1. By Ellie June and Eric Flatt
Metaphysical Poetry and George Herbert’s “Virtue”
By Ellie June and Eric Flatt

2. Metaphysical Poetry Mainly in the 17th Century
Main themes focus on love, man’s relationship with God
Poets were serious intellectuals, highly educated

3. Metaphysical Poetry Lyrical poems Main Poets
Characterized by the use of wit, irony and wordplay
Main Poets
George Herbert, John Donne, Andrew Marvell, Henry Vaughan

4. George Herbert Born in Wales, educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
Received a B.A. and M.A.
Elected public orator at Cambridge from
Later preached and wrote poetry in Bermington
Poems are characterized by the use of imagery and conceits, conversational speech, and celebrate the ways of gods love

6. Title “Virtue” Positive poem, with positive imagery
Good character trait

7. Paraphrase Life Cycle-everything lives and dies
Uses examples of day to night, rose blossoms then dies, spring comes and goes
Last quatrain expresses only the virtuous soul lives

8. Form Lyric poem, 4 quatrains
Last line in each quatrain is indented, forces the reader to pause
Shows the emphasis on life and death

9. Diction Repetition of “sweet”
Creates contrast in each quatrain
Quatrains start off describing beautiful life, end with negative connotation of death

10. Imagery Nature Light and Dark contrast
Bright and colorful, descriptive
Light and Dark contrast
Represents the contrast between life and death

11. Point of View
3rd Person Omniscient

12. Detail Descriptive Adjectives strengthen the imagery
Cool, calm, bright, angry, brave

13. Allusions ‘bridal of the earth and sky’
Allusion to the reunion of God and man

14. Symbolism
Life cycle

15. Other Devices
Apostrophe – first line

16. Shifts
Each quatrain begins with a description of life, the last line references death
First 3 quatrains follow this pattern, then there’s a shift in the last quatrain
The positive idea that Herbert believes the virtuous soul can persevere

17. Title
Virtue is the deciding factor of a happy afterlife or an unhappy afterlife
Suggests a positive theme

18. Theme
Virtue is the deciding factor of a happy afterlife or an unhappy afterlife

19. Works Cited
"George Herbert ( )." Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature. Web. 29 Mar <
"Studying the Metaphysical Poets." Teachit.co.uk - English Teaching Resources. Web. 29 Mar <
"Virtue, by George Herbert." Poetry Archive | Poems. Web. 29 Mar < archive.com/h/virtue.html>.