A VALEDICTION FORBIDDING MOURNING JOHN DONNE MAP OF

A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING JOHN DONNE

MAP OF OUR SPEECH v. METAPHYSICAL POETRY v. LIFE OF JOHN DONNE v. DESCRIPTION OF POEM v. CONCEITS v. SYMBOLS v. SIMILE v. THEMES v. LANGUAGE USE v. CLASSROOM IMPLEMENTATION v. CONCLUSION

Metaphysical: using words with their ordinary meaning but describing something by means of an image or symbol. Conceit: an extended metaphor Ø surprising ways ØJOHN DONNE

Death and religion METAPHYSICAL POETRY ıntellectual descriptions A preof emotions occupation with love Images taken from everyday life Simple diction Unusual and often startling comparisons • Abraham Cowley • Richard Crashaw • Andrew Marvell

CONCEIT: 1. Contemporary language = arrogance 2. At the time term was coined , it meant: “concept”

• BAROQUE Encompass styles of architecture and art as well as litrature Baroque writers influenced “A Valedcition: Forbidding Mourning stye”

• SCIENCE AND THE AGE OF DISCOVERY v. Copernicus’s Theory v. Galileo: mathematical compass

LIFE OF JOHN DONNE v London in 1572 v Married with Ann v From 1611 to 1612 A Valediction: Forbidding. Mourning v a famous English poet, satirist, lawyer v. His first poem book: Satires v. Songs and sonnets

Personal Life Ø John Donne fell in love with the Egerton's (employer’s) niece Anne More Ø They married in 1601. Since the marriage was against the wish of Egerton and Anne More’s father, Donne had to go to Fleet Prison for a brief time. Ø Donne went to France while Ann was pregnant. Ø Ann died on August 15, 1617 ØJohn Donne never married again.

WORKS OF JOHN DONNE Ø Donne : A representative of metaphysical poet Ø realistic and sensual style, Ø love poetry and religious poems to Latin translations, Ø epigrams, Ø songs, Ø satires and sermons

ØHis writings: ironic & cynical elements, regarding love and human motives. ØHis notable works: a valediction: Forbidding Mourning Flea The Sun Rising The Ecstacy

Death Donne; Ø suffered from stomach cancer. Ø died on March 31, 1631 Ø was buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral Ø A memorial statue of him was erected at the Cathedral

DESCRIPTION OF THE POEM

"A Valediction Forbidding Mourning, " goodbye to a significant wife Ø farewell speech Ø Donne wants her to wait attentively for his arrival back Ø not cry storms of tears Ø So, no mourning

DESCRIPTION OF POEM A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning shining example of the mature, spiritual relationship that Donne had with his wife.

STANZA #1 AS virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say, "Now his breath goes, " and some say, "No. "

STANZA #2 So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ; 'Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love.

STANZA #3 Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ; Men reckon what it did, and meant ; But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent.

STANZA #4 Dull sublunary lovers' love —Whose soul is sense—cannot admit Of absence, 'cause it doth remove The thing which elemented it.

STANZA #5 But we by a love so much refined, That ourselves know not what it is, Inter-assurèd of the mind, Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss.

STANZA #6 Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet A breach, but an expansion, Like gold to aery thinness beat.

STANZA #7 If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two ; Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th' other do.

STANZA #8 And though it in the centre sit, Yet, when the other far doth roam, It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home.

STANZA #9 Such wilt thou be to me, who must, Like th' other foot, obliquely run ; Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun.

CONCEITS

Dying of virtuous men good men make good deaths the mark of a good death

Trepidation of The Spheres’ Earthquakes • Damaging - harmful trepidation of the spheres’ ( movement of the planets) natural & harmless)

Sacred love Ø Sacred love = laity (line 8) Ø Weep at parting Ø profane our love

Sublunary lovers Ordinary lovers physical presence, physical attraction Donne & Ann real lovers

Gold ductile malleable = no real separation

geometrical compasses the other leg (the man) The fixed leg (the woman) create a circle

In time, Ø the second foot returns to the centre. Ø Donne'll come home again

SYMBOLS

1. Melt: physically and spiritually mixed together. 2. The sphere: perfection which represents the union of souls in a relationship. Representing their natural , harmless love.

