Paradoxical Balances in John Donne's, Sonnet

John Donne uses a unique combination of techniques within his poetry, layering a plethora of different meanings within his verses. In his "Sonnet XIV," Donne continually places seemingly opposite experiences juxtaposition to each other, mirroring these paradoxical relationships in both his language and structure. The predominant motif in this poem is that of his ongoing struggle with God, yet he makes use of sacred parody, familiarizing religion in terms of carnal experience. He does not necessarily mock sacred experience, but rather, emphasizes the overlapping of human experience into the religious world. Donne does not imply that there are distinctly separate realms for each struggle, but rather creates paradoxical situations to portray the necessity of balance between two seeming opposites.

Donne does not use one pure sonnet form, but instead makes use of both throughout his verses. He divides the lines into English quatrains, excepting the final couplet. Yet, the lines also separate into an Italian octave and sestet, as the rhyme scheme follows Italian convention until the last two lines. However, Donne deliberately allows for the couplet to rhyme with the preceding quatrain, in addition to using an enjambed line between lines twelve and thirteen. The turn exists between the octave and the sestet, separating the sonnet into two distinct parts. Donne switches from one extremity to another and in a contradictory manner he goes from cowering from an almighty Lord to addressing him as a Petrachan lover. Whereas he "labour[ed] to admit [God]" (6) in the first octave, he claims that his love "would be… fain" (9) in the sestet. By the ninth line, he is addressing God in the hyperbolized methods of a Petrachan lover, as he begs the Lord as a lover to "divorce" (11) him of this unwanted "betrothed" (10), and concludes by asking God to "ravish" him (14). Even in his couplet, in which he offers a seeming solution to this struggle, he only introduces yet another complication. Donne claims that he can paradoxically be "free" (13) only when he is "enthral[ed]" (13), and "chaste" (14) when he is "ravish[ed]" (14). Throughout his verses, he mirrors this theme of an inevitable balance between opposites, and acknowledges their almost impossible, yet simultaneous existence.

The sonnet is divided into quatrains that each contain different images of Donne's struggle with God. He begins by personalizing the Lord as God "batter[s] [his] heart" and not the conventional soul, setting a familiar tone for the remainder of the poem (1). He emphasizes the prevalent violence of religious healing through the alliteration of "break, blow, burn" (2). Donne is generous with his punctuation in this first quatrain, creating verses that read like lists, and contrasting to his use of enjambed lines that allow for a more flowing, colloquial reading. By the second quatrain, he has strayed from the stark emotion of the prior lines and instead utilizes the metaphor of an "usurped town" as himself (5). Donne now focuses on the logical side of his struggle, specifically using the words "reason" (7) and "prove" (8). Note that instead of a clergyman, Donne claims that God has sent a "viceroy" (7). After the turn in the sonnet, Donne assumes the role of an anguished lover, as he is "betrothed unto [God's] enemy," placing himself in an unwilling marital alliance to Satan (10). He begs for a "divorce," a practice that is ironically outlawed by the Church (11). Emphasizing the necessity of these seeming inconsistencies, Donne claims that he can only accept God in this paradoxical way.

The combination of different methods, in Donne's style, technique, and language, works to create the complexity behind the sonnet. Yet, in his ambiguity lies the genius of his poetry, as he weaves together seeming contradictions into a delicate balance. Donne continually points to this paradoxical balance, and the inevitable union of everything in life. He can resolve his struggle with God by accepting the seeming impossibility of the resolution. As he incorporates all aspects into his poetry, Donne embraces the fact that all human experience is comprehensive.