John Donne's poem "Air and Angels" focuses on the medieval beliefs
respecting angels. Angels are commonly seen as messengers of God or appear as
a conventional representation of a human form with wings. A popular theory in
medieval times assumed angels under certain circumstances did assume bodies of
air. The underlying theme of this poem is on love. John Donne's theory is that
love cannot exist in nothing or in things, but somewhere in-between. The ideal of
love expressed throughout the poem takes on a shapeless and physical form, but to
John Donne, love takes on the form of air and angels, which is the in-between.
Throughout the poem, it shows love taking on two forms, a shapeless and
physical form. In the first stanza there are illustrations and clear examples
showing the two forms of love. In the first stanza of the poem the poet remembers
a past in which he loved his lady before he knew her face or name; her effect upon
him is likened to that of angles which, "so in a voice, so in a shapeless flame," are
worshipped by man. John Donne continues his line of reasoning by remarking that
the soul, a soul being the immortal part of a human being, often regarded as
immortal or the moral, emotional or intellectual nature of a person, gives birth to
love which has "limbs of flesh." This means love must also assume a physical
form. John Donne than proceeds to say,
"That it assume thy body, I allow,
And fix, itself in thy lip, eye, and brow."
This means that he is asking for love to take the body of the woman.
Again, the ideal of love taking a shapeless and physical form is discussed,
but in stanza two. The second stanza a continuation of the first stanza advances,
especially using nautical imagery. John Donne discusses the ideal of "ballast
...