john donne* *pronounced like “done” a visual biography
DESCRIPTION
Parents: John Donne & Elizabeth Heywood Welsh descent Was Warden in the Ironmonger’s Company Respected Roman Catholic Died when John (Jr.) was 4 years old Daughter of respected playwright John Heywood Great-niece of Sir Thomas More Married Dr. John Syminges (who had 3 children) months after husband’s deathTRANSCRIPT
John Donne**Pronounced like “done”
A visual biography
John Donne Born Jan – June 1572 in London, England
Parents: John Donne & Elizabeth Heywood
• Welsh descent • Was Warden in the
Ironmonger’s Company • Respected Roman
Catholic• Died when John (Jr.) was
4 years old
• Daughter of respected playwright John Heywood
• Great-niece of Sir Thomas More
• Married Dr. John Syminges (who had 3 children) months after husband’s death
Donne’s Early Life
• 3rd of 6 children• 3 sisters and father died by the time John
was 10• Was educated by Jesuits which gave him
a deep knowledge of religion
John Donne’s family were
staunch Catholics in a country that
was torn between
the newly formed
Church of England
(Anglican) and Catholics
At the age of 12, Donne entered Oxford and later Cambridge but left without
degrees because he wouldn’t take the oath of allegiance
In 1592, Donne entered Lincoln’s Inn, to study law. When his brother died of the plague, he began to question his faith.
While spending his inheritance, he took part in expeditions to Cadiz and the Azores
(islands in the mid-Atlantic) in 1596-97. His biographer claims he also stayed in Italy
and became fluent in the languages
Cadiz, Spain
1597-98 He became
secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton,
keeper of the Royal Seal of England and
had the promise of a diplomatic
career
From 1601-02, Donne served as an Member of Parliament
(MP)
However, Donne fell in love with Sir Egerton’s niece, Anne More and they eloped. Her father had him incarcerated along with the priest who married them and the witness.
After his fall from grace, he supported his
wife and growing family in the country
The family struggled financially; Donne practiced law and worked
as an assistant pamphleteer. Anne bore him 11 (or 12)
children. 7 survived.
After 16 years of marriage, Anne died five days after giving
birth to their last child (a still born
baby). Donne never remarried which was unusual for the time
and for someone with such a large family to raise.
At some point by 1610, Donne left the Catholic Church and was
in communication with King James
I. The King urged him to become an
Anglican priest.
Later Life
• Donne made good on the promises of his youth. He – Became a Royal
Chaplain in 1615– Became a Reader of
Divinity at Lincoln’s Inn in 1616
– Received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Cambridge in 1618
Donne’s Priestly Service
• Donne served as an embassy chaplain in Germany
• He became the Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral where his sermons drew large crowds
Donne commissioned this portrait a few months
before his death in 1631. It was
how he expected to look
when he rose from the grave
at the Apocalypse.
Renaissance Love Poetry• Relied heavily on
conventions:– Predictable nature of
the love affair– Idealized qualities and
appearance of the woman
– Subservient role of the poet
– Courtly language in which the poet addressed the woman
Donne’s Love Poetry
• He’s considered an innovator. He broke the conventions by – Direct, dramatic style– Colloquial language– Approach to the
physical aspects of love
– Broken rhythms of real speech
– Giving women complex (and therefore real) emotions
Donne’s Writing
In his early
writings, he often takes the persona of the “randy young man”
Donne’s WritingIn the second
phase of his writing,[probably after his
marriage] he sees love /
commitment as a positive
and often as a
religious experience
.
Donne’s Writing
In this final period, after the
death of his wife, his poetry turns to religion
and death
3 Categories of Donne’s Love Poetry
• Lightly cynical “evaporations”
• Protestations of a rather conventional platonic nature
• Exalted and idealistic expressions of constant love