Donne's Poetry
Write a close reading of John Donne’s “The Relic”. Think about what the poem is about (content), how it is written (form and structure), and why, to what effect (the relation between form and content). You may like to refer to Cleanth Brooks’ essay, “The Formalists,” for inspiration.
This essay will look at the form, structure and content of “The Relic” in an attempt to offer an explanation as to what the poem is about. It will examine the metaphysical poets, and discuss the techniques employed by them to express their views. “The Relic” consists of three 11-line stanzas which incorporate tetrameter (four metrical feet), pentameter (five metrical feet) and two tri-meter (three metrical feet) lines per stanza. It is written mainly in iambic pentameter and has a rhyming pattern of aabbcddceee. This gives the poem a songlike quality which is associated with this type of lyric poetry. Each stanza is made up of a single sentence which, with the help of the meter, forces the first four lines of each verse to be read rapidly. The caesura then slows down the reading, causing the reader to reflect more deeply on what has been said. In the first line of “The Relic”, Donne uses images allied with death. This makes it easy for the reader to mistake the theme of the poem as being about dying. By using the personal pronoun ‘my’ (l.1) placed alongside the noun ‘grave’ (l.1) it is suggested that it is Donne’s own grave which is being made reference to, thus reinforcing the impression of a mournful poem. However, when Donne goes on to describe the exhumation of his and his lover’s corpses, after they have rotted away, the poem changes from embodying death to celebrating love. The reader becomes aware that although he is dead, death is not the true significance here. The move from death to love is introduced with: ‘A bracelet of bright hair about the bone,’ (l.6). This line could be interpreted as a wedding ring joining the couple together; adding to the
This essay will look at the form, structure and content of “The Relic” in an attempt to offer an explanation as to what the poem is about. It will examine the metaphysical poets, and discuss the techniques employed by them to express their views. “The Relic” consists of three 11-line stanzas which incorporate tetrameter (four metrical feet), pentameter (five metrical feet) and two tri-meter (three metrical feet) lines per stanza. It is written mainly in iambic pentameter and has a rhyming pattern of aabbcddceee. This gives the poem a songlike quality which is associated with this type of lyric poetry. Each stanza is made up of a single sentence which, with the help of the meter, forces the first four lines of each verse to be read rapidly. The caesura then slows down the reading, causing the reader to reflect more deeply on what has been said. In the first line of “The Relic”, Donne uses images allied with death. This makes it easy for the reader to mistake the theme of the poem as being about dying. By using the personal pronoun ‘my’ (l.1) placed alongside the noun ‘grave’ (l.1) it is suggested that it is Donne’s own grave which is being made reference to, thus reinforcing the impression of a mournful poem. However, when Donne goes on to describe the exhumation of his and his lover’s corpses, after they have rotted away, the poem changes from embodying death to celebrating love. The reader becomes aware that although he is dead, death is not the true significance here. The move from death to love is introduced with: ‘A bracelet of bright hair about the bone,’ (l.6). This line could be interpreted as a wedding ring joining the couple together; adding to the
Bibliography: Brooks, C. (1951) The Formalist Critics, The Norton Anthology Theory And Criticism, ed. Vincent B. Leitch, General Editor, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2001). Collins, W. (2005) Collins English Dictionary, Suffolk: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. Conner, M. Dr. http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/period/metaphysicals.html [accessed February 2008]. Eliot, T. S. (1921) The Metaphysical Poets, The Norton Anthology Theory And Criticism, ed. Vincent B. Leitch, General Editor, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2001). Johnson, S. (1783) From Lives of the English Poet, The Norton Anthology Theory And Criticism, ed. Vincent B. Leitch, General Editor, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2001). Princeton University. (2008) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/neoplatonism, (USA: Farlex, Inc) [ accessed February 2008].