Are we done Donne?

The pros of marrying a poet? Instead of a simple 2-syllable "goodbye", you get a lovely 9-stanza poem: "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" - written by John Donne, presumably for his wife on the night of their separation.

The highlight of the poem definitely lies in the last three stanzas of the well-developed metaphysical metaphor of a compass to symbolize the spiritual link between two parted lovers. I have never related a compass to anything near love or romance before I read this. At first it seems strange to compare a couple to a tool like this, but the way Donne puts the metaphor let this all makes sense. As one of the most famous metaphysical poets, Donne demonstrated his skills of creating comparison between things that don't normally relate.

One foot of a compass is fixed, and it only moves when the other foot does. Although it stays on one point, the foot leans to the direction of which the other foot moves to. It is only because it stays still that the other foot can get back to where it started at, and that a perfect circle can be drawn. Similarly, one of the two lovers stay and the other leaves as the two separate. Nonetheless, they stay connected through all the distance. Their firm love for each other makes it possible for their love and reunion to be perfect and eternal just like a circle which has no beginning and no end - "Thy firmness makes my circle just, | And makes me end, where I begun" (35-36).

Now, we're done Donne.

The Bard

William Shakespeare shows his view on love in many of his works such as Sonnets 29, 116, and 130. I especially like Sonnet 116 not only because it is applicable to everyone whereas the other two are addressed to a certain person, but also because it shows a very positive and idealistic side of love with the Bard's beautiful diction. 

In Sonnet 116, Shakespeare depicts true love as enduring and unchanging. Love does not change even when there is “alternation” (3), nor does it allow itself to be “bent” (4) and twisted with the change or departure of the loved one. It is a strong, powerful, and “ever-fixed mark’’ (5) that is “never shaken” (6) even in face of adversity as harsh as “tempests” (6). As time goes by, appearance and beauty – “rosy lips and cheeks” (9) change, but love does not because it is not based merely and superficially on appearances. Time’s “hours and weeks” (12) are “brief” (12) compared to love’s undying essence, its permanence. There are no “impediments” (2) when it comes to love, nothing can stand in its way.

The sonnet’s tone is candid and confident, giving the readers a very positive and optimistic feeling towards love. In the couplet, Shakespeare makes a very strong and clear stand on his view. He claims that if there is any “error” (13) in his illustration of the constant and unmovable nature of love, then he has “never writ” (14), nor has any “man ever loved” (14). The Bard uses various types of poetic devices to illustrate different qualities of love. The constant use of metaphor facilitates the explanation of his ideas of the abstract love with concrete images. Love is compared to “an ever-fixed marked” (5) and “the star to every wandering bark” (7) to show its endurance, dependability, and importance. The use of enjambment not only adds rhythm to the poem, but also hints the passage of time, in which love still stay unchanged.

Hunt All You Want

On a literal level, Thomas Wyatt's "Whoso List to Hunt" is about a hunt of a doe, whom the speaker has given up on after a long weary chase. However, it is believed that the poem is symbolically describing Wyatt's failed pursue of Anne Boleyn, in whom King Henry VIII had already claimed interest.

The speaker, possibly Wyatt himself, depicts his deep fondness of the "hind" beautifully: "as she flee afore,| Faintly I follow" (6-7). He cannot control his desire for the "prey", yet no matter how hard he tries, how the chase "wearies [him] so sore" (3), the goal is still unreachable. His self mockery - "in a net I seek to hold the wind"(8) - gives a bitter feeling that earns readers' sympathy. Or maybe that's just me.

Assuming that the doe of the hunt is really referring to Anne Boleyn, Wyatt did a great job in expressing his pain of losing the woman he loves to anther man, certainly better than many breakup songs we here nowadays. Not only does the poem mourns the impossibility of the two being together, it also serves as a warning to all the other men who, like Wyatt, want to woo Boleyn. Basically he is telling, from his own painful experience, other wooers: don't even think about wooing the King's woman, nobody stands a chance!

The Renaissance!!

The Renaissance has always been my favourite period of history.

It is the time of Shakespeare, Donne, and all the amazing poetry and plays that I'm most familiar with; the time of Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, all the paintings, statues, and masterpieces that still stun the world; the time of beauty and romance and Italy; the time that captivated me in history lessons in grade 8. I'm so excited!

The Talking Head

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by an unknown author is an example of a Medieval Romance. Gawain, the protagonist, possesses most of the characteristics that define a hero-knight of the Medieval period. He is courageous and open to challenges and adventures.

If we view this in a modern perspective, Sir Gawain can also be an ultimate epitome of male's traditional pride and ego. Since way back in time, men are always expected to be strong and not afraid of anything. If a man's manhood is challenged, he is very likely to act dramatically and do what he normally won't do to prove himself. I remember from last year's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth's manhood and successfully forces him into following her plan of killing the king. If Gawain is asked in a casual way whether or not he will chop someone's head off only to get himself killed, he will probably use his common sense to say no to such ridiculous and naive act. However, when it comes to challenge and dare, no man is willing to admit that he is not brave enough, that he is scared, not to mention that he is "the best of knights" and is challenged in front of the king.

Ecclesiastical Pilgrims

The characters of The Canterbury Tales can be categorized into three groups, feudal, ecclesiastical, and urban. I think Chaucer puts in a lot of effort in building up the characteristics of the ecclesiastical group in order to show the malpractice of the people of Church at that time.

Out of the seven pilgrims in this category, five of them are either hinted to have inappropriate behaviour or directly criticized. The prioress is a graceful person with an elegant posture and nice table manners, she speaks fluent but improper French and she wears a brooch that says "love conquers all". Chaucer doesn't give any information on the Prioress' background or history, leaving the readers to wonder the story behind the brooch which isn't what people would expect to find on a nun. The Friar is an obvious bad example. Not only does he not to what the church expects him to do - help the poor - he flirts with young women and only cares about making profit and getting benefits for himself.

The Parson is the ideal figure that stands out from the bunch. He is a true follower of Christ, and he serves as a character foil to the Monk and the Friar. Chaucer describes that he doesn't pay someone else to do his parish duties, earn an easy living by holding masses for the rich people, or do his duties just to seek glory. These examples all suggest that there are other churchmen who do so, further supporting the message that many parts of the church is corrupted.