Concetti Chiave
- After Shakespeare, the 17th century saw a decline in artistic output, with theatres closing in 1642 and reopening for upper classes only.
- John Donne, a leading figure in metaphysical poetry, is known for his complex interplay of wit and spiritual themes.
- Donne's life was marked by a shift from a pleasure-seeking youth to a spiritually focused adulthood after his marriage.
- He converted to the Church of England in 1615, which led to significant changes in his personal and professional life.
- As Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, Donne became renowned for his sermons, drawing audiences from far and wide.
After the great Shakespeare there’s a kind of artistic death because no one is able to produce nothing special. Concerning the theatres they were closed down in 1642 and when they reopened, plays were reserved to the upper classes.
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1 - Metaphysical poetry : Marvell and Donne
2 - The Puritan Age : John Milton
3 – The Restoration comedy: Congreve
“Poetry, the mistress of my youth and the wife of my maturity”
“No man is an island…..if you ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls also for you”
(momento delle grandi scelte che non sono individuali ma collegate al resto del mondo)
He was born in 1572 in London.
Both his parents were Catholics, so he received a Roman Catholic education before going to Oxford. In 1592 he joined the Inns of Court to study law. It’s just in this period that he wrote his songs and sonnets and satires. In 1596 he took part in an expedition against Spain and in 1598 a chance of a successful career indicated to him. But in 1601 he married secretly Ann More who was 16 and who gave him 12 children. She was the niece of Donne’s employer who dismissed him. They became poor and in order to be accepted by the society, and to earn more money, he joined the Church of England in 1615. In fact he wrote two anti – Catholic pamphlets and he was obliged to betray his own ideas. His wife died in 1617 when he wrote Holy Sonnets. He became the Dean of the St. Paul’s Cathedral and also the most famous preacher of all times. People from everywhere came to assist to his sermons. He died in 1631 and was buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral. His life can be divided in two parts and the watershed is his marriage. In the first part of his life Donne enjoyed pleasures and attended to very important social meetings. The second part is dedicated to the spiritual behaviour. In fact in his poetry, which is very complex, we can find a mixture of physical and spiritual elements.Domande da interrogazione
- Qual è stato l'impatto della chiusura dei teatri nel 1642?
- Come si divide la vita di John Donne e quali sono le sue fasi principali?
- Quali sono le caratteristiche principali della poesia di John Donne?
I teatri furono chiusi nel 1642 e, quando riaprirono, le rappresentazioni teatrali furono riservate alle classi superiori.
La vita di John Donne si divide in due parti: la prima è caratterizzata da piaceri e incontri sociali importanti, mentre la seconda è dedicata al comportamento spirituale, influenzata dal suo matrimonio e dalla sua carriera nella Chiesa d'Inghilterra.
La poesia di John Donne è complessa e presenta una miscela di elementi fisici e spirituali, riflettendo il suo percorso di vita e le sue esperienze personali.
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