British Literature

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A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
Interpretive Essay
You can discover many things when reading poetry. You can learn about the author and you can interpret meaning and messages the author instills. John Donne’s poem “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” uses comparisons, logic, bold emotion, metaphors, and background to show he is not only metaphysically inclined, but also shows the theme that he wants his wife to know their love won’t be compromised by distance.
The first of many ways Donne shows us he is a metaphysical poet is showing the comparisons of metaphysical (philosophical explanation for the state of existence) qualities to concrete objects. In "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," Donne compares the love between him and his wife to a compass. “If they be two, they are two so as stiff twin compasses are two,” (Donne lines 25-28). The fact that he’s comparing their relationship to a concrete object – the compass – is one way we can see him to be a metaphysical poet.
Secondly Donne uses logic to argue to his wife that she should remain positive and faithful. Donne argues that though physically they are apart they are still spiritually connected and together: “Dull sublunary lovers’ love (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit absence, because it doth remove those things which elemented it” (Donne lines 13-16). This shows that he’s saying those who have a purely physical relationship are subject to change but that the love between Donne and his wife is beyond that and couldn’t be compromised by them being apart. Using characteristics of metaphysical poetry such as logic, and comparing concrete object with their psychological state of being yet again shows Donne to be classified as a metaphysical poet..
Again we see metaphysical traits when he expresses personal and private feelings with bold emotion. Donne clearly and boldly states his true feelings to his wife in stanza 5: “But we by a love, so much refined, that ourselves know not what it is, inter-assured of the mind, care less eyes, lips, and hands to miss.” (Donne lines 17-20). We can take from this his bold statement of him telling his wife that their love is more than just a husband/wife relationship and that although they miss one another it won’t change anything. This strong emotion and bold statement solidifies the statement that Donne was a metaphysical poet.
Donne’s poetry also uses metaphors to show this continuing theme of desire for his wife to remain faithful despite them being apart. One was in the first stanza when he compares their separation to the separation of the soul and body when someone dies. “As virtuous men pass mildly away, and whisper to their souls, to go, whilst some of their sad friends do say, the breath goes now, and some say, no” (Donne lines 1-4). The body is representing the physical love while the soul represents the spiritual/intellectual love. This metaphor shows his desire to show her that he knows though they are apart and their relationship seams dead that their soul is still their and they are still living on, and we can see Donne is not only a metaphysical poet, but also uses other writing methods, such as metaphors, to convey his theme.
Another metaphor revealing this same theme is found in line 6. He says they shouldn’t cry sentimental “tear-floods” or indulge in “sigh-tempests” when saying goodbye as to not cheapen their relationship. He then goes on to compare himself and his wife to celestial spheres and that the relationship is more than physical pleasures but stronger and connected spiritually as well. This too shows the theme of this poem being that he just wants his wife to realize that she can remain true and that they have a relationship that goes beyond husband and wife; the theme that their relationship will last.
Lastly he delivers this theme with the metaphor of a compass. He compares him and his wife each to a different leg of the compass. “If they be two, they are two so as stiff twin compasses are two, thy soul the fixed foot, makes no show to move, but doth, if th’ other do.” (Donne lines 25-28). He explains that although one leg is farther out creating an outer circle, and one leg is in a fixed position, they still operate in unison. Also, for the outer leg to move it depends on the inner leg pivoting. So, like a compass, although they are apart they must remain united because they are part of the same soul.
More than the actual writing we can take from the background of this poem to find this theme as well. “She urged him not to go because she was pregnant and unwell, but he felt obligated to the mission’s leader, Sir Robert Drury.” (p 247). Donne knew his wife was unwell and not wanting him to go and just after he left she gave birth to a dead child. With this knowledge we can more fully understand Donne’s reasoning for this poem and see his efforts to comfort his wife in telling her that everything will be alright and that their love will never fail even if they are apart.
As we read from Donne’s poem “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” we see not only that he is a metaphysical poet, but we can also see a theme in his poem of the desire for his wife to know that their love is great and will last despite them being apart. His comparisons of physical versus spiritual/sentimental, his logic, and his bold emotions all contribute to Donne being a metaphysical poet. Also, through his many metaphors and his background of when he wrote this poem give a clear vision of the point and theme of this poem



















Works Cited
Daniel, Kathleen. "Before You Read." Elements of Literature Literature of
Britain with World Classics. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston,
2000. 247. Print.
Donne, John. "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning." Elements of Literature
Literature of Britain with World Classics. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2000. 248-45. Print.

