How has John Donne treated the theme of love in his poem ‘Lover’s Infiniteness’? Essay

Through his poem, John Donne, expresses his yearning to possess all of his lady- make outs affection. He narrates about the pain and seeings he faces whilst trying to woo her. Lovers Infiniteness is part of Donnes complex collection of literary work cognize as Songs and Sonnets this particular piece was published in 1601. The poem deals with a question of how vast or unconditional someones love thunder mug be, thus the word Infiniteness in the title which expresses the enormity of Donnes love for her.Being a metaphysical poet, Donne induces the elements of religion, identity, passion and reasoning into his poetry- for instance, in this particular proposition poem, he emphasizes his desire for the self-will of his lovers heart all the same, continues to think deeply and question her faithfulness to him. This further leads him into overthinking about the unquestioning love he has for her and how she great power never reciprocate that amount of love to him.The tone of the poem sug gests insecurity and- subtly- jealousy and possessiveness this gutter be evident through lines such as This new love may beget new fears, New love created be, by some new(prenominal) men, The ground, thy heart is minehave it all. exploitation a variety of literary devices, Donne puts across the main idea of the poem vividly.Donne compares love to a transaction wherein he expects his lady-love to place her love to him after he has spent a lot of his sighs, tears, and oaths, and letters to purchase her heart- this is one of the many examples of both metaphor and visual imagery he uses(a clear picture of his efforts is beingness made). Some instances of the usage of paradox can also be seen If thou canst not make it, then thou never gavst it expresses that if she doesnt care for him every(prenominal) single(a) day, then it would mean that never ever cared for him.The entire poem has been written in a well-structured manner of 3 paragraphs consisting 11 lines. Each paragraphs portrays a different aspect of Donnes thoughts regarding his pining for his lover, aiding to a gradual build-up of a climatic ending to the poem. The poem follows a consistent rhyme scheme of ABABCDCD.Donne begins with If yet I have not all thy love, /Dear, I shall never have it all. The tone suggests gentleness, but the lover seems to be wanting more(prenominal) from his lady-love more attention, more love and affection. He is completely awestruck by her and deeply craves for her heart he cannot breathe one other sigh, to move, /nor can entreat one other tear to fall for he has been doing so for a very long time and cannot afford to spend any more of his treasures of sighs, tears, and oaths, and letters. He calls her love for him as a gift that is partial the irony -usually love towards a lover isnt supposed to be partial- when he stresses on how her heart might belong to other men as well, not fully his. Donne says Dear, I shall never have thee all, wreaking how he worries abou t she not being his at all in reality.In the second stanza Donne questions his lady-love. He wonders that even if she did give him her all, what if it doesnt last for a long time? The lines convey a sense of insecurity and jealousy the poet feels when he ponders about other men- just like him- who too would go through pain and try to collide with her heart by using their share of sighs, oaths and letters that would outbid him- he fears of losing her. This new love may beget new fears/ for, this love was not vowed by thee, he sadly states out of fear and addressing the harsh reality. The last three lines of the paragraph show a more optimistic side of his And yet it was, thy gift being general, he thinks about the positives of owning her love. He says The ground, thy heart is mine whatever shall/ Grow there, dear, I should have it all he compares her heart to palm where the seed of his love would grow and whatever she feels would be his too- an example of metaphor.John Donne wants a totality of love, but he has also reached the limit of his capacity to feel he wants more to look forward to. The theme of possession and, specifically, commercial transactions underscores the inadequacy the lover feels when he thinks of or discusses the all of love that he requires from the lady. In the third stanza, he imagines their growing love as a kind of deposit with interest- he feels the need for her to pay back every single moment hes spent putting efforts for their relationship with equal amount of love and attention. He could do no more.He that hath all can have no more. After deep thought, Donne comes to a very contrasting conclusion he suggests that if he has earned all of her love and has been granted the ownership of her heart, he wouldnt have anything more to look forward to as he feels that her love for him isnt vast or unconditional- it might at last stop growing.Thou canst not every day give me thy heart/ If thou canst give it, then thou never gavst it he ques tions that if she didnt give him her heart before, then what assures the fact that she will give him her heart later on? Through a painful yet gentle tone he says Loves riddles are, that though thy heart departsavst it, here Donne expresses that even she might never respond to his feelings or leave him, he would still backing her heart- that he once had for a short while- safe and will always cherish the memories that they had shared before.Towards the end of the poem, Donne requests his lady-love to join hearts with him and be everything for each other Than changing hearts, to join them, so we shall/ Be one, and one anothers all.Through 3 paragraphs, Donne successfully conveys the pain, efforts and time he had spent to gain his lady-loves heart. He portrays different the consequences faced while craving for ones love and attention. Subtly expressing his possessiveness and jealousy, he tells of his true, infinite love that he has for her and how he wishes for her to dissolve him w ith same infiniteness.