Tone Of The Poem Song By John Donne

In the poem “Song” by John Donne, the poet presents the listener with a closed form consisting of three stanzas. Each stanza is amplified with one sestet that exhibits a rhyme scheme, ABABCC, and a concluding rhyming triplet. Donne uses this form to create a light tone, a song of romance. However, the lyrical approach is undercut by the disenchantment that the speaker encounters with a woman. The disenchantment ignites the speaker to view all women as inconsistent and disloyal, despite the poet’s theme: the temptation of women may lead to misunderstanding and deception.
To begin, Donne opens the first stanza with a hyperbole. “Go and catch a falling star” (1), the speaker makes a statement to his listener that is an impossible task but he presents
In ancient times, the mandrake root was used as a source of magic and was symbolic of the human form with four roots stemming out like the limbs of a human body. Donne uses the root to convey the tone by the speaker telling the listener to cast a spell using the roots of the mandrake plant to take him back in time to understand why women are inconsistent and disloyal. In connection he satirically alludes that she might as well show him who “cleft the Devil’s foot” (4) too. The mandrake root also connects to the reference with the mermaids. This mythological reference presents the theme of the poem, the temptation of a woman may be misunderstanding and deceptive. “Teach me to hear mermaids singing” (5), mermaids were half woman, half fish creatures that were believed to have lured passing sailors to their death with a mellifluous and irresistible melody. For the speaker to say he wants to be tempted is ironic, yet it shows his desperation to figure out why is it that women have inconsistent minds and are