Lecture notes
The Triple Fool (John Donne)
- Institution
- CCEA
A2 Unit 1-John Donne notes
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By: jennirob13 • 1 year ago
By: jessicapope03 • 2 year ago
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The Triple FoolFORM AND STRUCTURE
- Poem consists of 2 stanzas, each of which is made up of 11 lines
- Rhyme scheme of first stanza = AABCDEDEFF / Rhyme scheme of second stanza =
GGHHHIJIHKK
- Regular use of enjambment in the poem
- The irregularity and erraticism of the rhyme scheme and rhythm reflects the
irrationality of love and the thought processes of the narrator as he muses over his
plight
- Poem ends in a couplet to solidify the poems message
Subject of the Poem
First Stanza
- The first stanza introduces the situation of the poem
- The speaker argues that he is foolish for falling in love and committing this love to
verse
- He wonders whether he would be a fool had his beloved accepted his love
- He uses the vehicle of poetry as a tool to alleviate the grief that her rejection has
embedded in him
Second Stanza
- The poet presents the paradox of poetry- his poetry will be turned into song which
will bring people entertainment and enjoyment yet this song is embedded in his
personal pain
- While writing works to reduce the pain of loss and rejection, its consumption by the
public causes the grief to return
- In the final couplet, the poet uses the symbol of the three fools-he is a fool for falling
in love, for putting this love to verse and for his naïve belief that he was wise
LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY
Stanza 1
- Line 1: “I am two fools, I know”- The poem has a dramatic opening as the poet uses
the first person ‘I’ to admit his own faults and failings.
- Line 2: “For loving and for saying so”-The poet undercuts audience expectation by
explicitly stating that love is the reason for his foolishness. We do not believe love to
be foolish or irrational but the driving force for human connection and interaction.
The use of alliteration “saying so” introduces the idea of metapoetry into the poem
as the poet makes self-referential comments about the writing process on numerous
occasions.
- Line 3: “In whining poetry”- The adjective ‘whining’ evokes a negative view of love
poetry and self-mocks his decision to commit his love to verse
- Line 4-5: “where’s that wiseman that would not be I / If she would not deny?”-
through the rhetorical question the poet wonders what will happen if his lover
denies him after writing the poem.
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