JOHN DONNE

John Donne, an accomplished English poet, scholar, and soldier, is renowned as the foremost representative of the metaphysical poets. He wrote different types of poems, like sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, and satires. He also gave sermons about religion. Donne’s break from traditional poetic norms contributed to his unique style and the distinctiveness of his work within the realm of English poetry.

John Donne was born in London, in 1571 or 1572 into a Roman Catholic family during a time when the practice of Catholicism was illegal in England. His father, also named John Donne, was a merchant. After John Donne’s father passed away in 1576 when Donne was just four years old. Elizabeth Heywood, Donne’s mother had notable family connections. She was the daughter of John Heywood, the playwright, and the sister of the Reverend Jasper Heywood, who was a Jesuit priest and translator. She was also a great-niece of the famous English statesman and scholar, Sir Thomas More.

Elizabeth Heywood married Dr. John Syminges, which brought some stability to the family and contributed to Donne’s education and upbringing. John Donne’s complex family background, with its strong Catholic connections and later conversion to Anglicanism, had a significant influence on his life and work, including his exploration of religious themes and his career as a poet and preacher.

In 1583, when Donne was just 11 years old studied at Hart Hall, which is now known as Hertford College at the University of Oxford. Later, in 1586, he got into the University of Cambridge. However, he couldn’t finish his studies at either of these universities because of his Catholic beliefs. This was because he wouldn’t agree to take the Oath of Supremacy, which was needed to graduate. This oath was related to the English government’s authority over the Catholic Church, and because of his faith, Donne couldn’t go along with it

Oath of Supremacy : The Oath of Supremacy was indeed first imposed during the reign of King Henry VIII in 1534. The Act of Supremacy of 1534 marked a significant turning point in English history by establishing the English monarch as the head of the Church of England, breaking away from the authority of the Pope in Rome. Queen Mary I, who succeeded her younger brother, Edward VI, as the monarch of England, did indeed reject the Oath of Supremacy and reinstated Catholicism during her reign. However, her successor, Queen Elizabeth I, reinstated the Oath of Supremacy in 1559 with the passing of the Act of Supremacy in 1559. This Act once again established the English monarch as the supreme governor of the Church of England and required subjects to swear allegiance to this new religious authority. This marked the beginning of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, which established Anglicanism as the state religion in England.

After completing his education, Donne traveled to various places and focused on literature and writing. Donne fought alongside notable figures like the Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Raleigh. He participated in military campaigns against the Spanish, such as the battles at Cadiz in 1596 and the Azores in 1597. Notably, he witnessed the loss of the Spanish flagship, the San Felipe. By the age of 25, Donne appeared well-prepared for a diplomatic career. He was appointed as the chief secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, who held the position of Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.

John Donne fell in love with Anne More, and they secretly married in 1601. However, Anne’s father, George More, did not approve of their union. When their secret marriage was discovered, it had serious consequences for Donne. His career suffered, and he was dismissed from his position. He, along with the Church of England priest Samuel Brooke (who performed the marriage ceremony), and his brother Christopher, were imprisoned in Fleet Prison. However, Donne was later released when their marriage was valid.

After his release, Donne and Anne moved to Pyrford and later to Mitcham. Donne struggled to make a living as a lawyer during this time, while Anne gave birth to a new child almost every year. This period was marked by financial insecurity. During this challenging period, Donne wrote a work titled “Biathanatos,” in which he defended the concept of suicide. However, he did not publish this work.

Tragedy struck when Anne Donne passed away on August 15, 1617, just five days after giving birth to their twelfth child. This was a profound loss for Donne, and he expressed his deep grief and love for Anne in his 17th Holy Sonnet.

