Characteristics of the Puritan age and the Restoration age

 Hello readers,

Today I would like to share my views on characteristics of Puritan age and restoration age. So let's discuss about it. 

◆Literary Characteristics of the Puritan Age◆ 

The first half time period of the 17th century is considered as Puritan age. During this period Puritanism was dominating force. This time period is also famous with the name, Age of Milton. He was the greatest poet during this period. King James I was ruling during the Puritan period. Puritan age is considered as the renaissance of the moral sense of the man. The main aim of the Puritan age was:

• To facilitate religious freedom.

• Full civil liberty.

Puritans want the purity of life. During this period, church and court were highly criticized and this lead to the civil war and Charles I was beheaded.

In literature also the Puritan Age was one of confusion, due to the breaking up of old ideals. Mediaeval standards of chivalry, the impossible loves and romances of which Spenser furnished the types, perished no less surely than the ideal of a national church; and in the absence of any fixed standard of literary criticism there was nothing to prevent the exaggeration of the "metaphysical" poets,

who are the literary parallels to religious sects like the Anabaptists. (If you want to read more about metaphysical poetry read this blog 👉https://lattabaraiya1999.blogspot.com/2020/12/metaphysical-poetry.html). Poetry took new and startling forms in Donne and Herbert, and prose became as somber as Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy. The spiritual gloom which sooner or later fastens upon all the writers of this age, and which is unjustly attributed to Puritan influence, is due to the breaking up of accepted standards in government and religion. No people, from the Greeks to those of our own day, have suffered the loss of old ideals without causing its writers to cry, 

"Ichabod! the glory has departed." 

That is the unconscious tendency of literary men in all times, who look backward for their golden age; and it need not concern the student of literature, who, even in the break-up of cherished institutions, looks for some foregleams of a better light which is to break upon the world. This so-called gloomy age produced some minor poems of exquisite workmanship, and one great master of verse whose work would glorify any age or people, John Milton, in whom the indomitable Puritan spirit finds its noblest expression.

●Puritan and Elizabethan Literature :-

There are three main characteristics in which Puritan literature differs from that of the preceding age: 

(1)Elizabethan literature, with all its diversity, had a marked unity in spirit, resulting from the patriotism of all classes and their devotion to a queen who, with all her faults, sought first the nation's welfare. Under the Stuarts all this was changed. The kings were the open enemies of the people; the country was divided by the struggle for political and religious liberty; and the literature was as divided in spirit as were the struggling parties. 

(2)Elizabethan literature is generally inspiring; it throbs with youth and hope and vitality. While Puritan age speaks about sadness; even its brightest hours are followed by gloom, and by the pessimism inseparable from the passing of old standards. 

(3)Elizabethan literature is intensely romantic; the romance springs from the heart of youth, and believes all things, even the impossible. The great schoolman's credo,

 "I believe because it is impossible," 

is a better expression of Elizabethan literature than of mediaeval theology. In the literature of the Puritan period one looks in vain for romantic ardor. Even in the

lyrics and love poems a critical, intellectual spirit takes its place, and whatever

romance asserts itself is in form rather than in feeling, a fantastic and artificial adornment of speech rather than the natural utterance of a heart in which sentiment is so strong and true that poetry is its only expression.

●Realism in the poetry :-

Puritans believed that fictional elements in the work of art should be limited. 

"They perceive literary work as a religious practice rather than any piece of entertainment". 

The literary work of Puritans was all about spirituality. They talk about pilgrims and journey. They tried to motivate society by creating the allusion of an ideal state.

Earlier forms of love poetry were Petrarchan. One can see the platonic form of love in earlier forms of poetry but Puritan love poetry was based on realism. Women were not seen as a Goddess but a human with flesh and blood.

●The trend of sonnets :-

Poets largely used sonnets during Puritan age. Sonnets were popular because it was largely written during Elizabethan age.

●Major Poets of the Period●

The Puritan movement was one for very ugly literal expression and teaching. But, over time, some room for creative expression arose and Puritan poets such as John Milton, Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor,Samuel Daniel, George Herbert, and John Dryden produced some of the greatest verse of their old age.

◆Characteristics of the Restoration Age◆

Let's discuss about what was the Major things in the period of restoration.

The restoration period began when King Charles II came to the English throne. It started in the year 1660 and lasted till 1785.  The period is known as restoration because monarchy was restored in England.  During the restoration period English, Irish and Scottish monarchy was restored. This period denotes the event of restoration of the monarchy and new political establishment. During the reign of King Charles II there was an increase in commercial and global trade for Britain. Education was also expanded during this period, middle classes and lower classes were also included for education.

