Lecture notes
John Donne- The Good Morrow
- Institution
- CCEA
This is a comprehensive analysis of John Donne's poem 'The Good Morrow.' It provides information on the context, form and structure and language and imagery of the
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THE GOOD MORROWFORM AND STRUCTURE
- The poem is an apostrophe / direct address to the male speaker’s female lover
- The poem has a regular rhyme scheme ABABCCC. It is made up of alternate rhyming lines
and the argument is sealed with a rhyming triplet at the end of each stanza
- Although the poem has a regular rhyme scheme, some is half rhyme or suggestion of rhyme.
This creates a colloquial tone and evokes the rhythms of the natural speaking voice
- The poem consists of 3, 7 line stanza. The stanzaic form allows for the evolution of an
argument and the logical progression of ideas
- Through the 3 stanzas, the reader sees an unfolding of a dramatic situation
- The poem is iambic pentameter. This is the metric form used in dramatic verse to facilitate
the creation of a natural speaking voice
- The 3 stanzas appear to follow a three-part structure
1. The first verse deals with their past lives before they had consummated their love
2. The second verse deals with their present emotions
3. The third stanza looks forward to their future
LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY
Subject of the Poem
- The poem portrays two lovers waking up together after consummating their love. They have
not only awakened together; they have awakened to a new life and a new world- their world
view has changed following the consummation of their love
- This poem deals with the themes of love and focuses on the transformative power of love
- It also deals with the knowingness that love brings
- Donne explores the spiritual experience of love and the relationship between the spiritual
and the sensual
- The poet states that love, if equal, will never diminish or die
- The poet also muses on the relationship between love and time and love’s ability to
transcend time
- This was a common theme in literature at the time as life expectancy was low and most
didn’t make it past middle ages because of issues like plagues, dangerous travel and
primitive medicine
Title
- ‘Good-Morrow’ was a common form of address in 17th Century.
- However, ‘Good’ also implies the new found knowledge and security that their relationship
has brought
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