The Canonisation Flashcards
(10 cards)
1
Q
Context:
A
- The context of canonisation would have been controversial in Elizabethan England where people were persecuted for practicing catholicism.
- Donne’s brother died in the Tower of London after hiding a priest.
- Likely to have been written after marrying Anne Moore in private.”
2
Q
The Canonisation:
A
Within the poem the speaker highlights the power of love to transcend courtly and earthly concerns. The speaker urges for a private form of love, whilst also recognising that the love he has found has achieved such perfection, that it deserves canonisation.
3
Q
“For God’s sake hold your tongue, and let me love”
A
- Colloquial opening is in sharp contrast to the poems religious tidal that seems to focus on profound piety.
- Poetic voice’s frustration and anger is implicit in the shocking opening clause.
- Frustrated that the behaviour of the addressee is limiting his ability to lobe - liquid alliteration provides a contrast between the sharpness in his tone and the focus on love.
4
Q
“Observe his honour, or his grace”
A
- likely to refer to judges or those in positions of power in the church.
- Irony in Donne’s choice of occupations as Donne trained as a lawyer in Lincolns Inn and following his rejection of courtly society after marrying Anne Moore - he was only able to take up positions in the church.
5
Q
“Let me love”
A
- Donne adopts a form of epistrophe - the first and last lines of the stanzas begin and end with love - indicates that love is the beginning and end of his concerns.
6
Q
“What merchant ships have my sighs drowned?”
A
- undermines the conventional Petrarchan image of profound emotion.
- His sighs have not caused ships to drown or tears caused floods - claims portrayed in a petrarhcan poem
- Donne presents a series of disasters, none of which have been caused by his love.
7
Q
“We can die by it, if not live by love”
A
- antithetical parallelism.
- death being taking literally - even if they are not allowed to love in life, they can love in death.
- liquid alliteration - eternal nature of love.
8
Q
“And if no piece of chronicle we prove/ we’ll build in sonnets pretty rooms”.
A
- Sonnets - traditional form of love poetry - most apt form for their immortalisation.
- “pretty rooms” - love can eternally inhabit the verses of sonnets.
- works as a literary pun as stanza is the Italian word for room - Donne is likely to be imagining the Italian sonnet form.
9
Q
“and by these hymns, all shall prove us canonised for love”.
A
- hymns - introduces a semantic field of religion to prepare the reader for the sense in which the lovers should be canonised for love.
- Verses will functions like urns where there love will be recognisable by all - will be rewarded as miraculous lovers worthy of canonisation.
10
Q
Form:
A
- Regularity of the stanzas- represents the enduring nature of their love.
- Dramatic monologue - allows Donne to confront his critics in an immediate style.