[1]THE RESTORATION:- During this period gravity, spiritual zeal, moral earnestness and decorum were thrown to winds. The king was a thorough debauch. He had a number of mistresses. He was surrounded by corrupt courtiers. Corruption was rampant in all walks of life.

[2]Religious and Political Quarrels:- 

In the Restoration period we see the rise of two political parties. They were the Whigs and the Tories. The Whigs were opposing and the Tories were supporting the king. The rise of these parties gave a fresh importance to men of literary ability. Both the parties supported them. The religious controversy was also going on. It was very bitter. The Protestant and the Catholics were face to face. The nation was predominately Protestant. The Catholics were being punished. Dryden’s 'Absalom and Achitophel' reflects these religious and political conflicts of the day.

[3]The Revolution:-

Charles' brother James II ascended the throne in 1685. He tried to establish Catholicism in the country. He became unpopular very soon. The entire nation rose against him. He lost his seat due to the bloodless revolution of 1688. The Restoration, the controversies and the revolution of 1688 deeply influenced the literature of the age.

[4]Rise of Neo-Classicism:- 

During the Restoration period a new literary movement started. It is known as Neo-Classical movement. This reflected the mood of the century. Reason occupied an important place. The writers of this period agreed upon the rules and principles. Rules and literary conventions became more important than the seriousness of subject matter. The writers expressed superficial manners and customs of the aristocratic and urban society. They did not pry into mysteries of human mind and heart. The new epoch is the antithesis of the previous Elizabethan age. It is called classical.

[5]Imitation of the Ancients:- The authors of this period turned to the great classical writers. Thus grew the neo-classical school of poetry. The neoclassicists imitated the rules and ignored the importance of subject matter. They could not delve deep into human emotions. These things can be noticed in the age Dryden and Pope.

[6]Imitation of the French:- 

The influence of France counted for much. Charles II and his companions demanded that poetry and drama should follow the French style. Now began the so-called period of French influence. Pascal, Racine, Boileau and other French writers were imitated blindly. The French influence is seen in the Restoration comedy of manners of Dryden, Wycherly and Congreve. This French influence is also responsible for the growth of opera.we read in the diary of Evelyn, another writer who reflects with wonderful accuracy the life and spirit of the Restoration,

"I saw Hamlet played; but now

the old plays begin to disgust this refined age, since his Majesty's being so long

abroad." 

Since Shakespeare and the Elizabethans were no longer interesting, literary men began to imitate the French writers, with whose works they had just grown familiar; and here begins the so-called period of French influence, which shows itself in English literature for the next century, instead of the Italian influence which had been dominant since Spenser and the Elizabethans.

[7]Realism and Formalism:- 

The writers of the Restoration age reacted against the romanticism of Elizabethan age. They developed realism to a marked degree. The early Restoration writers presented the realistic picture of a corrupt court and society. They emphasised vices rather than virtues. They gave us coarse, low plays without moral significance. They saw only the externals of man, his body and appetites. They did not see his soul and his ideals. In realism that is, the representation of men exactly as they are, the

expression of the plain, unvarnished truth with ideals or romance. The writers of the age followed formalism of style. They aimed at achieving directness and simplicity of expression. In both the Elizabethan and the Puritan ages the general tendency of writers was towards extravagance of thought and language. Sentences were often involved, and loaded with Latin quotations and classical allusions. The Restoration writers opposed this vigorously. From France they brought back the tendency to regard established rules for writing, to emphasize close reasoning rather than romantic fancy, and to use short, clean-cut sentences without an unnecessary word.

[8]The Couplet :-

Another thing which the reader will note with interest in Restoration literature is the adoption of the heroic couplet; that is, two iambic pentameter lines which rime together, as the most suitable form of poetry. Waller, who began to use it in 1623, is generally regarded as the father of the couplet, for he is the first poet to use it consistently in the bulk of his poetry. Chaucer had used the rimed couplet wonderfully well in his "Canterbury Tales", but in Chaucer it is the poetical thought more than the expression which delights us. With the Restoration writers, form counts for everything. Waller and Dryden made the couplet the prevailing literary fashion, and in their hands the couplet becomes

"closed"; that is, each pair of lines must contain a complete thought, stated as precisely as possible. Thus Waller writes:

The soul's dark cottage, battered and decayed,

Lets in new light through chinks that time has made.

