Thinking Activity - Metaphysical poetry

This post is in reference to the questions asked here:
 https://groups.google.com/d/msg/eng_dept_bu/g_veactMgJA/hS4mjm_ADQAJ
         

              The metaphysical poetry occupies a unique place in the history of English poetry. It is known as the school of John Donne  because he was the pioneer who established this new trend of writing poetry. It was not John Donne who named it as metaphysical poetry. This title was given to the poetry of Donne and his school by Dr. Sammul Johnson.

                By, itself metaphysical means dealing with the relationship between spirit to matter or the ultimate nature of reality. The metaphysical poets are obviously not the only  poets to deal with this subject matter, so there are a number of other qualities involved as well : use of ordinary speech mixed with puns and conceits ( examples : lovers and a compass, the soul and timber, the body and mind)

•       Characteristics :
• Striking imagery
• Far fetched ideas
• Full of logic and reasoning
• Theme like love is experimented like science.

• Name of Metaphysical Poets :
• John Donne
• George Herbert
• Andrew Marvell
• Henry Vaughan
• Richard Crashaw
• Katharine Philips
• Richard Leigh

                Death, Be not proud is a tenth holy sonnet by John Donne. He tries to nullify the fear of death in the present sonnet. The poem is addressed by the poet to the death it self.

                  In this poem if poet has to draw  a picture of death, he will draw the picture of a person enjoying rest and sleep. The poet mentions that even the best of people have gone with the death the soonest. The poet consider's death a slave of faith, chance king and people in distress. This is how death is a slave of four elements. According to the poet, there are three dwelling places of death they are poison, war and sickness. Death is bound to be there where these three elements are present. The poet is in the opinion that the mother's charm causes sleep to us in a better way than the way death causes sleep simply with one stroke.

                   From this poem we can know that how metaphysically poet has explained about death by giving different examples.  

Thinking Activity on Doctor Faustus: A play by Christopher Marlowe

This post is in reference to the questions asked here:
 http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2015/08/worksheet-dr-faustus-play-by.html



1.   The play directed by Matthew Dunster for Globe theater ends with this scene (see the image  of Lucifer). What does it signify?

                                            

Ans. : In the above given image we can say that Lucifer is standing at the middle of the stage and from his facial expression we can say that he is very much satisfied as if he has won over the super power. His widen wings also signify that he has great power over evilness.

2.      Is God present in the play? If yes, where and how? If No, why?

Ans.: In this play the God is not present directly, but I feel that as a good angle and old man are the messenger of the God. I think, these two characters have tried to save Dr. Faustus from doing evil works many times. As the God might be knowing that Dr. Faustus would not be able to repent at the end and his soul would go to hell and burn there perpetually. So, the God has tried to save him by different ways. 

3.   What reading and interpretation can be given to this image (see the image of Daedalus and Icarus) with reference to central theme of the play Dr. Faustus?

                                   

Ans. : This picture is about the Greek mythology of  Daedalus and Icarus - who are father and son - caught in a jail which has no ceiling. Among both, father knows to make the wings of wax and they both escape from the jail with the help of wax wings. Father has warned son not to fly high near the sun but, son likes to fly high in the sky and as he reached near the sun, the wax of his wings started melting and he  fell down. 

           We can relate this thing with the play-  Dr. Faustus had started practicing necromancy for more knowledge but afterward his power over wheeled his knowledge. And, thus this error in judgement took place. 

4. How do you interpret this painting?

Ans. : This picture is also related to Daedalus and Icarus. This portrait is known as the " Landscape with the fall of Icarus". From the name of the portrait we can say that when old man looks toward the sky the Daedalus is falling down from the sky and this event gives feeling that the God is coming down to the old man.  Actually Icarus has already fallen in the water before Daedalus where all are busy with their work so no one knows about that.