John Donne was the leading enthusiast of a style of poetry known as metaphysical poetry, which flourished in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. This specific type of poetry features elaborate conceits and surprising symbols, wrapped up in original, challenging language structures, with learned themes that draw heavily on eccentric chains of reasoning. His jarring, unusual meters; his often eccentric metaphors and his process of oblique reasoning are all characteristics of the metaphysicals.
             Firstly, however, I am going to look at the form that Donne chose to adopt which at times deviated from the traditional Petrarchan structure; a form that is often viewed by contemporary audiences as an extreme variation from the tradition. In the 1590s, at the time when John Donne produced his Songs and Sonnets, the Petrarchan tradition had already had several centuries of undeniable rule over romantic poetry and literature in general. However, Donne chose to develop his own style and adapt the rhyme scheme in much of his poetry, often employing emjambment, the technique of running one line into another, contributing to the emotional effect of the poem. His poetry is often described as 'rough' for this reason, however, Donne had a clear purpose every time he 'broke the rules' of the strict sonnet form as he knew it would contribute to the emotional intensity of his argument and therefore result in a powerful effect.
             Donne's view of love deviated greatly from the Medieval philosophy of courtly love as he decided to change the concepts concerning romance and women; a clear example of how his poetry is drawn to extremes from the traditional Petrachan form. The Petrarchan mistress dominated the poet's heart and thoughts; she was contemptuous and by law deceitful but the poet was still 'deeply in love with her' and was faithful from the moment he saw her to the day of her death. The general verse focused ...