3. The circle: ØIt means perfection, ØRepresenting the Union souls ØCurves reconnecting 4. The compasses: Øcombination of two lovers; closely related to each other. ØTogetherness of them ØThey are united

SIMILE

. Gold comparing the expansion of their souls to the expansion of beaten gold. stanza : 6 A breach, but an expansion, Like gold to aery thinness beat

Introduction of a simile • 1 st half of the simile is presented • Comparing the death of virtuous men to something

Completion of Simile • Comparing the death of virtuous men to his wife’s separation. (stanza 2) • Virtuous men die peacefully and silently

THEMES

DEATH Ø"virtuous men pass[ing] mildly away. “ (line 1) Ødeath as a metaphor for his impending departure on a journey

LOVE Ø"dull sublunary lovers' love, " (line 13) Ø"refined" love that Donne and Ann (line 17) Ø“sacred love”

RELIGIOUS FAITH ØPiety (Pious men) ØEternal life ØSecurity in his relationship with Ann

SCIENCE ØCompass Ømoving of th' earth ( line 9) Øearthquakes, strike fear into the hearts of men Ø"like gold to airy thinness beat, “ (line 24) refers to precious metal and its physical properties

IMAGERIES

v. THE CIRCLE Marriage ring Path descried by a compass Alchemical symbol for gold Path of planets

ØDeath of virtous men Ømild ØDescribe how should they separate “Mildly away” Ø“melt” (line 5) Ø“make no noise” “whisper”

ØReligious imagery Ø“laity” (line 8) ØLove= spiritiual nature ØSenses (line 20) Refined/ purified Our love is so refined, so otherworldly, that it can still survive without the closeness of eyes, lips, and hands.

LANGUAGE USE

AS virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say, "Now his breath goes, " and some say, "No. " So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ; 'Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love. Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet A breach, but an expansion, Like gold to aery thinness beat. Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ; Men reckon what it did, and meant ; But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent. If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two ; Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th' other do. Dull sublunary lovers' love —Whose soul is sense—cannot admit Of absence, 'cause it doth remove The thing which elemented it. And though it in the centre sit, Yet, when the other far doth roam, It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home. But we by a love so much refined, That ourselves know not what it is, Inter-assurèd of the mind, Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss. Such wilt thou be to me, who must, Like th' other foot, obliquely run ; Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun.

RHYMES 9 stanzas structure 4 lines in each stanzas As virtuous men pass mildly away, A And whisper to their souls to go, B Whilst some of their sad friends do say, A "Now his breath goes, " and some say, "No. “ B So let us melt, and make no noise, C No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ; D 'Twere profanation of our joys C To tell the laity our love. D

RHYMES AS virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say, "Now his breath goes, " and some say, "No. " So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ; 'Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love. v 10 syllables for line v Quatrains are not usual for Donne. v Short stanzas Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ; Men reckon what it did, and meant ; But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent. Dull sublunary lovers' love —Whose soul is sense—cannot admit Of absence, 'cause it doth remove The thing which elemented it. But we by a love so much refined, That ourselves know not what it is, Inter-assurèd of the mind, Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss. Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet A breach, but an expansion, Like gold to aery thinness beat. If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two ; Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th' other do. And though it in the centre sit, Yet, when the other far doth roam, It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home. Such wilt thou be to me, who must, Like th' other foot, obliquely run ; Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun.

As a compass travels 360 degrees, there are 36 lines with 10 syllables. In Ptolemaic cosmology, it was believed that after 36, 000 years, the planets would return to their original places of the moment of creation.

Alliteration Whilst some of their sad friends do say (line 3) Dull sublunary lovers' love (line 13) (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit (line 14) That our selves know not what it is, (line 18) Our two souls therefore, which are one (line 21) Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show Thy firmness makes my circle just, / And makes me end where I begun (lines 35 -36)

CLASSROOM IMPLEMENTATION FIRST ENCOUNTERS MAINTAINING MOMENTUM EXPLOITING HIGHLIGHTS ENDING

HOW TO USE?

A) FIRST ENCOUNTERS Ø USING THEME Choose a main theme from the poem and explore it in the class. Think that you are at the place of Ann, how would you feel when your husband goes to a trip?

A) FIRST ENCOUNTERS Ø BIOGRAPHICAL MONTAGE Some photos, objects -anything which is relevant to the author's life are collected by the teacher. The class speculates about the meaning of items in montage as a whole class either in groups.

A) FIRST ENCOUNTERS ØSEALING THE TIME CAPSULE Having read the first stanza students are asked to write a range of predictions about the poem

B) MAINTAINING MOMENTUM Ø CHOOSING A MORAL A list of morals are given to students and they will choose one and support their thoughts. Students can add their own moral For example; loyalty

B) MAINTAINING MOMENTUM Ø CONTINUING PREDICTIONS After reading the first stanzas of the poem students are asked to complete a series of statements in writing Students predict about whether Donne returns to his wife or not