1. Late Elizabethan Poetry Metaphysical Poetry
John Donne
John Milton

2. Metaphysical Poetry
The word “metaphysical” is derivative from the Latin word “Metaphysica” which consists of two parts: “meta” which means after or beyond and “physica” which means concrete physical work.
So, the term metaphysical is related to notions beyond the physical existence of human beings and objects.
R.S Hillyer said that "the Metaphysical deals with the notion of existence, with the existing universe and man’s place therein. Roughly, it has taken such implications as these- philosophical, difficult, ethereal, obscure, supercilious, ingenious, odd and bizarre. Poetry, which deals with correlation between the real world and the afterworld, concrete and abstract, soul and being, as well as reality and perception using philosophical methodology which is called Metaphysical Poetry”

3. Metaphysical Poetry
The term metaphysical poetry designates the literary works of 17-century poets which share similar poetic style at the level of thought and form. It is a kind of poetry which is highly intellectual, presents exquisite delicate ideas compressed in highly terse and concise verses, and draws extravagant conceits, puns, and paradoxes with witty language that includes abstruse images derived from emergent sciences, religion, and mythology.
Samuel Johnson is the one who coined the term ‘metaphysical’ in his book Lives of the Most Eminent Poets published in 1779.
Samuel Johnson said about them “The metaphysical poets were men of learning, and to show their learning was their whole endeavor; but, unluckily resolving to show it in rhyme, instead of writing poetry they only wrote verses”
He added “The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together; nature and art are ransacked for illustrations, comparisons, and allusions; their learning instructs and their subtlety surprises; but the reader commonly thinks his improvement dearly bought, and, though he sometimes admires, is seldom pleased.”

4. Metaphysical Poetry
So, Samuel Johnson underestimated their poetry which lacked coherent and profound presentation of ideas and well-measured pattern.
However, T. S. Eliot appreciated this type of poetry and recognized it as an autonomous supercilious style of composition in his article The Metaphysical Poets published in 1921.
Eliot appreciated the metaphysical poetry for its quality of ‘unified sensibility’ which implies a fusion of thoughts and feelings together and he claimed that this mechanism of sensibility was lost by later or precedent poets.
Prominent metaphysical poets: John Donne, John Milton, Henry Vaughan, Andrew Marvell, and Abraham Cowley
Metaphysical themes:
Platonic love
Religious themes

5. Salient Features
Extravagant and excessive use of conceits, paradoxes, and puns, which are used to develop the argument, not for ornamentation.
A conceit is an extended and unexpected metaphor which includes strange analogy in which the relationship between the vehicle and the tuner is very remote and unexpected. It depends on delicate presentation of ideas and witty use of language by which a poet correlates two heterogeneous ideas with each other.
Exquisite and compressed ideas in highly terse verses without superfluousness
Abstruse terminology drawn from cosmology, astronomy, physics, medicine, emergent sciences, contemporary discoveries, ancient myths, and religion
Exaltation of witty language which aptly represents the extended metaphors and figures of speech that please readers’ literary taste.

6. Salient Features
Argumentative style and intellectual presentation of ideas for readers’ persuasion. Reason is superior to emotion in metaphysical poetry.
Simple, sometimes colloquial, diction, yet replete with sophisticated allusions from science and religion.
Original intellectual, yet obscure ideas the startle the reader and coax new perspective.
Rough meter and dominance of thought over form
Exaggeration and hyperbole

7. John Donne
John Donne was born in 1572 in London, England. He is known as the Founder of metaphysical poetry.
Donne reached beyond the rational and hierarchical structures of the seventeenth century with his exacting and ingenious conceits, advancing the exploratory spirit of his time.
Born into a Roman Catholic family, Donne’s personal relationship with religion was tumultuous and passionate, and at the center of much of his poetry.
Donne entered the world during a period of theological and political unrest for England where Catholics were the persecuted minority
Donne wrote most of his love lyrics, erotic verses, and some sacred poems in the 1590s, creating two major volumes of work: Satires and Songs and Sonnets.
His learned, charismatic, and inventive preaching made him a highly influential presence in London. Best known for his vivacious, compelling style and thorough examination of mortal paradox, John Donne died in London on March 31, 1631.
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8. Batter my Heart, Three-person'd God
Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town to another due,
Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy;
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

9. Religious Ideas Relevant
1- Trinity
According to the Christian doctrine of Trinity, God is three consubstantial divine persons, the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.
2- Original Sin
According to the Bible, Satan tempted Eve to eat from the forbidden apple tree by which, Satan claimed, she would have a divine life. Eve followed Satan’s insinuations and ate the fruit of deceit and gave some to Adam, who disobeyed God too. Despite of their feelings of regret and remorse, God descended them, with all their offspring, from Paradise into earth where they, and other humans, would have a miserable life.
3- Infliction
According to Catholicism, Human beings can expiate the Original Sin they have inherited by doing exactly as what Jesus Christ did. He sacrificed his body for the sake of freeing humanity. Hence, Catholics find joys in their pains and afflictions and undergo them with patience and acceptance for the sake of gaining spiritual purification and freeing the soul hereby. .

10. Religious Ideas Relevant
4- Body, soul, and Spirit
Each human being born into the world is a being made of 3 distinct components:
A- Body: it is the physical component of the being and is the part that may commit all evil deeds
B- Soul: it is a part of the being’s spiritual component and is something eternal that can never die or be lost. As the soul is something divine that belongs to God himself, it represents the absolute good, yet imprisoned within the body.
C. Spirit: it is the source of power that controls the body and the soul; it is neither good nor evil, neither divine nor satanic.