●Leading Authors● 

Dryden was the representative poet of this age. His Absalom and Achitophel and Mac Flecknoe are very popular satires. Samuel Butler and John Oldham are also famous for their satires. John Dryden, John Bunyan, Hobbes, Locke, Temple etc. were eminent prose writers of this age. Congreve, Etherege and Whycherly were the eminent writers of comedy of manners.

            

Thus the Restoration age has great importance in the literary history of England. This age offered leading authors like Dryden and Congreve whose contribution to the literature is memorable.

In short The greatest writer of the age is John Dryden, who established the heroic couplet as the prevailing verse form in English poetry, and who developed a new and serviceable prose style suited to the practical needs of the age. The popular ridicule of Puritanism in burlesque and doggerel is best exemplified in Butler's Hudibras. The realistic tendency, the study of facts and of men as they are, is shown in the work of the Royal Society, in the philosophy of Hobbes and Locke, and in the diaries of Evelyn and Pepys, with their minute pictures of social life. The age was one of transition from the exuberance and vigor of Renaissance literature to the formality and polish of the Augustan Age. In strong contrast with the preceding ages, comparatively little of Restoration literature is familiar to modern readers.

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Shakespearean tragedy : comparison with Greek tragedy

 

This is my own understanding about shakespearean plays comparison with the Greek tragedy. First of all we have to understand the term of tragedy.

Aristotle provides a definition of tragedy  we can break up into seven parts: 

(1) It involves mimesis; 

(2) It is serious; 

(3)The action is complete and with magnitude; 

(4)It is made up of language with the "aesthetic ornaments" of rhythm and harmony; 

(5)These "aesthetic ornaments" are not used uniformly throughout, but are introduced in separate parts of the work, so that, for instance, some bits are spoken in verse and other bits are sung; 

(6)It is performed rather than narrated; and 

(7)It arouses the emotions of pity and fear and accomplishes a catharsis (purification or purgation or tempering/moderation or satisfaction) of these emotions.

Next, Aristotle asserts that any tragedy can be divided into six component parts, and that every tragedy is made up of these six parts with nothing else besides. There is (a) the spectacle (opsis), which is the overall visual appearance of the stage and the actors. The means of imitation (language, rhythm, and harmony) can be divided into 

(b) melody/songs (melos), and 

(c) diction, (lexis) which has to do with the composition of the verses/versification of dialogues. The agents (medium) of the action can be understood in terms of 

(d)character (ethos) and 

(e)thought. Thought (dianoia) seems to denote the intellectual qualities of an agent while character seems to denote the moral qualities (ethics) of an agent. Finally, there is 

(f)the plot(Fable), or mythos, which is the harmonious combination/arrangements of incidents and actions in the story.

Characteristics of Greek tragedy

Greek tragedy was a popular and influential form of drama performed in theaters across ancient Greece from the late 6th century B.C. The most acclaimed Greek tragedians are AESCHYLUS ,SOPHOCLES and EURIPIDES. The exact origins of tragedy are debated amongst scholars.

◆ Features :-

1] Tragic hero:

At the centre of a tragedy it is hero,the main character or protagonist. The tragic hero is a person of high rank who accepts his or her downfall with dignity.

2] Tragic flow:

An error in judgement or a weakness in character such as pride or arrogance. A tragic hero suffers due to tragic flow.

3] Catastrophe :

A tragedy ends with a catastrophe a disastrous conclusion that usually involves multiple deaths ,if the tragic hero does not die then he or she suffers complete ruin.

4] Chorus :

A chorus plays a vital role in tragedy. Throughout a tragedy ,a chorus ,a mass group of actors observe and comment on the action through song.

5] Fate and chance  :

The ancient Greek tragedy believes an idea of fate or a destiny preordained by the Gods no matter what action a person takes in the present the fates or moral where three Goddess who determined the length of person’s suffering. It would contain Greeks believed that no one could escape their fate not even the God’s themselves.

6] Very few characters - 

In beginning there was only one character (7th century B. C.), after time by time some innovation got placed, like in 6th - 5th century B. C., there came an innovation in characters. Now Greek tragedy was having two or sometimes more characters, but not more then four.

7] Main theme: religious - 

In Greek drama main theme was always related to God. In the beginning, drama was only performed on the festival of Dionysus, long narrative poems exploits of Gods were recited by a choral group.

