Q5 of 9 Page 92

Instead of ‘A Lecture Upon Love’ the poet calls the poem ‘A Lecture Upon the Shadow’. What is the effect that this has on our reading of the poem?

Love is a Universal Language it is said, yet it is not definitive for most people. The Poet has tried to explain the essence of love by defining shadows as a metaphor for the relationship between two people in love. As in the case of shadows, their length is dependent on time and Sun’s position during the day, the same ideology is applied to the relationship of love in the backdrop of intricate factors and circumstances such as emotional upheaval, misunderstandings etc. between the two people.


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3

Comment on the use of the image of the shadows for the idea that the poet wants to convey.

 4

The poet seems to be addressing his beloved in the poem. What is the message he wishes to convey to her?

 1

Notice the spelling of the following words

houres shadowes Sunne


noone clearnesse behinde


The ‘e’ that was used in Donne’s period got dropped from English orthography later. Pick out the other words in the poem that have this peculiar feature.

 2

Take note also that the apostrophe is not used for indicating the possessive form: loves philosophy.