[Momowriting]

Compare and Contrast Essay

Like all stories under a specific genre, it is easy to make connections between them from their similarities. I found this to be very true when reading two romances from Renaissance literature. With similar elements of romance, like a near perfect hero, a test of the hero, a quest, supernatural elements, an evil enemy, and female figures, we can see that there are many similarities despite their difference in good versus evil between “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and “The Death of Arthur” (Making p 167).
The first similarity that is found in most every romance is having a near-perfect hero.
It’s clear that both “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and “The Death of Arthur” have a near-perfect hero. We read in “The Death of Arthur”, “‘Sir,’ he said, ‘I saw nothing but waters wap and waves wan.’ ‘Ah, traitor unto me and untrue,’ said the king Arthur, ‘now hast thou betrayed me twice!” on page 174. The king had asked Bedivere to take the sword Excaliber and return it to the river and report back on what he had seen, but he kept the sword and lied to the king saying he say nothing when throwing the sword in. We see that despite his heroics and what seems to be perfection that he is flawed and not always true to the king. Sir Gawain was also a near perfect hero possessing many perfect characteristics but in line 207 we read “‘but you lack a little, sir; you were less than loyal;...”, and “‘For look how you flinch for fear before anythings felt!’” in line 113. He lacks little but he wasn’t fully loyal and was less than brave when facing his fate. So we see that although these romance heroes may appear perfect, in reality they both have imperfections.
Another similarity we see between these two Renaissance works is a test of the hero. We can see that there is a test of the near-perfect hero from both stories. “...’If I throw this rich sword in the water, thereof shall never come good, but harm and loss.’ And then sir Bedivere hid Excaliber under a tree.” - page 174 of “The Death of Arthur”. From this quote we see that Bedivere’s test is his loyalty to the king and his request for Excaliber to be returned to the river. He battles with himself thus showing his imperfection that’s being tested. In “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” we read of Sir Gawain’s test - “Bur Sir Gawain cast a side glance at the ax As it glided down to give him his Kingdom come, and his shoulders jerked away form the iron a little, and the Green Knight caught the handle, holding it back, and mocked the prince with many a proud reproof:...” lines 106-110, and “‘, for I myself arranged them. It was I who sent her to test you. I’m convinced You’re the finest man that ever walked this earth. As a peril is of greater price than dry white peas, So Gawain indeed stands out above all other knights. But you lack a little, sir; you were less than loyal;..” found in lines 202-207. Sir Gawain was also tested for his loyalty and courage to following through with his quest as he flinches back as the Green Knight is about so make the blow with his sword. He was also tested by the Green Knight who set up the test to see if he was truly loyal. Through different trials we see a similar test of loyal between both of these heroes.
Also, the heroes of these romances include the element of a quest in order to show the test of the hero. Obviously the heroes from both stories are required to go on a quest of some sort in order to implement the test of the hero. In “The Death of Arthur” we read, “‘Therefore,’ said king Arthur unto sir Bedivere, ‘take thou here Excaliber, my good sword, and go with it to yonder water’s side. And when thou comest there, I charge thee throw my sword in that water, and come again and tell me what thou seest there.’” on page 173. This shows that Bedivere was required by the king to go on this quest to return Excaliber to the river. In the second tale we read of Sir Gawain’s quest in lines 46-48: “‘Oh God,’ thought Gawain, ‘it grinds, I think, For me - a blade prepared for the blow I must take as my right!’”. Here he is describing his quest to go face the Green Knight to take the blow of a sword due to the deal he had made with him. It is evident in both stories that there is a quest that the hero must take part in.
The next element of a romance, supernatural elements, is also similar between “The Death of Arthur” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. The first story shows this element on page 174 - “And there came an arm and an hand above the water, and took it and cleight it, and shook it thrice and brandished, and then vanished with the sword into the water.”. When Bedivere goes to return Excaliber to the river, he sees this arm and hand appear above the water and then sees the sword vanish along with these supernatural elements he was experiencing. Again we see this element in the second story with Sir Gawain on page 158 where we read: “But on the morning of the third day, the lady not only kisses Gawain but also makes him accept a magical green girdle, or sash. She says that if he wears the sash, he cannot be killed.”. This magic girdle is just one of the supernatural elements found in the story “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. With these magical objects and experiences found in these two romances we see but another similarity.