8]Hamartia ( fault in character ) 

The ancient Greeks believed in the idea of fate or destiny preordained by the God' no matter what action a person takes in the present. The fate or Moirai, were three Goddess who determined the length of person's life and how much suffering it would contain. Hamartia means the fault in the hero's character which is leading to the downfall of tragic hero.

9]Peripeteia (reversal) - 

Aristotle, in his poetics, define Peripeteia as " a change by which the action veers round to its opposite, subject always to our rule of probability or necessity" Peripeteia is the most powerful part of a plot in a tragedy along with discovery.

10]Anagnorisis ( recognition) - 

Anagnorisis is a moment in a play when character makes a critical discovery. ( Hero's sudden awareness of a real situation, the realization of things as they stood, and finally, the hero's insight into a relationship with an often antagonist character).

◆comparison between Greek tragedy and Shakespearian tragedy◆

Even Shakespeare never followed the Aristotelian unities, the influence of Greek drama could be seen in his tragedies. There are some similarities as well as differences between the two.

Both, the Greek tragedy and Elizabethan tragedy shows the fall of the protagonist who holds a high position in society, from glory to wretchedness. There should be a central character and the plot should be revolving round the central character.

Difference in plot :

A plot is the ordering of events in the logical manner. According to Aristotle it is the soul and life blood of a tragedy.

Greek tragedies had a good beginning, middle and end. The beginning in self explanatory. The plot moves in linear way.

Shakespearean tragedy never starts from the very beginning. Something has already happened before the play begins. The plot moves in a complex manner.

Greeks had a theocenric vision. Ancient Greek tragedy is basically modeled upon an essentially religious base. It shows a Divine power that controls and destroy human life.

In Greek tragedy "destiny is character". The fate cannot be changed. The utter helplessness of the character in the struggle against their fate is shown.

e.g. Oedipus in 'Oedipus Tyrannous'

Elizabethan believed in the anthropocentric universe. In Elizabethan tragedy "character is destiny". The entire emphasis is laid upon the individual in bringing about his ruin.

e.g. The vaulting ambition of Macbeth leads to his doom.

Difference in Tragic hero :

At the center of the tragedy is its hero, the protagonist. Both the Greek and Shakespearean tragedies have same kind of tragic hero. A tragic hero is a towering personality in his state, hails from the high stratum of society and holds high position. The hero's fall due to some flow in their character. His wrong judgment lead him to face his death. In Greek tragedy fate also play an important role in the fall of hero.

Greek tragedy had only three actors and they wore masks.

Shakespearean tragedy never had such restrictions. They concentrated in their costumes.

In the Greek  tragedies women were not allowed to act in stage. Women characters were played by males. But in Shakespearean tragedies we see woman play a roll on stage. 

Difference in chorus:

The Greek used chorus as a dramatic device. Chorus was a group of characters (consisting fifteen members) who remained aloof from the action and comments upon the scene by singing and dancing.

There is a complete absence of chorus in Shakespearean tragedy. There is no need of chorus because every action takes place on the stage.

In Greek tragedy chorus provided time gap between two tragic scenes.

Chorus was replaced by a comic scene in Shakespearean tragedy. A comic scene between tragic action provide a relief to the audience.

Greek tragedy were never a bland of emotions. They never include comedy in a tragic play. But in Shakespearean tragedy we see some kind of comedy scenes.

Shakespearean tragedies had space for comic elements too.

Greek tragedies never staged any scene of violence. Such scenes were described by chorus. But we see that in Shakespearean tragedy there are many scene of violence. For example in Macbeth - murder of banqo and his son.

Elizabethan tragedies staged every scene that is there in the play.

Both the Greek and Shakespearean tragedy ends with a catastrophe, a disastrous conclusion that usually involves multiple deaths. If the tragic hero does not die he suffers complete ruin.

Error of judgment :

It's a shame that murder can become a person s addiction. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Error in Macbeth's judgment causes him to go from a noble man to a cold hearted, bloodthirsty murderer. The murders of Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff s family, cause Macbeth's deterioration in character.

There are three unities in Shakespearean tragedies

Unity of action :

The unity of action implies that the action represented in the play should be one single whole without any sub plot.

Unity of time :

The unity of time implies that the time presented in the play should be limited to two or three hours. It takes to act the play or at most a single day of either twelve or twenty four hours.

Unity of place :

The tragic action portrayed in the play should be limited to a single location.

The Greek clearly obeyed the three unities in their tragedies. These unities were observed in order to create a feeling of reality amount the audience. 

