John Donne: The Holy Sonnets

John Donne's Holy Sonnets were written in accordance with his own intense struggle concerning faith. Donne was born into a Roman Catholic family in 1572, and was thus raised as a Catholic. In 1598, Donne was appointed as private secretary for Sir Thomas Egerton, but in 1601, he secretly wed Egerton's neice, Anne More.

Donne's secret marriage was the beginning of a life of heartache, confusion and struggle, in which the best of Donne's poetry was produced. Donne wrote the Holy Sonnets during a specific phase in his life. He was struggling with many different things. He struggled for a period of time with the decision of whether or not to convert to Anglicanism. Thus, in 1609 Donne began writing the Holy Sonnets, which closely associates them with Donne's abandonment of the Catholic faith, and his conversion to Anglicanism. However, in 1617 Donne had another tough struggle to endure within his life. Anne More, Donne's wife, died in 1617 at only thirty-three years of age. She died shortly after the birth of their twelfth child, who unfortunately was stillborn. It was during this time that the trials and tribulations within Donne's life became apparent in his writing. The Holy Sonnets can easily be described as writings of love for God. However, the Holy Sonnets also reflect a strong despair and a soul full of anguish. Furthermore, the Holy Sonnets are full of emotional language, and Donne's own confusion and disheartenment comes through more strongly than any subject could, which highlights the powerlessness of the subjects within the Holy Sonnets.

'O My Black Soul' is one of the most powerful of the Holy Sonnets. Donne is caught between the two emotions of acceptance and despair. It begins with an unusual acceptance of what cannot be changed, but at the same time it also makes reference to mourning. Donne's helplessness is evident. He has committed his sins and there is no changing that fact, and he accepts it. However, at the same time he asks himself whether or not he is sincere in regretting his sins, "Yet grace, if thou repent, thou canst not lack;/But who shall give thee that grace to begin?" (ln 9-10) Donne's crucial question within this Holy Sonnet is whether or not it is possible to turn himself around, and to turn others around. He questions whether or not there is someone powerful enough to help him with his sins, and to put him back on the right path. The color 'black' represents the color of sin, but it also represents mourning. Thus, perhaps "Oh my black soul"

(ln 1) represents Donne mourning his sins and the sins of others. The color 'red' also appears within this Holy Sonnet, "And red with blushing" (ln 12). Donne is embarrassed of his sins, and thinks everyone should be embarrassed for their own sins. The emotions of Donne within 'O My Black Soul' are obviously in turmoil. Donne ventures back and forth between accepting his sins and accepting the fact that there is a being with the power to make it right. He despairs over what he has become and what others have become. It is the indecisiveness of Donne's emotions within 'O My Black Soul,' which reflect the ineffectiveness of the Holy Sonnet. There is no power within 'O My Black Soul' because there is no power in Donne himself. Donne is powerless concerning the subject of belief and faith because he doesn't know what he believes. The confusion of his emotions is too strong. Therefore, a powerful subject can't be expressed because of the weakness within Donne's conscious; he doesn't know and can't decide how he feels, which is reflected within the shifting emotions.

'Death, Be Not Proud' is a Holy Sonnet in which Donne takes an entirely different approach. It begins with a taunting tone, "Death be not proud, though some have called thee/Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;" (ln 1-2). The taunting tone is evident throughout in that Donne is using it to mock Death. Donne is anthropomorphizing Death, and is using it to bring Death down a notch. He wants Death to know that he does not fear him. An important difference between the two Holy Sonnets is the fact that 'Death, Be Not Proud' is centered on the notion of bravado. Donne is showing off his boldness in the face of Death, "Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me" (ln 4). Donne is personifying Death. He is making Death into a being, and in doing so is making Death real so he can ridicule it. Donne makes Death realize that he isn't and can't ever be in control. Death isn't as powerful as he thinks he is, "Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, /And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell" (ln 9-10). Death can't be in control, but fate can, which deprives Death of the power that he believes he possesses. It is throughout this Holy Sonnet that bit-by-bit Donne is transforming Death into a powerless thing devoid of control. The last two lines are the most forceful of all, "One short sleep pass'd, we wake eternally, /And death shall be no more. Death, thou shalt die" (ln 13-14). The idea of waking eternally is a crucial one, "that is, we will wake up resurrected, to eternal life, never to sleep or die again" (Anniina Jokinen). It is an idea that represents eternal wakefulness as pleasurable and continual, meaning that nothing can take away from the peace and contentment that it will bring. It is something that Death will never be able to control or ruin. However, it is the final line that is easily the most effective. It destroys Death altogether because it robs him of his power and of his control. Furthermore, it is crucial to the entire work because it "completes the idea that Death is the one who should be afraid, not the one to be feared" (Anniina Jokinen).

Furthermore, 'Death, Be Not Proud' is about the powerlessness of Death. Donne mocks Death throughout the entire Holy Sonnet, and in doing so changes him to a being of vulnerability. Death once believed he was the domineering force, but Donne gained control and altered him incapable and helpless. Donne doesn't show Death any fear, but just courage. He exhibits enough courage to render Death powerless and fearful. Thus, 'Death, Be Not Proud' is a Holy Sonnet, which displays the powerlessness of the subject of death. Death is something that everybody fears, but that nobody can control. Donne explores the subject of death in this Holy Sonnet by showing how it is that he makes it powerless within his own eyes. Thus, Donne reveals a powerlessness on both sides by proving that death cannot be controlled, but in comparison death cannot be in control either, which confirms the obvious powerlessness on the subject of death.

John Donne wrote the Holy Sonnets not in search of spiritual tranquility, but as an outpouring of confusion, bitterness, and grief concerning his own life. The turmoil within his life and especially within where his religious beliefs lay are manifested within his Holy Sonnets, and the subjects that he attempts to address. The character of Donne is revealed through his genuine spirit, and the constant agitation of his emotions. It is evident that Donne wasn't satisfied with his life, but was instead attempting to deal with the confusion by writing the Holy Sonnets as a method of directing his passions towards God. It is the emotions of Donne within the Holy Sonnets, which are of prime importance because it is the emotions that make the Holy Sonnets so genuine. The power of Donne's confusion consumes the power of the Holy Sonnets in that Donne's desperation comes through much more significantly than any one idea ever could. Thus, the powerlessness of the Holy Sonnets is easily reflected through Donne's own anguish and intense confusion, which overtakes any power that the subjects within the HolySonnets could have possessed.

Bibliography

Bardwell, Kate. "Take the poet, John Donne-1572-1631 and comment on how the life and times of his era is reflected in their writing." Literature Classics. 23 October 2003.

Donne, John. "Death, Be Not Proud." The Later Renaissance In England: Nondramatic Verse and Prose, 1600-1660. Ed. Herschel Baker. Illinois:Waveland Press, Inc., 1996. 83.

Jokinen, Anniina. "A Quick and Rough Explication of Donne's Holy Sonnet 10." Luminarium. 23 October 2003. http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/deathbenotexpl.htm>