book Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets
(1179-1781).

 Etymologically, “metaphysical” is a combination of ‘meta’ and

‘physical’, it deals with the things that are beyond this the existence of
the physical world.

Meta= beyond

Physical = earthly , concrete

 Metaphysical is a philosophical concept used in literature to describe

the things that are beyond the description of physical existence.
 It is characterized by the use of conceits.
 The conceits were extremely inventive
 Metaphysical texts offer comparisons of unlikely things and are loaded
with conceits, paradoxes, irony and puns, for example, comparing
unlikely things, such as lovers to a compass or the soul to a drop of dew.
 In metaphysical poetry, serious issues are discussed with a touch of
humor.
 Thoughtful speculation on topics such as love or religion
 Metaphysical poets analyzed love, religion and life from a psychological
point of view.
 The most famous example is “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” by
John Donne
 Conceit is like metaphor
 Conceit is an exaggerated comparison
 A comparison between two very unlike things
 The things are so unlike that the reader doesn’t even
want to compare them, but the poet skillfully makes the
comparison acceptable
 An example is the poem “The Flea” by John Donne

Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare,

Where we almost, nay more than married are.
This flea is you and I, and this
Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is;
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee (A)
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; (B)
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow (B)
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me. (A)

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, (A)
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow, (B)
And soonest our best men with thee do go, (B)
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery. (A)

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, (C)
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, (D)
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well (D)
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then? (C)

One short sleep past, we wake eternally (A)

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die. (A)
 It is included as one of the 19th sonnets that comprise John Donne's
Holy Sonnets or Divine Meditations, among his best-known
works.
 He has combined the Shakespearian and Petrarchan style.
 The division of the sonnet reflects the Shakespearian structure,
whereas the rhyme scheme shows the structure of Petrarchan
sonnet.
 The rhyme scheme of the sonnet is : ABBA ABBA CDDC AA
 Most of the verses of this poem are written in iambic pentameter
in which unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable
 Death
 Eternity/ immortality
 Courage
 Religion
 Dreams and hopes
 ?
 The speaker warns Death against pride in his
power,
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
 Such power is merely an illusion, and the end
Death thinks it brings to men and women is in
fact a rest from world-weariness for its alleged
“victims.”
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
 Donne has presented death as a powerless
figure
 The poet criticizes Death as a slave to other forces: fate,
chance, kings, and desperate men.
 Death is not in control, for a variety of other powers
exercise their volition in taking lives.
 Even in the rest it brings, Death is inferior to drugs.

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;

 He does not consider it man’s invincible conqueror. Instead,

he calls it a poor fellow without having free will.
“Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.”
 He denies the authority of death with logical
reasoning, saying the death does not kill people
 Instead, it liberates their souls and directs them to
eternal life.
 The poet also considers death an immense pleasure
similar/superior to sleep and rest.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
 Using the metaphor of death, the poet argues that death is
not permanent and it serves as an eternal pathway to life
hereafter.
 Finally, the speaker predicts the end of Death itself,
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
 Personification“Death, be not proud.”
 Metaphor “Thou art slave to fate.” ,
Alliteration: /th/
“And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
 /m/ sound in

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow.

 Others?

 Anaphora?

 Enjambment ?

 Rhetorical question?
 Apostrophe is a figure of speech in which the
poet addresses an absent person, an abstract
idea, or a thing.

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
 Personification and Apostrophe are figures of speech that
give a creative effect to our language by associating life to
non-living objects.
 Both of them give life to non-living objects.
 The only difference is that, personification gives human
attributes to inanimate objects and abstract ideas,
 while apostrophe only addresses them, as if they are
present and alive.

 APOSTROPHE:
Dearest Moon, please shine as bright as her smile tonight so
when I look at you, I’ll feel inspired.

 PERSONIFICATION
The moon smiled at me last night