Metaphysical conceit

In English literature the term is generally associated with the 17th century metaphysical poets, an extension of contemporary usage. In the metaphysical conceit, metaphors have a much more purely conceptual, and thus tenuous, relationship between the things being compared. Helen Gardner observed that "a conceit is a comparison whose ingenuity is more striking than its justness" and that "a comparison becomes a conceit when we are made to concede likeness while being strongly conscious of unlikeness." An example of the latter would be George Herbert's "Praise (3)," in which the generosity of God is compared to a bottle which ("As we have boxes for the poor") will take in an infinite amount of the speaker's tears. An often-cited example of the metaphysical conceit is the metaphor from John Donne's "The Flea", in which a flea that bites both the speaker and his lover becomes a conceit arguing that his lover has no reason to deny him sexually, although they are not married: Oh stay! three lives in one flea spare Where we almost, yea more than married are. This flea is you and I, and this Our marriage-bed and marriage-temple is. When Sir Philip Sidney begins a sonnet with the conventional idiomatic expression "My true-love hath my heart and I have his", but then takes the metaphor literally and teases out a number of literal possibilities and extravagantly playful conceptions in the exchange of hearts, the result is a fully formed conceit. Definition: a conceit" is a poetic idea, usually a metaphor A "metaphysical conceit" is a particular type of poetic metaphor of the sort developed by the so-called "metaphysical poets" -- a group of 17th century British poets, including John Donne, who challenged many lyrical conventions (e.g., imagery, meter) Their "metaphysical conceits" were uncoventional/unexpected metaphors --unusual but striking analogies between things that seem very UN-like. They may be shocking or far-fetched and can be very elaborate; at their best they are ingenious, enabling us to look at things "a whole new way" (See sources for some examples) Sometimes the term is used as a sort of put-down, to describe an idea (not necessarily in poetry or other literature) which is more imagined than real (similar to "a legal fiction")

The Good Morrow: A Metaphysical Explication

Few come close to such a thorough expression of love as John Donne. In his poem, The Good Morrow, Donne fully employs the numerous devices of poetry to relay his speakers endearing message to his lover. He uses elements of structure, figurative language, point-of-view, and tone to creatively support his speaker in the endeavor. However, not all aspects of the poem are clear due to the astute allusions and references by the learned Donne. Examples of these unclear elements are found in the first stanzas seaven sleepers den phrase, the second stanzas exploration imagery, and the final stanzas hemispherical imagery. On the surface, these references may seem to be carelessly included and non-supportive of the central theme. But we will come to see that these references do much to further support the speakers message. We will come to discover that Donnes The Good Morrow is poem that efficiently uses devices to maximize the poetic potential of the verse, and contains erudite allusions and references that further support the speakers message to his beloved. The Good Morrow is interestingly structured to aid the speaker in his message. The poem is divided into three stanzas, each of which includes seven lines. In addition, each of these stanzas is further divided into a quatrain and a triplet. In the book, John Donne and the Metaphysical Gesture, Judah Stampfer notes that each iambic pentameter quatrain is rounded out, not with a couplet, but a triplet with an Alexandrine close a, b, a, b, c, c, c. (142). This division is not solely reflected in the rhyme scheme, but also in the verse. For example, the quatrain is used to reveal the speakers state of mind, while the triplet allows the speaker to reflect on that mindset (Stampfer 142). In addition, the first stanza strategically uses assonance to reinforce the word we. This is done by a repetition of the long e sound. For example, all of these words are from the first stanza: we, weand, countrey, childlishly, sleepers, fancies, bee, any, beauty, see, desird, dreame, thee. As you can see, this is not merely coincidence, but an ingenious strategy to further emphasize the union of the two lovers. However, Donne uses assonance for the opposite effect in the last stanza. Instead of focusing on the couple, the speaker focuses on himself by reinforcing the word I. This is done by a repetition of the long i sound. For example, all of these words can be found in the third stanza: I, thine, mine, finde, declining, dyes, alike, die. True, there are instances of the long e sound in the third stanza, but the long i sound predominates. Due to this, there is an obvious opposition to what the speaker says, and to what the musicality of the poem suggests. From a musical perspective, instead of being primarily focused on the union, the speaker appears to be more concerned with himself. However, this view will change as we further discuss the poem. Donnes use of figurative language, along with the point-of-view and tone of the speaker, enhance his poem. First of all, sexual imagery is present in the first stanza. For example, words such as weand and suckd elicit breast images. These loaded terms also help identify countrey pleasures as a metaphor for breasts. Another example of metaphor is

