Holy Sonnet 19: "Oh to vex me"

Question 1

Overview

Answer 1

• The speaker presents himself as being troubled by faith and therefore portrays himself as a lover worthy of God’s reciprocation. Despite this,

Question 2

“O, to vex me contraries meet in one”

Answer 2

• “Meet in one” - all the speakers questions are met in gos - exclamation of emotion anguish and outbursts.
• The classical O is self mocking - the ideal that portrayed of resolved contraries.

Question 3

“Inconstancy hath naturally begot”

Answer 3

• Paradoxical nature of the constant nature of inconstant feelings.
• Euphemistic conversion from catholicism to protestantism.

Question 4

Paradoxical image - confusion in the face of religion.

Answer 4

• “cold and hot” - petrachan figure of fire and ice is reduced to a sick mans flu.
• Speakers debuchery has left him in a state of metaphorical fever as his spirit decays.

Question 5

“those are my best days when I shake with fear”

Answer 5

• paradoxically - he feels closest to god when he is most scared of him as he truly knows then that he exists.