AltBritLit by ER

The Canonization by John Donne involves someone who is talking about their love and that it should not be ridiculed because it is a special type of love which is later explained to be a sexual love. He begins the poem by trying to make everyone like him by talking about his wealth and social status, “Observe His Honor or His Grace, Or the king’s real, or his stamped face Contemplate; what you will, approve, So you will let me love.” (673). Donne is talking about how he has some wealth by referencing the type of currency used in his time which had the current King’s face on it. Then, he moves on to make fun of love and how it is too over the top in the ways lovers mourn or grieve when they are apart, “What merchant’s ships have my sighs drowned? Who says my tears have overflowed his ground?” (674). The lovers relationship is explained in that it is very powerful and they are drawn to each other in many ways which can even be sexual, “Call her one, me another fly, We’re tapers too, and ...

The poem, A Married State, by Katherine Phillips exemplifies the struggles that women face with getting married and encountering the difficulties of life as a married woman. She speaks of how women are miserable with married life and that they must listen to their husbands in submissive entirety, “A married state affords but little ease The best of husbands are so hard to please.” (746). Women will be subject to constant attempts at pleasing their husbands to little success. Virginity is mentioned in this work as a woman’s saving grace from marriage because the pains of childbirth are avoided and women are free from any responsibilities, “A virgin state is crowned with much content; It’s always happy as it’s innocent. No blustering husbands to create your fears; No pangs of childbirth to extort your tears…” (746). During Philips’ time, in the 1600s, most of women’s poetry celebrated a single life for a woman which is why this is the central theme of the poem to illustrate that women s...

In Book IX of Paradise Lost by Milton, the reader finally gets to understand how mankind fell by Milton’s interpretation of the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve are happy in the garden and go about their daily chores where Eve decides that she wants to work separately from Adam to show independence. However, this concerns Adam even though he ultimately agrees to work separately from her. Satan sneaks his way into the garden and looks at all the different animals and decides to disguise himself as a snake. While Eve is working alone, Satan, disguised as a snake, goes up to Eve and speaks to her. He tells her that he ate fruit from a certain tree and that it gave him the ability to talk and become knowledgeable. Satan continually showers Eve with compliments and the temptation for knowledge in order to persuades her to eat the fruit. Then, he takes her to the Tree of Knowledge and tells her to eat from it, “his words replete with guile Into her heart too easy entranc...

In the first book of Milton’s paradise lost, he sets up the story by beginning with the overarching situation of man’s fall due to the serpent and how Satan and his follows all went to hell ready to revolt again. The beginning discusses how Satan caused the fall, “The’ infernal serpent; he it was, whose guile Stirred up with envy and revenge, deceived The mother of mankind…” (802). Here, Milton is discussing the events of the fall but does so in such a way that he is not blaming Eve but is rather stating that it is all Satan’s doing. This is a fascinating take on the Fall because it was commonly believed that Eve was to blame for the happenings in Eden. Milton then goes into focus on a conversation between Satan and one of his many lieutenants about how they plan to fight back against God and heaven. Satan speaks of his plans for continuing to be evil, “Fall’n Cherub, to be weak is miserable Doing or suffering: but of this be sure, To do aught good never be our task…” (805). Milton us...

Oliver Cromwell became the most powerful commoner in all of British history which all started with him making a revolution. Many people believed Cromwell was mentally ill and he likely had depression; he was the poorest in his family and he was the only man in his family because his father died when he was 18. Cromwell had to take care of his six sisters, his wife, and his mother. He believed he was damned to hell and that God was trying to humble him. However, he then began to believe that God had saved him because a local minister made Cromwell feel special because he said Cromwell was saved by the Lord. Cromwell becomes drawn in to puritanism in which he found the security that he so desperately needed in his life. Charles I was the king during this time and ruled the church of England against puritans. Cromwell wanted the king to have less power so when Irish Catholics rebelled and attacked puritans he decided to step in and fight back. The British Parliament, persuaded by Cromwe...

Mary Wroth was a well-versed female author during the Jacobean era in which her many writings reflected the poor treatment of women and children during that time. The many themes within her works are often dark and mention situations that involve imprisonment or lack of freedom. One particular work that illustrates those concepts is Wroth’s Sonnet 16. This sonnet seems to particularly focus on a relationship between a man and his wife and the abusiveness of that relationship. In the beginning of the sonnet, Wroth speaks of women as prisoners to their husbands, “Must I be still while it my strength devours, And captive leads me prisoner, bound, unfree? Love first shall leave men’s fancies to them free.” (722). From this passage, Wroth is using the relationship of a captor and prisoner to describe a marriage during her time. Wroth herself was in a forced marriage and this is shown by the usage of metaphors in Sonnet 16. Another portion of the sonnet that emphasizes the abuse between man...

In Donne’s poem Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward, he discusses the sufferings of Christ when he was being crucified. Donne begins the poem by emphasizing the importance of men being able to grow spiritually through understanding their religion, “Let man’s soul be a sphere, and, then, in this, The intelligence that moves, devotion is…” (693). This passage starts off the poem to tell readers that it is up to man himself to live his life religiously if he so chooses to do. The individual must make a conscious effort for change. As the poem continues, Donne discusses his deep faith and devotion to God. He says that he would hate to even had witnessed what happened when Christ was crucified, “But that Christ on this cross did rise and fall, Sin had eternally benighted all. Yet dare I almost be glad I do not see That spectacle, of too much weight for me.” (694). Donne uses a very vital moment in Christianity to illustrate his love for God and his faith. Not only is Donne making a point ab...