In  short, tragedy is a kind of drama that presents a serious subject matter about human suffering and corresponding terrible events in a dignified manner. There are alot of differences in Greek tragedy and Elizabethan tragedy. Both era have influenced modern theaters simply because the Greek so obviously influenced Elizabethan theaters….

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Thinking Activity on Metaphysical poetry

 Thinking activity on metaphysical poetry 

Department of English MK Bhavnagar University 

The guest lecture was organised on the topic Metaphysical Poetry and Dr. R K Mandalia was invited as the guest lecturer. Dr. R. K. Mandalia is the Head of the English department of Sardar Patel University in Anand. Dr. Dilip Barad, the head of English department of M.K. Bhavnagar University, invites him every year for better understanding of the topic. Every year sir invites him at department, but this year in Corona time we meet online. 

As part of the syllabus, there are six metaphysical poems, all written by John Donne. Mandalia sir has immense deep knowledge of this topic and students also enjoy every moment of this three-day's session. This blog is assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad via Google Classroom.

Definition of metaphysical poetry :-

Highly intellectualized poetry marked by bold and ingenious conceits, incongruous imagery, complexity and subtlety of thought, frequent use of paradox, and often by deliberate harshness or rigidity of expression.

The term metaphysical or metaphysics in poetry is the fruit of renaissance tree, becoming over ripe and approaching pure science. “Meta” means “beyond” and “physics” means “physical nature”. Metaphysical poetry means poetry that goes beyond the physical world of the senses and explores the spiritual world. Metaphysical poetry began early in the Jacobean age in the last stage of the age of Shakespeare. John Donne was the leader and founder of the metaphysical school of poetry. Dryden used this word at first and said that Donne “affects the metaphysics”. Among other metaphysical poets are Abraham Cowley, Henry Vaughan, Richard Crashaw, Andrew Marvell, George Herbert, Robert Herrick etc.

They felt that if they continue writing poetry in same manner as other writer like philip Sidney, Shakespeare, Admund Spenser or some other Elizabethans their poetry would be neglected because people get tired of same the same thing again and again. So they made a conscious attempt to differ from others.

"No traditions remains for ever ".

This is like our mandaliya sir said that there are two movies. But one is very famous and other one with same concept is become flop, this are

• SHOLAY

• SHAAN

So let's discuss about characteristics of metaphysical poetry.

◆General Features :-

A group of posts emerged in the second half of the 16th century who's poetry is identified as the metaphysical poetry. It was Dr. Samuel Johnson - A classicist of the neo classical age who named the poetry of Donne and his school as the "Metaphysical poetry". This is one quote by T. S. Eliot

●First Criticized and Then welcomed poetries :-

Johnson used this term while writing about the life of Abraham Cowley in his biographical work with the title "The Lives Of The English Poets". Dr. Johnson wanted to criticize their poetry of Donne and his followers by using the term "Metaphysical poetry". But with the passing of time the same term became the term of appraisal for their poetry. 

● Different Attempt Of Writing :-

The Metaphysicals - john Donne, Jeorge Herbert, Richard Crashaw and Andrew Marvel made a conscious attempt to differ from others and particularly from the previous poets, so that their poetry may be noticed by the readers. Ons critic mentioned that…

"It was the demand of time for the metaphysicals to differ from the poets of the previous age". 

Had they continued writing poetry in the same manner, just like the former poets their poetry would have been rejected by the readers. Duo to new learning and Reformation of the Elizabethan age, the intellectual level of the readers had gone upward and so the metaphysical poets tried to be intellectual in the writing of their poetry.

●Far Fetched Images :-

The best way for the metaphysical to differ from the previous poets and to be intellectual in the writing of their poetry was to use Far Fetched images and conceits. They tried to avoid using images from those field which were thickly associated with the theme of their poetry.

●No Music :-

Highlighting one remarkable feature of the metaphysical poetry dr Samuel Johnson stated that their poetry stood a trial of their finger but not of the ear that means there is no music in the poetry which they wrote, there is no rhythm to be found in the poetry of the metaphysical poets.

"The poetry of the metaphysical poets stood a trial of their finger but failed in the trial of the ears".

-Dr Johnson

So we can see that there is no use of music in metaphysical poetry.

●Different Images :-

In order to express either love or their faith chiritianity they brought their images from different fields, just like..

Biography,

Architecture,

Geometry,

Geography,

Engineering,

Political science.