the word beauty in line 6, which actually represents the woman. Metaphysical conceits are also present in the poem. An example is the hemispherical imagery representing the lovers in the final stanza. In the second stanza, there is an example of hyperbole when the speaker says makes one little roome, an every where. This is an obvious exaggeration and a physical impossibility. There is also use of paradox in the poem. For example, when the speaker says: true plaine hearts doe in the faces rest. Obviously, this phrase is paradoxical as hearts cannot rest in faces. An example of metonomy can be found in the last stanza when the speaker states: My face in thine eye, thine in mine appeares. The speaker does not mean that his face literally appears in his lovers eye, but that she is aware of him. There are also two allusions in the poem, one with the seaven sleepers den, the other with the hemispheares, both of which are explained in greater detail later in the paper. Furthermore, there is a superb example of symbolism in the poem. This can be found once in the poem itself, and in the titlegood morrow. This not only represents the physical sunrise, but also symbolizes the birth of the awakened individual. In addition, the point-of-view of the speaker is from the first-person perspective. Although there are two individuals involved in the poem, only the male speaker is heard. And finally, the tone is casually intimate. Clues to the informal atmosphere of the poem can be found by glancing at the coarse language used by the speaker, such as: suckd, snorted, and got. Despite the coarseness, the speaker is clearly infatuated with the women being addressed. Fig. 1. Platos Cave Allegory. (Allegory) The phrase seaven sleepers den introduced in the first stanza could be interpreted in more than one way. The most direct event this phrase might be alluding to is a Christian and Mohammedan legend of the seven youths of Ephesus who hid in a cave for 187 years so as to avoid pagan persecution during the dawn of Christianity (Bloom). Amazingly, these youths did not die, but slept for the entire period (Good). So the speaker could be comparing the period prior to the realization of their love to the seaven sleepers in that they both snorted, or slept (OED), in what appeared to be a seemingly infinite amount of time. But except for line 4, there are no other references that take the analogy further. There is, however, another possibility. In his article, Plato in John Donnes The Good Morrow, Christopher Nassaar proposes that this reference may be more accurately alluding to Platos Cave Allegory (20-21; Fig. 1). In Book VII of The Republic, Plato, through Socrates, describes a world in which mankind has been imprisoned in a cave since birth. These prisoners are chained at the legs and neck, and can only see the shadows on the wall caused by themselves and other objects that block the firelight (Plato Book). So everything the prisoners believe to be real is in fact an illusion. They are mistaking shadows of shadows for reality (Nassaar 20). The analogy continues with a prisoner being released and ascending from the cave into the outside world, where he eventually comes to discover God, the true reality of the world, and the illusionary nature of the cave (Plato Book). Donnes speaker is then comparing his life before love with the confinement of Platos prisoners. Basically, when compared against their present love, all past pleasures have been merely fancies, and the women he desird, and got were only a dream of this one woman (Good). Then when he finally ascends from the

