Concetti Chiave
- John Donne, born in 1572 in London, was a law student and poet known for his secular and sacred poetry.
- Donne's life was marked by his secret marriage in 1601 and his appointment as Royal Chaplain by James I in 1615.
- His poetry is divided into secular love poetry and sacred themes, breaking traditional Petrarchan conventions.
- Metaphysical poetry, associated with Donne, is characterized by complex themes and an irregular rhythm reflecting emotional shifts.
- Sonnet X, written after his wife's death, challenges the power of death with its simple language and complex syntax.
Life
John Donne was born in 1572 in London into the family of a tradesman. In 1588 he left Oxford without taking his degree, which would have obliged him to take the oath of supremacy. In 1592 Donne entered Lincoln’s Inn as a law-student: attending plays, seducing woman and composing poetry. After this decade in the high school, he became chief secretary of an important court official, Sir Thomas Egerton, whose niece Donne secretly married in 1601.
Achievement
As his life, also his poetry is divided into two halves: secular and sacred one. The secular side is represented by love poetry.
Metaphysical poetry
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy. It describes the complexity of themes and concepts of Donne’s poetry. The rhythm of speech is irregular and represent the sudden changes of emotion.
Sonnet X
This Sonnet was published in 1633, and was written after the death of Donne’s wife, Ann More. in this play Donne wrote that
- Death thinks wrongly that can kill people
- Death is a long sleep, and sleep is pleasant for everyone
- Death can’t control facts and people
- Poison and poppy are better way to sleep
Both syntax and themes are difficult, but the words of the text are simple and belong to every day English.
age, the sacred one is expressed in the Holy Sonnet.
The main convention he broke was the Petrarchan model of lover and his lady. There are the same ability both secular poetry and sacred poetry, like Holy Sonnet. Donne’s example inspire a new school of poets, known as ‘the metaphysical poets’.
Domande da interrogazione
- Quali sono le due metà della vita e della poesia di John Donne?
- Qual è l'importanza del Sonetto X di John Donne?
- Come ha influenzato John Donne la poesia metafisica?
La vita e la poesia di John Donne sono divise in due metà: una secolare e una sacra. La parte secolare è rappresentata dalla poesia d'amore, mentre quella sacra è espressa nei Sonetti Sacri.
Il Sonetto X, pubblicato nel 1633 dopo la morte della moglie di Donne, sfida la percezione della morte, descrivendola come un lungo sonno piacevole e affermando che la morte non può controllare le persone.
John Donne ha ispirato una nuova scuola di poeti, noti come "poeti metafisici", rompendo le convenzioni del modello petrarchesco e introducendo temi complessi e un ritmo irregolare che riflette i cambiamenti improvvisi delle emozioni.
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