Cavaliers and Metaphysical Poets

The Jacobean Period and the Commonwealth

The Later Cavaliers A group of young men loyal of the king Poetry characterized by great wit and

intended to entertain the audience Conversational style Elaborate conceits Admiration for the classics: regular rhythm

and simple language Themes of love and sometimes sarcastic

commentaries on pursuit of fickle women

Robert Herrick

“To the Virgins to Make Much of Time” “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may” :

carpe diem Identify the metaphor inline 5. (the sun compared to a lamp)What age does Herrick consider to be

the best? Why?

Sir John Suckling

“The Constant Lover” What conclusion can you draw about

the speaker after reading the first stanza?

The image of “time” shedding its wings is a play on words (Time flies). What is the speaker saying about his constancy?

“Why So Pale and Wan Fair Lover?” What is the condition of the person

described in the poem? What advice does the speaker give

the lover? Do you think the lover will see the

logic of his argument?

Richard Lovelace

“To Lucasta, Going to the Wars” What contrast is being made in the

first stanza? What is suggested about Lucasta’s

first reaction to his leaving? Identify the paradox in the third

stanza

“To Althea, from Prison” To what is the speaker contrasting

himself in the third stanza? Can you put lines 25-28 in your own

words? What is the paradox in the last

stanza?

Andrew Marvell

“To His Coy Mistress” Why is the suggestion in the first 7

lines of how they would spend time seem ridiculous?

Lines 8-10: hyperbole and allusion What is the speaker urging his

beloved to do ?

The Metaphysical Poets

Philosophical approach to everyday subjects

Striking comparisons Conversational style Poetry: takes the form of an

argument appealing to both intellect and emotion; subject matter is serious and complex.

The metaphysical conceit

Witty comparison between two dissimilar things

Takes thought and imagination to unravel

Is important to understanding the poet’s argument

John Donne

“Song” Written on the occasion of his parting

from his wife Identify the conceit in the second

stanza The tight rhyme scheme reinforces the

logical organization of the argument Lines 21-24: What are his reasons? Lines 33-36: What is he asking of her?

“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” A song of farewell What is happening in the first four lines? In the second stanza, what is he asking of

his beloved? What hints do we see of Donne’s religious conversion?

What is the purpose of the comparison in lines 13-20?

“Death Be Not Proud” Personification or apostrophe? Line 1 What assumptions does the speaker

make about death in this poem? “Meditation 17”

What comparisons does Donne make in this meditation? What does this say about man and his fate?

Ben Jonson

“On My first Son” Written after his son’s death What does Jonson consider his best

piece of poetry? (His son) “To Celia”

What is Celia’s reaction to his gift? (she rejects him)