Includes:
● Analysis
● Themes with keywords
● Reference links
Poems
A Lecture Upon the Shadow
John Donne
Meaning
● The speaker asks his beloved to stand still before he delivers the lecture on love. He
goes on to state that when they walk together, their shadows also walk with them and
when the sun comes on their heads, their shadows shorten, while their love grows
with more clarity. However, this is the hard work of love that now their shadows start
going to the west and becoming which means that both are falsely pretending their
love. In other words, he means that when there is morning, their love is constantly
growing, and it starts decaying when the light starts fading and by the night it ends.
● The first stanza presents a “lecture” in love. The lyrical voice will present a number of
images that convey the different stages of a relationship through an exemplary tone as
if he/she were one to give advice and teach about love.
● These introductory lines are directly addressed to the reader (“Stand still”) and
coupled with alliteration (“Stand still”, “A lecture, love, in love’s”) in order to bring
attention to the lyrical voice’s message. The poem then shifts to a narrative about two
lovers.
● The lovers walk together and encounter two shadows (“two shadows went/Along with
us, which we ourselves produc’d”) that represent possible conflicts between them.
● In A Lecture upon the Shadow, light represents love and bliss, while shadows depict
disagreement and discord. These mentioned shadows disappear as “now the sun is
above our head”, meaning that the poem follows these lovers throughout the day and
noon represents the high point of the relationship, as there are no traces of possible
conflict (“And to brave clearness all things are reduc’d”).
● In this manner, the lyrical voice explains that while the relationship grows (“So whilst
our infant loves did grow”) the shadows also grow (“Disguises did, and shadows,
flow/From us, and our care”), but, at that moment, that is not an issue (“but now ’tis
not so/That love has not attain’d the high’st degree”).
, ● Again, this extends the imagery related to noon presented before. The passing of the
day function as an extended metaphor for the different stages of a relationship.
● The second stanza introduces the decline of this relationship. Inevitably, new shadows
appear as the day follows (“Except our loves at this noon stay/We shall new shadows
make the other way”).
● This suggests that love grows until its summit, which is associated with noon, and
then decreases over time, following the movement of the sun. Love is, consequently,
portrayed as fleeting.
● Meanwhile, the lyrical voice makes several remarks that differ from this and reveal a
possible, but subtle, optimistic look on love: “Except our loves at this noon stay”, “If
our loves faint”, “If love decay”.
● The lyrical voice explains how the first shadows mentioned before, which could be
associated with the morning, are different from these new shadows: “As the first were
made to blind/Others, these which come behind/Will work upon ourselves, and blind
our eyes”, “The morning shadows wear away,/But these grow longer all the day”. As
the lovers continue to walk, these new shadows show “westwardly decline”, meaning
they represent deceptions that would affect the relationship, as they can’t see each
other clearly (“To me thou, falsely, thine,/And I to thee mine actions shall disguise”).
● The lyrical voice references the analogy between love and the passing of the day
directly: “But oh, love’s day is short”. Again, this emphasizes the ephemeral nature of
love and the cyclical movement associated with the day, in which “first minute after
noon, is night.”
● The final lines reinforce this idea of growing love as “full constant light” and decay as
“night” that is presented throughout the poem. Notice that, in the final lines, love is
personified in the capitalization of the word and in the use of the verb “is” and the
possessive “his”.
● The poet explains that while the lovers believe that their love has reached its highest
peak and there is nothing beyond it, the love they share continues to grow diligently.
The love between the lovers witnesses constant growth and others must not mock it.
● The poet gives a condition and proclaims that if their love continues to grow and
prosper, they will successfully be able to create new shadows and define their love
better. The noon shadows created by the lovers would blind them, and they would be
unable to truly understand what their love means and how deep it is. The noon
shadows are symbolic of the loss of physical charm, and it signifies that despite its
loss, the care and feelings of the lovers have been persistent. In that manner, their love
will grow stronger.
● The poet gives another hypothetical where the lover’s love starts to decline like the
sun in the west; the poet and his lover would not be honest to each other and become
oblivious to the love.
● The poet explains that the morning shadows are symbolic of the beginning of the
lover’s life, and then their love goes through its peak in the noon. When they start to
lose their physical charm in the noon, the love will continue to grow if the lovers
share togetherness that goes beyond physicality.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller shivaliyadav. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $5.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