The absence of an evil enemy in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and “The Death of Arthur” is another similarity between these two romances. As we see in lines 106-110 of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” it says, “Bur Sir Gawain cast a side glance at the ax As it glided down to give him his Kingdom come, and his shoulders jerked away form the iron a little, and the Green Knight caught the handle, holding it back, and mocked the prince with many a proud reproof:...”, showing that the “evil enemy” in this story is really part of himself, and not an actual character of the story. It is the same situation in “The Death of Arthur” when in it says “’If I throw this rich sword in the water, thereof shall never come good, but harm and loss.’ And then sir Bedivere hid Excaliber under a tree.” on page 174. Bedivere (the hero) fought against his desire to defy the king’s command to return Excaliber to the river, rather than encountering an evil enemy. So, although inclusion of an evil enemy is a trait of a romance, we see a similarity between these two amongst their lack thereof.
The last similarity of a romance we see in these two stories is female figures.
Though their role is small, there are female figures in both romances. Guenevere was the main female role in “The Death of Arthur” and she’s brought into the story on page 175 where it says “And when Guenevere understood that king Arthur was dead and all the noble knights, sir Mordred and all the remnant, then she stole away with five ladies wither her, and so she went to Amesbury.” In the “Before you Read” section of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”,it shows the role of the Green Knight’s wife - “But on the morning of the third day, the lady not only kisses Gawain but also makes him accept a magical green girdle, or sash. She says that if he wears the sash, he cannot be killed.” (Daniel p 158). It’s evident that, although their role’s are small, there are female figures in both of these romances.
Although these two Renaissance works have many similarities following the elements of a romance, they differ in the element of good versus evil. We can see that good versus evil is only apparent in the “The Death of Arthur”. On page 174 it states - “Then sir Bedivere returned again and took the sword in his hand; and yet him thought sin and shame to throw away that noble sword. And so eft he hid the sword and returned again and told the king that he had been at the water and done his commandment.”. Although there is no character to represent “evil” as we were stereotypically expect, the hero (representing good) does face evil within himself when he’s debating on whether to be loyal and begins justifying his dishonest behavior and lies to the king. In contrast, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” may appear at first to portray the Knight as “evil” or the enemy, when in reality we find that he, like the hero, is good and perhaps even more heroic than Sir Gawain. So although these two tales share many similarities amongst the elements of a romance, it’s clear that only one has real evidence of good versus evil.
We can take the elements of a romance to see there are many similarities and differences between “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and “The Death of Arthur”. They both share elements of a near perfect hero like Bedivere and Sir Gawain, a test of the hero - such as their internal conflict to be loyal and brave, a quest that proves their heroics against their test, supernatural elements such as magic sashes or arms appearing out of rivers, an evil enemy (or the absence thereof), and female figures like Guenevere or the Green Knight’s wife. Despite their difference in good versus evil, it’s clear that these romances are very similar.


























Works Cited

Daniel, Kathleen. "Before You Read." Elements of Literature Literature of Britain with World Classics. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2000. 158. Print.
Daniel, Kathleen. "Making Meanings." Elements of Literature Literature of Britain with World Classics. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2000. 167. Print.
Gardener, John, trans. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." Elements of Literature Literature of Britain with World Classics. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2000. 159-65. Print.
Malory, Thomas. "The Death of Arthur." Elements of Literature Literature of Britain with World Classics. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2000. 171-75. Print.