cave, he discovers the superior reality of his beloved, and desires not to return to the lustridden cave of his past. The purpose of the exploration imagery in the second stanza is to further reveal the speakers preference of his new relationship over worldly desires. In the triplet of the second stanza, the speaker states: Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone, Let Maps to other, worlds on worlds have showne, Let us possesse one world, each hath one, and is one. This apparent digression actually further supports the Platonic association of the first stanza. First of all, we must remember that the earthly pursuits of Elizabethan England were much different than from the present. One of the primary public interests was the ongoing exploration of the world. Although this had been going on for some time, it was in the Elizabethan-Jacobean era that exploration saw its really great florescence (Rugoff 137). And with the Thames the most popular of local thoroughfares and with sailors scattered throughout the city, the average Londoner of Elizabeths day could hardly help knowing something of ships and sea travel (Rugoff 129). However, many people from this era knew of the Americas, but few had ever been there. Any knowledge they did have was second-hand and intangible, which left Elizabethans with a distorted perception of the New World. Therefore, these new worlds represent a sort of dream, and the desire to pursue these dreams is directly related to the illusions of the cave. The speaker views this popular pastime as a tool to placate slaves, and not an activity for an enlightened individual, such as himself. There is no need for him to search for new worlds since he has already found it in the union of him and his beloved. In possessing one another, each has gained world enough (Bloom). The hemispherical imagery in the third stanza could be interpreted as both spatially acute, and related to a farcical Platonic view on the origin of humanity. Donne collapses his geographical metaphor into the tiny reflection of each lovers face in the others eye (Holland 63). So while maintaining the expansive, world-filling, declaration of his love in the second stanza, the speaker states that this world of love is contained within their eyes. However, this view proves more difficult to support upon viewing the following lines. This is because Donnes speaker metaphorically describes the pair as two separate hemispheares. Now it is possible that these two hemispheares could represent the eyes. However, since the speaker is talking about the couple, it would have been more accurate to mention four, not two. Also, the cardinal point imagery is not clear when using this interpretation. On the other hand, the hemispherical imagery also alludes to an odd speech by Aristophanes in Platos Symposium (Holland 64). In his speech, Aristophanes relates an amusing legend of humanitys origin. Basically, Aristophanes stated that at the beginning of time, human beings took the form of a sphere. Each individual had four legs, four arms, and a single head with a face on either side. The story goes that as a penalty for angering the gods, Zeus divided each human being into two separate beings. But although they were distinct individuals, they were still spiritual halves endlessly seeking to reunite as a whole. This natural instinct to reunite the halves

is Aristophanes explanation of love (Plato Symposium 18-23). So Donnes speaker believes he has found his other half in his beloved, and together they form the original whole. Furthermore, the cardinal point imagery is cleared up with this interpretation. For example, the speaker states: Where can we finde two better hemispheares/ Without sharpe North, without declining West The speaker is saying that in their new united spherical world, North and West are absent. The relationship will not be frigid, or sharpe, nor will it wane, or be declining. Instead, their relationship will be one of warmth and everlasting love. So now that we have discussed the various elements included in the poem, what exactly does it mean The Good Morrow is a chronological and spatial poem through which the speaker reveals his growing maturity and awareness of his love as a response to his awakening, and reinforces this union in the musicality of the poem. The poem is chronological in that it progresses from a symbolic infant stage in the first stanza, to the morning of the present in the second, and finally in the last stanza, to an immortal outlook of their relationship in the future. The poem is spatial in that love is initially represented as being confined to one little roome, or a cave, to expanding to fill an entire world, then contracting all this love into a powerful force that is contained in the eyes of the pair. The poem can also be viewed as a maturing of the speaker in that he progressed from a life of physical lust, to love, and finally longing to be eternally fused with his beloved. Also, the speaker becomes increasingly aware of his love for the woman. In the beginning, he was engrossed in other women, but he came to realize that these women were just reflections of what he was truly chasing, the one real woman. In addition, the poem is centered on a theme of awakening. The poem begins with the speaker having been figuratively asleep in a cave, as in Platos analogy. But his woman finally releases him and he emerges into the sunlight, the good morrow, a new man growing increasingly aware of his love. Furthermore, the speaker reinforces this union through the musicality of the verse. The focus actually begins on the couple with sounds that reinforce we, but ends with sound that reinforces I. This represents the union of the two halves into the one I. Overall, we have seen how Donne used poetic devices and learned references to support the speaker. First, we analyzed the unique structure and musical elements within the poem. Then we examined how Donne used figurative language, point-of-view, and tone to create a more believable speaker. Next, we took a closer look at seaven sleepers den phrase, and saw how it has roots in both Christian mythology and Platonic allegory. After that, we gained a better understanding of Donnes use of exploration imagery in the second stanza. Then we investigated the farcical Platonic basis for the hemispherical imagery in the third stanza. And finally, we examined the poem from a holistic perspective and recognized how all of these various elements contributed to the overall message. So we have come to discover that Donnes The Good Morrow is poem that efficiently uses devices to maximize the poetic potential of the verse, and contains erudite allusions and references that further support the speakers message to his beloved.

