John Donne
What does Donne tell the reader about his religion and attitude to the two established Churches in his sonnets? Refer to Sonnet 18 and at least one other poem in your answer. John Donne was born into a prosperous Roman Catholic family during the reign of Elizabeth I, when England was anti-Catholic. Thousands of Catholics were prosecuted and killed in horrific ways if they were caught practising their faith. At a time when Britain and Spain were in war he travelled to Spain stating his love and pride for his faith, which quite clearly came before his country. He then began studying law in "Lincoln's Inn", with his brother. However, his brother and some of his friends were caught conducting a Catholic Mass. His brother was imprisoned, where he later died and his friends were killed. It was after this event that he began reading extensively in theology and history, and took a huge step and became an Anglican. This change helped his career greatly but left him confused and unsure of his decision for the rest of his life. This period of his life is shown in his "holy sonnets", in which he obsesses with the idea of death, sin and religion. We see in almost every peace his fear of rejection from God, as he believes he has sinned grea
However, this can be taken as a critical image of the Catholic Church as he could be implying the church's false beauty, like make up it is unreal. Here Donne seems to be confused, as he doesn't know how to gain salvation and whether he will receive it at all. However, the vocabulary used in his sonnets, imply that he still affected by the Catholic Church. He writes "spouse" to represent the true Church, as the Bible mentions that Christ loves his church like a man loves his wife. We see this in Sonnet 18, the sonnet is mainly made up of unanswered questions that are thrown at us. He suggests that the Catholic Church's false image has been torn apart and stripped off its false beauty to reveal the pure and genuine beauty of the Protestant Church. Sonnet 18 is dedicated entirely to this topic. He describes the Church as "mild dove", creating a peaceful and gentle image. He is confused as to which faith he should follow. In the last lines, Donne uses an extended metaphor to describe his love for the true Church as well as his desperation to find the true church. This is a very witty and effective conceit as God who is the husband is very pleased when the Church, who is the wife, is open to other men. He then goes on to ask whether the real Church is "on the other shore" that is so "richly painted", which refers to the richly decorated Catholic Church in mainland Europe, specifically Italy. He admits that he is in love with Christ's spouse and asks God to release his love for her so he can seduce the Church. It also highlights his confusion, as he is unable to decide between the two faiths this is shown in the poem by his rhetorical questions and his incapability to make his mind up. In sonnet 19, he begins with, "Oh, to vex me", showing his frustration and anger in not being able to make his mind up.
Common topics in this essay:
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