The verse form “ The Bait ” , written by John Donne, is a important illustration of metaphysical poesy which I feel was written as a response to Christopher Marlowe ‘s non-metaphysical verse form “ The Passionate Shepherd to His Love. ” My sentiment is based on the differences I find in three chief subjects which are conveyed in the verse form. These subjects are the poets ‘ portraitures of the universe, their positions of love affair, and the overall tempers expressed in the verse forms. While Marlowe characterizes the universe as an idealistic location, Donne uses a more realistic point of position to depict the environment of the lovers. Love affair is painted in Marlowe ‘s verse form as an escapade that is full of joy and hope, but Donne suggests that love affair is a comparatively more serious and perchance unsafe experience. The overall blithe and blissful temper conveyed in Marlowe ‘s verse form contrasts with the troubled and dark temper of Donne ‘s verse form. The differences in the poets ‘ descriptions of the universe, their constructs of love affair, and the contrasting tempers of their verse forms are countries which lead me to experience that Donne ‘s verse form is written as a response to Marlowe ‘s work.
While Marlowe ‘s verse form takes topographic point in an slightly fanciful universe, Donne ‘s verse form portrays a more misanthropic and realistic image of the universe. The characters in Donne ‘s verse form live in a universe filled with existent dangers and the possibility of decease. In depicting the pleasances used to allure the lover, Donne includes the negative side of those pleasances. The “ aureate littorals, and crystal Brookss ” ( 3 ) which are offered may be beautiful, but they do incorporate “ satiny lines, and Ag maulerss ” ( 4 ) which can be lifelessly. When Donne writes about allowing “ others freeze with angling reeds, /and cut their legs with shells and weeds ( 17-18 ) , it is clear that other fish are fighting and are in danger of acquiring harmed in their pursuit for love. “ Strangling trap, or windowy cyberspace ” ( 20 ) is a farther illustration of the existent dangers present for the fish in Donne ‘s portraiture of the universe. The universe in this verse form is more practical than the universe described in Marlowe ‘s verse form ; it gives thought to many of the existent dangers in life. Donne creates a image of the universe that is really close to the world of a life lead by a fish being lured by come-on.
The construct of love affair portrayed in the two verse forms differs a great trade. Marlowe ‘s verse form expresses an excessively optimistic position of love affair. He presents love affair as both beautiful and unselfish, and captures the cloud nine of a natural and undemanding love. The shepherd tells the lady that if she will merely, “ Come live with me and be my Love ” ( 1 ) , A he will give her delectation after delectation. He promises that she will be dressed in the finest luxuries “ Fair lined slippers for the cold, With buckles of the purest gold ( 15/16 ) and will eat her repasts from “ silver dishes ” ( 21 ) . Never, in this verse form, does Marlowe admit any of the negative facets that are hidden in his thought of love affair. He fails to advert that he is non offering her matrimony nor any suggestion that they will set up a hereafter together. The construct of love affair presented in this verse form is one without any true committedness and offers merely the pleasances of the minute. Marlowe ‘s position of love affair captures the joys of a simple and unsophisticated love affair that is free of duty. A
Romantic love in Donne ‘s verse form is expressed as a more misanthropic experience. Although the first stanzas of the verse form represent a romantic universe, the balance of the verse form seems to be mocking the being of such echt romantic relationships. Donne seems to be warning work forces about the dangers of adult females and of falling in love. The imagination in “ Or faithlessly hapless fish beset/With strangulating trap, or windowy cyberspace ” ( 19-20 ) illustrates a adult male ‘s loss of his ability to travel and be free in his hunt of love affair. It further conveys the thought that possibly a adult female is non as wholly fantastic as adult male may believe, and that it is the adult female who is in control of the love affair “ Each fish, which every channel hath, /Will amorously to thee swim, /Gladder to catch thee, than thou him ” ( 10-13 ) . The construct of Roman love portrayed in this verse form is one of warning sing the committednesss and dangers that love affair can keep. Donne ‘s position of love affair clearly captures the troubles and complications that can be involved in romance.A
The temper conveyed in these verse forms is clearly different. Marlowe ‘s verse form represents a temper that is unworried and light, and Donne ‘s represents one that is dark and much more serious. In Marlowe ‘s verse form, the pastoral scene creates an ambiance of peace and repose. The blissful description of love affair creates an enrapturing feeling that makes the temper of the verse form appear charming. The hoarded wealths the shepherd offers to his love entreaty to the senses and are among the most beautiful and epicurean that nature “ hills and vales, dale and field, and all that craggy mountains output. ” ( 3/4 ) and adult male have to offer. The alive and cheerful vision that is created when the shepherd tells the adult female that “ the shepherd swains shall dance and sing ” ( 25 ) if she will accept the gifts he offers conveys a temper that is gratifying and merry. The felicity and promising temper of Marlowe ‘s verse form is in direct contrast to the darker and unsafe temper of Donne ‘s verse form.
In Donne ‘s verse form, the temper is dark and A the characters exist in an environment that is full of uncertainness and laced with danger. The pastoral scene of Marlowe ‘s verse form is replaced with the helter-skelter universe of fish and tease together in the H2O. His disbelieving description of love affair creates a sense of cautiousness which fills the verse form with a temper of fright and apprehensiveness. As the fish are wholly captivated by the adult female, they are willing to bewray each other in order to derive her love. This willingness to bewray each other workss an air of A fraudulence into the temper of the verse form. Fear of being captured “ Gladder to catch thee, than thou him ” ( 12 ) suggests a temper of anxiousness in that the adult male wants to bask the come-on, but does non desire to be snared by it. The possibility of the fish being caught by the come-on besides introduces the chance A of decease to the verse form and furthers its glooming temper in that the fish “ freezing with angling reeds ” ( 17 ) or are unable to travel due to the “ choking trap, or windowy cyberspace ” ( 20 ) . The dark temper created in this verse form is significantly different from the bright temper of Marlowe ‘s poem.A
My sentiment that Donne ‘s verse form is written as a response to Marlowe ‘s verse form is based on the important differences present in the subjects of the poets ‘ portraitures of the universe, their positions of love affair, and the tempers they set in their verse forms. Donne ‘s realistic reading of the universe is in direct contrast to the idealistic universe portrayed by Marlowe. In Donne ‘s verse form, it is suggested that love affair is non all joy and cloud nine, but is serious and can be parlous. Donne ‘s troubled and dark verse form was written in response to Marlow ‘s visible radiation and happy verse form. These theme differences in the description of the universe, the construct of love affair, and the temper of the verse forms lead me to believe that Donne ‘s verse form was written as a response to the verse form of Marlowe. This makes me experience that future poets will react to both of theses verse forms with their ain positions.
