How does Donne develop the theme of love?
Or, What are the different stages of love found in the poem? (NU- 2010)
Or, How does Donne attempt to harmonise the physicallove with the spiritual love in the poem? (NU- 2007)Ans. The Elizabethan poets were the followers of the Petrarchan tradition. Elizabethan poetry was full of allusions tothe gods and goddesses of mythology. The poets followed the creed of chivalry and woman worship. Donne revolted against the whole Petrarchan or Elizabethan convention. He banished the goodly train of the deities and refused to idealise the beloved. In many of his poems he adopted a cynical attitude - towards his beloved. In some of his poems he developed the theme of love in an unconventional way. The poem "The Good-Morrow" develops the theme of love the spiritual union. of two souls of the lovers.
"The Good-Morrow" celebrates the success of a lover. The lover has to pass through different stages to fulfill his love: enterprise. The stages are dormant state, waking state and the harmonious stage of physical and spiritual love..
In the dormant stage the lovers were unaware of their love. Thus, the speaker expresses his surprise what he and his beloved did till they fall in love. Then their love for each other was immature and unnatural by nature. Perhaps they were much little kids sucking their mothers' breast. The speaker again says that perhaps they slept deeply in a den like the seven brothers. Thus, before falling in love they were in an unconscious state. In that state they had innocent love for each other.
Now the lovers are aware of their love for each other. At this. stage they are filled with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Their same spirit and love help them make a complete whole. The lover and the beloved each has a world of their own. When they begin to love each other, the wall between the two minor worlds breaks down and they become the inhabitants of a single world. Again, the two faces of the lovers are compared to two hemispheres. The geographical world consists of two hemispheres. Similarly, the couple each once had two separate worlds. When they become lover and beloved, they lose their individual identity and jointly make a single world that is complete in itself.Passing through the unaware and aware stages, now the lovers enter into spirituality. In this stage they find each other's images in their eyes. As they have true and simple faith in each other, as they love each other reciprocally, as they have equal intensity of passion, their love will not die. They may die physically; their union of souls will remain ever fresh.
The Elizabethan lyrical and amatory poetry had been flowing continuously in the Petrarchan channel. It was John Donne who broke the supremacy of the Petrarchan tradition. In "The Good Morrow" also Donne focused on the union of souls, not on the physical beauty of the beloved. Unlike the Elizabethan he argues in everyday language to emphasise the spiritual love. Here love passes from unawareness of the lovers to satisfaction and ultimately attains immortality.
[NB: Credit goes to Rezaul Karim Sir, I have taken this from his book, purpose of research]
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