Critical Analysis: John Donne
Juliana Jazz Camero
Mark Bland
John Donne – Nocturnal Upon St. Lucy’s Day, Being the Shortest Day
This poem presents a bleak and mournful image as Donne mourns the death of a beloved. It is said to be about Lucy, the patron saint of the blind, however, as many of Donne’s poems cannot be dated with certainty, the ‘beloved’ remains ambiguous. The stanza form is traditional and the use of rhyming couplets can suggest that the poem is to be spoken, almost like an epitaph for the deceased beloved.
This is one of Donne’s love poems; however, it creates an emotion of profound sadness as Donne’s melancholic nature of the poem - ‘The whole world’s sap is sunk’ (line 5) - remain constant throughout. The regular stanza form and line length portray the constant emotion throughout the poem. The subject of losing a loved one in a love poem is typical of Donne and his hyperbole portrays the extent of his sadness as he implies that her death is his death ‘For I am every dead thing’ (line 12). Donne’s use of hyperbole in the poem is also one of his key rhetorical devices as it represents Renaissance poetry and transgression of society.
His personification of death, ‘He ruin’d me’ (line 17) and metaphors ‘I, by Love’s limbec, am the grave’ (line 21) give a powerful feeling that the death of the beloved has wronged him and as the poem reaches its end, the reference to lechery ‘Goat is run’ (line 39) and ‘lovers’ (line 38) create a bitter and resentful tone towards couples. It is also an example of Donne’s witty use of language, as the ‘lesser sun’ (line 38) is the real sun and is in constellation of the star sign of the Goat during December. This makes the poem’s sentiment more personal and, although Donne adopts a sarcastic tone ‘Enjoy your summer all’ (line 41), the reader is almost forced to feel pity and sadness towards Donne.
The last stanza emphasizes his grief as he seems to be considering suicide ‘Let me prepare towards her’ (line 43), however, he could
Mark Bland
John Donne – Nocturnal Upon St. Lucy’s Day, Being the Shortest Day
This poem presents a bleak and mournful image as Donne mourns the death of a beloved. It is said to be about Lucy, the patron saint of the blind, however, as many of Donne’s poems cannot be dated with certainty, the ‘beloved’ remains ambiguous. The stanza form is traditional and the use of rhyming couplets can suggest that the poem is to be spoken, almost like an epitaph for the deceased beloved.
This is one of Donne’s love poems; however, it creates an emotion of profound sadness as Donne’s melancholic nature of the poem - ‘The whole world’s sap is sunk’ (line 5) - remain constant throughout. The regular stanza form and line length portray the constant emotion throughout the poem. The subject of losing a loved one in a love poem is typical of Donne and his hyperbole portrays the extent of his sadness as he implies that her death is his death ‘For I am every dead thing’ (line 12). Donne’s use of hyperbole in the poem is also one of his key rhetorical devices as it represents Renaissance poetry and transgression of society.
His personification of death, ‘He ruin’d me’ (line 17) and metaphors ‘I, by Love’s limbec, am the grave’ (line 21) give a powerful feeling that the death of the beloved has wronged him and as the poem reaches its end, the reference to lechery ‘Goat is run’ (line 39) and ‘lovers’ (line 38) create a bitter and resentful tone towards couples. It is also an example of Donne’s witty use of language, as the ‘lesser sun’ (line 38) is the real sun and is in constellation of the star sign of the Goat during December. This makes the poem’s sentiment more personal and, although Donne adopts a sarcastic tone ‘Enjoy your summer all’ (line 41), the reader is almost forced to feel pity and sadness towards Donne.
The last stanza emphasizes his grief as he seems to be considering suicide ‘Let me prepare towards her’ (line 43), however, he could