A critical analysis of the message by John Donne

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 A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MESSAGE BY JOHN DONNE

Form:

The poem is set out in stanzas, not paragraphs.

The three stanzas are of equal length, although the line length differs within the stanzas.

The author charts out in three stages his mortal acceptance of the rejection in love. Each stanza representing a time, depict to the suffering.

Lines 1, L2, are of equal length in each stanza and consist of eight syllables, inform ably an iambic tetrameter. In the following two stanzas these lines do not differ unlike line 3, which invariably changes from an iambic tetrameter in the first stanza to seven syllables in L11. Then, L19 has nine syllables within it. Lines 4 and L5 are of equal length in each stanza and consist of four syllables and do not differ in the following stanzas. Similar are lines 6 and L7 except they consist of three syllables. Line 9 and L16 has nine syllables but changes to eight syllables in the last line, L24.

The rhyme-scheme is mainly rhyming couplets; i.e., every two lines, with the exception of line 3 which rhymes with line 8, L11 which rhymes with L16 in the second stanza. Then in the third stanza L19 which rhymes with L24.

The Message begins using a 4 x 4 metre pattern in L1 and 2, incorporating of a rising duple. L3 changes to a falling triple then a rising triple in L4, L5, L6 and L7. Finally, L8 changes to co-inside with L3 as a falling triple.

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In Lines 4 and L5, the speaker has seemingly squeezed a four syllable line into a triple metre and repeated this in L12 and L13 in the second stanza and then L20 and L21 in the third stanza. Consequently, this shows much tension of feelings on the speaker’s behalf.

Donne plays with words in order to change the form and flow of the poem. In L4 he abbreviates ‘forc’d’ in order to maximise the syllables within the line to four. The flow is quite harsh and consequently the words feel forced out of the speakers mouth, subsequently, identifying with the ...

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