11. Batter my Heart Brief Summary and Paraphrasing
The speaker (persona) begs for repentance as he is preoccupied with satanic temptation. He feels guilty and wants to get over the temptation of Satan and to go back to God again. He expresses his pursuit for spiritual purification by presenting exquisite thoughts indicative of his intense emotions with allusions from the Bible and peculiar analogies.
Form: Petrarchan sonnet
Meter: Iambic pentameter
Themes
Satanic temptation and repentance
Religious love .

12. Batter my Heart : Language and Style
1- Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new. (God and an ironsmith) (the body and iron)
2- I, like an usurp'd town to another due, (the body and an occupied town)
3- Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend, (the soul and a captive)
But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.
4- But am betroth'd unto your enemy; (the body and a bride)
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again, (God and a Judge)
5- Take me to you, imprison me, for I, (God and jailer)
6- Except you enthrall me, never shall be free (God and a tempting woman)
Conceit
1-That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
2-Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new
2- Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Paradox
break, blow, burn
Alliteration
Viceroy (metonymy of the soul)
Metonymy

13. Batter my Heart : Questions
Although this poem is written in iambic pentameter, the first line starts with a stressed syllable. What does this poetic deviation indicate?
What does make the first reading of this poem very obscure and ambiguous?
What is the significance of the three-pattern repetition in this poem?
Despite of the use of iambic pentameter in this poem, this poem lacks mellifluous musical pattern. How can you interpret this?
What are the metaphysical features available in this poem?
To what extent do you think that the speaker is polite in his speech with God?
“But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.”, what is the Biblical image expressed in this line?
Explain the conceit used in the following lines
But am betroth'd unto your enemy;
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,

14. John Milton1608–1674
John Milton was born in London on December 9, 1608, into a middle-class family and began to write poetry in Latin, Italian, and English, and prepared to enter the clergy, but he abandoned this idea later on.
His extensive reading included both classical and modern works of religion, science, philosophy, history, politics, and literature. In addition, Milton was proficient in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, Spanish, and Italian, and obtained a familiarity with Old English and Dutch as well.
During the English Civil War, Milton championed the cause of the Puritans and Oliver Cromwell, and wrote a series of pamphlets advocating radical political topics including the morality of divorce, the freedom of the press, populism, and sanctioned regicide.

15. John Milton1608–1674
Milton served as secretary for foreign languages in Cromwell’s government, composing official statements defending the Commonwealth.
During this time, Milton steadily lost his eyesight, and was completely blind by He continued his duties, however, with the aid of Andrew Marvell and other assistants.
Paradise Lost, which chronicles Satan’s temptation of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from Eden, is widely regarded as his masterpiece and one of the greatest epic poems in world literature.
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16. On His Blindness WHEN I consider how my light is spent
E're half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent which is death to hide,
Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide,
Doth God exact day-labour, light deny'd,
I fondly ask; But patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts, who best
Bear his milde yoak, they serve him best, his State
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o're Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and waite.

17. On His Blindness: Biblical Allusion
The main conceit in this poem draws an analogy between the speaker’s vision and money with reference to the biblical story in Mathew Gospel, The Parable of the Talents.
A master had put his three servants in charge of 8 talents* before he departed for a long trip. He distributed his property among the three servants according to their ability of investing money like this: the first received 5 talents, the second received 2, and the third received only one talent.
When their master returned back, he asked his three servants for an account of the talents he had entrusted them. The first and the second servants indicated that they had invested the talents and doubled the money. The master, therefore, was pleased with this news and rewarded them.
The third servant who had been entrusted only with one talent said that he buried the one talent in the ground for not risking this money in investment. The master ordered to punish him and said, “Throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.“
* A significant amount of money

18. On His Blindness Brief Summary and Paraphrasing
On his Blindness captures Milton’ wavering psychological status to accept God’s deprivation from his sight. The only thing Milton can serve God with (writing) is eliminated after this loss, so he wonders why God has denied him exercising the only talent he has although he has dedicated this talent to serve God. He also questions whether God charges him other duties or not. However, He has a second though and concludes that God’s grace is only attained by being patient and by accepting his fate.
Form: Petrarchan Sonnet
Meter: Iambic pentameter
Rhyme scheme: abba abba cdecde
Themes
God’s fate and patience
God’s relationship to mankind

19. Batter my Heart : Language and Style
Line 1-6: an extended metaphor which draws an analogy between the speaker’s vision and money alluding to the biblical story of The Parable of the Talents.
Conceit
“his State Is Kingly”
Contrast
1- My light (metonomy of his sight)
2- milde yoak (metonymy of God’s fate)
Metonymy
1- my light is spent
1- Bear his milde yoak
Metaphor
And that one Talent which is death to hide, (The Parable of the Talents)
Allusion
1- Talent (significant amount of money or his skill to write)
2- Account ( serving God or money investment)
Pun

20. On His Blindness: Questions
1- How does Milton describe God at first, and how does he contrast this description at the end?
2- At which line does the Volta (turn) occur in this poem?
3 – Explain the main conceit in this poem with reference to the Biblical story the poet alludes to in the octave.
4- How many voices are there in this poem?
5- What are the salient metaphysical features available in this poem?
6- What are the expressions that reflect the speaker’s wavering psychological status in this poem?
7- Explain the imagery the poet draws in line 11, and indicate how you interpret the attachment of the adjective ‘mild’ to the word ‘yoke’.