Q1 of 9 Page 93

Notice the adjectives in phrases such as ‘infant loves’ and ‘brave clearnesse’. What is the meaning of these adjectives

(i) in isolation


(ii) as part of these phrases.

(i) The meaning of the adjective in isolation is to be away from everyone or to stay alone.

(ii) The meaning of the adjective as part of these phrase means repetition of words at the starting of a line.


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5

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?

 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.

 3

Examples from other poems from this period:

• How neatly doe we give one onely name


• To parents issue and the sunnes bright starre!