The Good-Morrow by John Donne - Essay Example

 John Donne’s “The Good-Morrow” is apparently one of the finest classic works combining metaphysical philosophies and romance. The title of the 17th century poem is the persona’s statement to his partner after spending quality time together. Donne begins the poem with the persona recalling the void in his natural life before he meets his love who happens to be the primary audience in the poem. The speaker addresses the woman in a romantic tone, reminding her that her presence in his life is immensely appreciated.

The persona says that his life was empty before her. As such, the country pleasures that seemed to lighten the lives of other people appeared to be just abstract and childish to him, but since her entry to his life things have changed to the better. This paper examines how the theme of love brings feelings of satisfaction to the characters in the poem. The fulfilling impact of love and companionship is clearly captured in in the first through to the third stanza of the poem. For instance, by acknowledging the fact that he was previously “sucked on country pleasures, childishly” (line 3), the persona reflects on his boring life before he met his love and how the pleasures of the world did not fascinate him (Wang, 2014).

He proceeds to take readers through his road to discovery of self-worth in his new-found love, in his assertion that in every attraction he came across, which he wished he got, it was being with his love. It is arguable, therefore, that any previous relationships the poet was in were just full of social and emotional deficiencies, which only his new love effectively eliminated from his world. In the second stanza, the persona proceeds to describe how his love transformed into his whole world, and that the transcendental feelings that bind them together are technically unbreakable (Christopher, 2003).

In light of this, the poem depicts their souls as lightened up by this rare love that has gone further to unclog their vision by bringing a new sense of mutual understanding in their relationship. As such, Donne portrays the characters as riding on a whole new wave of confidence in their little world, which to them turns out to be far richer than the earthly nature and material wealth. Wang (2014) noted that the persona notes that they literally trod the whole world of pleasures and satisfaction by just spending some quality time together in a tiny chamber.

In stanza three, Donne underscores the persona’s feeling of self-satisfaction in his statement that he is as good as, if not better than sea farers engaging in new discoveries of the world, considering that he sees his image reflected in love’s eyes.Conclusion Generally, Donne’s “The Good-Morrow” is an interesting poem that connects the theme of love to happiness and self-satisfaction in the characters. As such, trotting the world for new discoveries translates to nothing in the eyes of the persona as long as he is in the company of his love.

By noting that his image is mirrored in the eyes of his love, the speaker is basically arguing that perfect love requires two souls that are equally committed to each other. This argument is underscored in stanza three when the persona says that the love he shares with his woman is equal, hence the likelihood that it will remain alive forever. ReferencesChristopher, N., (2003). Plato in John Donne's "The Good Morrow." ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews, 16(1), pp.20-21.Wang, H., (2014).

Analysis of “Love” in Donne’s The Good Morrow. Education Research Frontier, 4(1), 17-23.