How does Donne developed his poem? The Good Morrow" is a love poem, but in a Metaphysical manner. It is critical of the idealist strain implicit in the Elizabethan love poetry. It restores physicality, sensuality and sexuality to love. Donne thinks love is a dialogue between the body and the soul and neither on its own can constitute love. The metaphorical morning of consciousness is one of love and it brings home this very idea of the balance. From the sole reign of the sexual in the childish pleasures, being sucked on to a misrecognition in the Seven Sleepers' Den, the new dawn of love brings this new stage in love where intensity reigns supreme. There is a mutual self-respect and none of the selves dissolves in the relation. There is no power play, but only the faces in each other's eyes. Once the anchor-point of love is well grounded, it can take care of the 'love of other sights'. This is a very liberal, accommodating and pluralistic idea of love, whereby love in its sheer intensity is supposed to create an impeccable balance, a Pure Substance which can never die. Neither through the offspring nor through poetry, but only through truth, mutuality and absolutely pure harmony can love win over mortality thus. Whets the meaning of country pleasure? The phrase 'country pleasures' occurs in the first verse of Donne's poem, The goodMorrow: I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I Did, till we loved? were we not weaned till then, But sucked on country pleasures, childishly? In this poem, the lover addresses the beloved in the first person mode with a question which is followed by more questions that seem to contain answers to the opening one. The phrase 'country pleasures' is part of the questionnaire. In the three verses of the poem, the speaker initiates a journey, a journey from the past to the present to the future of love. a journey from the body to the mind and thence to the spirit. The opening question looks back into their past history of love, a sheer bodily engagement which they mistook for love. They were actually separated while they were under the illusory impression of union. 'were we not weaned till then?' is the question that looks back into that state. 'But sucked on country pleasures childishly?' extends the interrogation. Despite being adult persons, the two lovers behaved 'childishly' and wanted to enjoy bodily pleasures. By the phrase 'country pleasures', the lover means the gross rustic pleasures of the senses when the souls were in a state of slumber.

Song
'Song' is one of the the famous poems of John Donne. Donne through this poem states that even the most impossible things in this world could be found, but not a woman who

is beautiful and virtuous. He writes this at a time in history when people believed that all woman who are beautiful on the outside are also the same in heart. They thought that the outer beauty is the reflection of the inner self. Donne strongly disagrees with the same. He does not say that an ugly woman would be virtuous. He is only concerned with beautiful woman of his time. He says that even if such a woman would be found, before he even writes a letter to her, she\'ll have lost her virtue. Poetic analysis: The first stanza refers to utter imposibilities, it is not possible to catch a falling star, in the time, a falling star was a thing of great destruction (it is of course referring to a comet). A mandrake root is a plant which can take human form, however when it does is always male, meaning it is impossible to make pregnant. Mermaids, as referred to in the fifth line are mythological greek creatures who with their singing lured sailors to their deaths, by sitting on rocks and enchanting the brain of a sailor to crash, whilst the mermaid slipped enigmatically away. The utter frustration with this scenario is that mermaids were actually genderless, which meant that their beauty was for nothing but to kill, it was said that as soon as the singing of a siren was heard, you were doomed to certain death (the only one to have escaped this fate was oddysseus). Envies stinging was supposed to be imposible to avoid, envy is often anthropomorphasised as a scorpion, and once a scorpion has you in it's vice, just as envy does, it is impossible to escape. The next 11 lines are referring to the fact that the previous were all impossibilities, however they are more likely to happen than to find a woman fair and true the following lines, up to the end suggest that even if one were to find a woman fair and true, she would stay that way for so little time that when she were brought to him, she would no longer be.