This revision resource is designed for the EDEXCEL A Level English Literature "Metaphysical Poets" section.
This resource is the perfect revision starter, containing detailed analysis of the conceit, language and form. Context and themes are also listed.
Contains the following poems:
The Fle...
Table of Contents
The Flea – John Donne...................................................................................................................................3
The Good-Morrow – John Donne...................................................................................................................5
Love (III) (Love bade me welcome) – George Herbert.....................................................................................7
A Hymn to God the Father – John Donne.......................................................................................................8
Batter my Heart – John Donne.......................................................................................................................9
The Sun Rising – John Donne.......................................................................................................................10
Woman’s Constancy – John Donne..............................................................................................................11
1
,‘At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners’ – John Donne................................................................................13
‘Death Be Not Proud’ – John Donne.............................................................................................................15
Song (Go, and catch a falling star) – John Donne.........................................................................................16
Elegy: To His Mistress Going to Bed – John Donne.......................................................................................20
A Valediction of Weeping – John Donne......................................................................................................22
A Nocturnal Upon St Lucy’s Day Being The Shortest Day – John Donne........................................................24
The Pulley – George Herbert........................................................................................................................26
The Collar – George Herbert........................................................................................................................28
Redemption – George Herbert.....................................................................................................................30
Song: To Lucasta Going to the Wars – Richard Lovelace...............................................................................31
A Letter to Her Husband – Anne Bradstreet.................................................................................................33
A Song: (Ask me no more where Jove bestows) – Thomas Carew.................................................................35
To the Nymph Complaining for the Death of her Fawn – Andrew Marvell....................................................37
To his Coy Mistress – Andrew Marvell.........................................................................................................39
To My Mistress Sitting by a River’s Side: An Eddy – Thomas Carew..............................................................41
The Definition of Love – Andrew Marvell.....................................................................................................42
Unprofitableness – Henry Vaughan.............................................................................................................43
To My Excellent Lucasia, on Our Friendship – Katherine Phillips...................................................................46
A Dialogue of Friendship Multiplied – Katherine Phillips..............................................................................47
Orinda to Lucasia– Katherine Phillips...........................................................................................................49
The Flea – John Donne...................................................................................................................................3
The Good-Morrow – John Donne...................................................................................................................5
Love (III) (Love bade me welcome) – George Herbert.....................................................................................7
A Hymn to God the Father – John Donne.......................................................................................................8
Batter my Heart – John Donne.......................................................................................................................9
The Sun Rising – John Donne.......................................................................................................................10
Woman’s Constancy – John Donne..............................................................................................................11
‘At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners’ – John Donne...............................................................................13
‘Death Be Not Proud’ – John Donne.............................................................................................................15
Song (Go, and catch a falling star) – John Donne.........................................................................................16
The Apparition – John Donne.......................................................................................................................18
Elegy: To His Mistress Going to Bed – John Donne.......................................................................................20
A Valediction of Weeping – John Donne......................................................................................................22
A Nocturnal Upon St Lucy’s Day Being The Shortest Day – John Donne........................................................24
The Pulley – George Herbert........................................................................................................................26
The Collar – George Herbert........................................................................................................................28
2
,Redemption – George Herbert.....................................................................................................................30
Song: To Lucasta Going to the Wars – Richard Lovelace..............................................................................31
A Letter to Her Husband – Anne Bradstreet.................................................................................................33
A Song: (Ask me no more where Jove bestows) – Thomas Carew.................................................................35
To the Nymph Complaining for the Death of her Fawn – Andrew Marvell....................................................37
To his Coy Mistress – Andrew Marvell.........................................................................................................39
To My Mistress Sitting by a River’s Side: An Eddy – Thomas Carew..............................................................41
The Definition of Love – Andrew Marvell.....................................................................................................42
Unprofitableness – Henry Vaughan.............................................................................................................43
To My Excellent Lucasia, on Our Friendship – Katherine Phillips..................................................................46
A Dialogue of Friendship Multiplied – Katherine Phillips..............................................................................47
Orinda to Lucasia– Katherine Phillips..........................................................................................................49
The Flea – John Donne
Conceit:
o The flea, linked with the contextual theory of blood mixing expresses the potential of a relationship –
in stanza 1 it is suggested that blood mixed between two so sex would not matter, between 1 st and 2nd
woman threatens to swat the flea and Donne suggests that there are three lives in the flea so it would
be sacrilege to kill it as it would be suicide in their marriage temple, in stanza 3 woman kills the flea but
donne turns the victory on her head suggesting her lack of care shown towards the flea equates to the
lack of honour she will experience if she has sex with him
Language:
o Imperatives – “Mark but this flea, and mark in this” dramatic opening – no voice of women, male
argument – ambiguous, stain on women?, stressed syllables suggest speakers insistence and
foreshadows frustration
o Syntax – “Me it sucked first, and now sucks thee” – male first, relationship only for male needs -
orthographic reference in which “sucked” looks like “fucked” to Elizabethan readers – Chiasmus,
symbolic of blood joining together, present participle, heat of moment, harsh monosyballic verbs
o “A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead” – tricolon, links to Donne’s rhetoric training,
o Semantic field of sexual language in Stanza 1 e.g., “maidenhead”, “sucked”, “swells” – alluding to male
erection
o Conversational tone – “alas” ect
o Semantic field of religious imagery – “marriage bed and marriage temple” – reinforces the validity of
Donne’s argument, suggesting God approves it
3
, o Personification – “living walls of jet” – euphemism for the womb
o Colour imagery – “purpled thy nail” – royal colour purple – woman gains prestige sleeping with Donne
o Rhetorical questioning – “in blood of innocence?” – Donne’s rhetoric training highlighted as he
formulates his argument in the present
o Imagery of trinity – religion makes argument respectable but half rhymes highlight how his argument is
flawed
Form:
o 6 line then triplet – consistent highlighting his persistence – triplet compliments content - three
distinct entities, man, woman, flea – witty
o Unconvential sonnet – rhyming couplets
o Iambic pentameter then moves to iambic tetrameter then talking about convention
o AABBCCDDD – relentless consistency of argument – rhyme joined together suggesting they should be
together
Context:
o Fleas common symbols in Renissance poetry, based on ital amoretti
o Ideas of the Holy Trinity
o Renissance belief of blood mixing during sexual intercourse
Themes:
o Love + Lust, loss of innocence, male domination
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