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Plato in John Donne's "The Good Morrow". (Notes).

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From: ANQ
Date: 20030101
Author:Nassaar, Christopher S.

There are clear Platonic elements in Donne's "The Good Morrow." The idea that Donne and his lady are halves that complete each other is traceable to Plato's theory of love. Lines 7 and 8 of the poem refer to the Platonic World of Ideas: the lady is presented as the Idea of Beauty, of which all earthly beauty is but an imperfect reflection. My argument, however, is that Plato's cave allegory and his World of Ideas are integral to a full understanding of this highly complex poem.

The first reference to the Platonic cave comes in line 4 of the poem: "Or snorted we in the seven ...

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