  • In 1602, John Donne was elected as a Member of Parliament, an unpaid position.
  • In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I passed away, and James VI of Scotland became King James I of England. In this period of time, Donne embraced the fashion of coterie poetry. He used this style of poetry as a means to seek patronage. Many of his poems were composed for wealthy friends and patrons, including Sir Robert Drury.
  • In 1610 and 1611, Donne wrote two anti-Catholic polemics: “Pseudo-Martyr” and “Ignatius His Conclave for Morton.” These works reflected the religious and political conflicts of the time.
  • In 1615, Donne was ordained as a priest in the Church of England. He also became a Royal Chaplain in the same year.
  • In 1616 he became a reader of divinity at Lincoln’s Inn.
  • In 1618, Donne became the chaplain to Viscount Doncaster, who was an ambassador to the German princes. He spent some years abroad and did not return to England until 1620.
  • In 1621, John Donne was appointed as the Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was a prestigious and well-paid position in the Church of England. He held this position until his death in 1631.
  • In 1624, Donne became the vicar of St. Dunstan-in-the-West.
  • In 1625, he was appointed as a prolocutor to King Charles I.

John Donne wrote a series of meditations and prayers centered around the themes of health, pain, and sickness. These writings were later published as a book in 1624 under the title “Devotions upon Emergent Occasions.” One of these meditations, Meditation XVII, contains famous phrases such as “No man is an island” and “…for whom the bell tolls,” which have become widely recognized in modern language. He developed a reputation as an eloquent and powerful preacher, and a total of 160 of his sermons have been preserved. One of his most renowned sermons is “Death’s Duel,” which he delivered at the Palace of Whitehall before King Charles I in February 1631.

John Donne passed away on March 31, 1631. He was laid to rest in the old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. A memorial statue in his honor, created by the sculptor Nicholas Stone, was erected at the cathedral. The Latin epigraph on the memorial statue is believed to have been composed by Donne himself.

Donne is celebrated for his mastery of the metaphysical conceit, a literary device involving extended metaphors that combine two vastly different ideas into a single concept, often through vivid and imaginative imagery. Unlike the more straightforward comparisons found in Petrarchan conceits, like a rose and love. Metaphysical conceits delve deeper into the comparison of entirely dissimilar objects. A famous example of a conceit in Donne’s work can be seen in “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” where he likens the separation of two lovers to the movement of the legs of a compass.

John Donne, a prominent English poet and cleric of the 16th and early 17th centuries, produced a significant body of literary work that includes various types of poetry, sermons, essays, and letters. Some of his most notable works are:

  • The Flea (1590s)
  • Biathanatos (1608)
  • Pseudo-Martyr (1610)
  • Ignatius His Conclave (1611)
  • A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning (1611)
  • The Courtier’s Library (1611, published 1651)
  • Devotions upon Emergent Occasions (1624)
  • The Good-Morrow (1633)
  • The Canonization (1633)
  • Holy Sonnets (1633)
  • As Due By Many Titles (1633)
  • Death Be Not Proud (1633)
  • The Sun Rising (1633)
  • The Dream (1633)
  • Elegy XIX: To His Mistress Going to Bed (1633)
  • Batter my heart, three-person’d God (1633)
  • Essays in Divinity (1651)
  • A Hymn to God the Father (unknown)

Donne’s poems are characterized by their wit, employing paradoxes, puns, and subtle yet striking analogies. Common themes in Donne’s poetry include love, death, and religion. One of Donne’s distinguishing features is his poetic meter, which is structured with changing and irregular rhythms that closely resemble everyday speech.

John Donne’s early career featured a significant body of erotic poetry, particularly evident in his elegies. In these poems, he used unconventional metaphors to explore themes of love and desire. For instance, in one of his famous metaphors, he compared a flea biting two lovers to the act of sex. Notably, Donne did not publish these works during his lifetime. In November 2018, an unknown manuscript containing a collection of Donne’s work, along with the writings of others, was discovered at Melford Hall.

Some scholars have suggested that Donne’s numerous illnesses, financial difficulties, and the deaths of close friends all contributed to a shift in his poetry toward a more somber and pious tone in his later works. This transformation is evident in his poem “An Anatomy of the World.”

John Donne’s work has generated much critical analysis over the years, particularly in regard to his metaphysical style. He is widely recognized as the foremost member of the metaphysical poets, a term coined by Samuel Johnson in 1781. Ben Jonson, a contemporary poet and playwright, remarked that Donne “deserved hanging” for not adhering to conventional rules of accent and meter.