This gave unique identity to their poetry. There is one fine example of this is…

"Is there all beauty in painted chair

Must we call only that stair case

Which has got winding stair…"

This is the few lines of the poem jordan. This example is given by mandaliya sir. Let's have look on some examples :

• The first example is of John Donne who made use of a biographical image the flea for the expression of love in his poem "The Flea".

• George Herbert made use of an image from the field of mechanical engineering for the expression of his faith in Christianity. The example is a poem with the title "The Pully". Pully is an image of mechanical engineering but in this poem that image is used to state that restlessness is also a pully, which gives a connection between the creator and the creation.

• Andrew marvell made use of geometrical image for the expression of love. The example is "To His Coy Mistress".

In brief all metaphysical poets made extensive use of far fetched images in their poetry.

◆Example of Metaphysical Poetry◆

Let's see some examples of metaphysical poems 

● Death Be Not Proud :-

This poem Death Be Not Proud' is a sonnet written by the English author John Donne (1572-1631). The poem is here...

Donne initially wrote poems based on romance, but moved into more religious themes as his career matured. In his later life, he converted from Catholicism to Anglicanism, the official Church of England. His later poems reflect his deep religious faith and his life as an ordained priest and dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. 'Death Be Not Proud' is a piece showing the religious undertones in Donne's poetry.

●The Flea :-

"The Flea" is a poem by the English poet John Donne, most likely written in the 1590s. In “The Flea,” the speaker tries to seduce his mistress with a surprising (and potentially gross) extended metaphor: both he and she have been bitten by the same flea, meaning their separate blood now mingles inside the flea’s body. Having sex is no different, the speaker argues, and no more dishonorable. His mistress should therefore yield to him. Though the metaphor is intentionally pretty crude, maybe even juvenile, the speaker infuses the poem with religious undertones: the union of speaker and mistress in the flea is like the Holy Trinity. In this way, the poem is both serious and silly, elegant and vulgar. It is as much a display of wit and erudition as a serious attempt to seduce the mistress.

●To His Coy Mistress :-

“To His Coy Mistress” is a metaphysical poem in which the speaker attempts to persuade his resistant lover that they should have sexual intercourse. He explains that if they had all the time in the world, he would have no problem with their relationship moving this slowly. However, he goes on to explain, they are mortal, and once they die they will be unable to be intimate together. The poem appears to serve dual purposes: first, to persuade the mistress to love, and second, to comment on mortality in its inevitability and grotesqueness. It is the latter objective which adds the philosophical aspect to this love poem.

●The Dream :-

"The Dream" is a poem written by John Donne. This is a poem about a dream which Donne had. He was greatly in love, but when he awoke he was still in great love. However, he realized that love is not without pain and fear. Nonetheless, those feelings will not break his spirit and he will continue to dream of how great love is and can be.

●The Sun Rising :-

"The Sun Rising" is a poem written by the English poet John Donne. Donne wrote a wide range of social satire, sermons, holy sonnets, elegies, and love poems throughout his lifetime, and he is perhaps best known for the similarities between his erotic poetry and his religious poetry. Much of his work, including "The Sun Rising," was published after his death in the 1633 collection Songs and Sonnets. We imagine the picture of sun rising, this is very beautiful scene we ever seen.

In "The Sun Rising," the speaker orders the sun to warm his bed so that he and his lover can stay there all day instead of getting up to go to work. The poem's playful use of language and extended metaphor exemplifies Donne's style across his work, erotic and religious alike.

●The Ecstasy :-

The poem The Ecstasy is one of John Donne's most popular poems, which expresses his unique and unconventional ideas about love. It expounds the theme that pure, spiritual or real love can exist only in the bond of souls established by the bodies. For Donne, true love only exists when both bodies and souls are inextricably united. Donne criticizes the platonic lover who excludes the body and emphasizes the soul.

●Sweetest Love I Do Not Goe :-

Sweetest Love, I Do Not Goe’ is a metaphysical poem written by John Donne. Here is video about the poem,

In this love poem, the poet portrays the power of true love.poet tells his beloved that he is not running away thinking that he is fed up with it or he is expecting a better love or “fitter love.” He is going because he has a desire to die in the state of bliss. He wants that when death actually comes, he is fully prepared to face death.

The poet assures his beloved that he will come back exactly as the sun comes back every day. The poet promises him that his return will be faster than the sun because he has reason to return soon. 

The poet tells his beloved not to mourn his visit. The pain of the poet is also distressed by seeing her sad. He tells her that she will be present with him. Both souls are connected to each other, so there is no question of separation. There is no question of death.

The poet finally concludes that love is immortal.

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