What kind of poem is Batter my Heart Three-Person'd God?
John Donne's poem "Batter My Heart, Three-Person'd God" is religious in nature. John Donne's early poetry was deemed "love" poetry, probably written before his marriage to Anne More. His love... Batter my heart, three-personed God...
What is the meaning of Batter my Heart Sonnet 14?
Batter my heart, three-person’d God, also known as Holy Sonnet 14, is a poem written by John Donne. The poet prays to God in His three-fold capacity as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost to shatter his heart, as with the blows of a battering ram, and then to reshape it.
What is the message of the poem Batter my Heart?
Batter my Heart expresses the lyrical voice ’s call upon God to take hold of him, while using deeply spiritual and physical arresting images. The main themes of the poem are love, religion, and violence. Batter my Heart (Holy Sonnet 14) Analysis Batter my heart, three-personed God, for you
What does the poem Three-Personed God mean?
The poem begins with the speaker’s demands towards God (God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Ghost make up the “three-personed God” – the Holy Trinity). He requests the God to batter his heart. The term ‘batter’ here suggests repeated blows. The speaker thus commands that all three in three-personed God attack his heart.
Who are the three Personed God in Batter my heart?
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me. "Holy Sonnet XIV" – also known by its first line as "Batter my heart, three-person'd God" – is a poem written by the English poet John Donne (1572 – 1631). It is a part of a larger series of poems called Holy Sonnets, comprising nineteen poems in total.
When was Batter my heart three Personed God written?
1633Batter My Heart, sonnet by John Donne, one of the 19 Holy Sonnets, or Divine Meditations, originally published in 1633 in the first edition of Songs and Sonnets. Written in direct address to God and employing violent and sexual imagery, it is one of Donne's most dramatic devotional lyrics.
Who wrote Holy Sonnet XIV?
John DonneSummary. John Donne wrote most of his Holy Sonnets between 1609 and 1611. The poem form is variation on a Petrarchan sonnet that ends with a rhyming couplet.
Who is the speaker in the poem Batter my heart?
The most important characters in the poem “Batter My Heart” by John Donne are the speaker and God (as the speaker desires him to be).
What is the message of Batter my heart?
The overriding theme of Batter my heart is Personal Sinfulness and Unworthiness, to which, almost as a corollary, the theme of Unfaithfulness is attached. The imagery of the sestet is quite explicitly that of marital unfaithfulness: 'am betrothed unto our enemie'; 'Divorce me'; 'ravish mee'.
What is the meaning of Batter my heart?
Batter my Heart expresses the lyrical voice's call upon God to take hold of him, while using deeply spiritual and physical arresting images. The main themes of the poem are love, religion, and violence.
What type of poem is Batter my heart?
This poem takes the form of a Petrarchan sonnet. We know this because the poem is composed of 14 lines, the three quatrains (groups of four lines) followed by a rhyming couplet (two lines) at the end, and the regular rhyme scheme.
Who is known for his Holy Sonnets?
Holy Sonnets, also called Divine Meditations or Divine Sonnets, series of 19 devotional poems by John Donne that were published posthumously in 1633 in the first edition of Songs and Sonnets.
What is the tone of Batter my heart three Personed?
Although the poem's solemn tone captures Donne's sorrow, it also expresses his faith and trust in God. The poet centers on his dire situation along with the hope he seeks from God. In this poem, Donne uses religious themes, unique poetic devices, and creative imagery to touch and enlighten the reader's heart.
How is Batter my heart a metaphysical poem?
Critics feel fairly certain that one group of John Donne's Holy Sonnets was published in 1633, a collection that included “Batter My Heart,” sometimes listed as “Batter My Heart, Three Person'd God.” It gained fame as a prime example of the style of Metaphysical Poets and Poetry with markedly unusual figurative ...
What does would be loved fain mean?
9. would be loved faine: "Fain" is a now archaic intensifier that meant "very much like to." To say "I would fain be your friend" meant "I would very much like to be your friend" or "I would love to be your friend." Here it appears in an inversion of ordinary word order. 13. enthrall: to enslave.
Who said they also serve who stand and wait?
John MiltonThe last line of the poem “On His Blindness,” by John Milton. The poet reflects that he has a place in God's world despite his disability.
What type of poem is Batter my heart?
This poem takes the form of a Petrarchan sonnet. We know this because the poem is composed of 14 lines, the three quatrains (groups of four lines) followed by a rhyming couplet (two lines) at the end, and the regular rhyme scheme.
What is the tone of Batter my heart?
Although the poem's solemn tone captures Donne's sorrow, it also expresses his faith and trust in God. The poet centers on his dire situation along with the hope he seeks from God. In this poem, Donne uses religious themes, unique poetic devices, and creative imagery to touch and enlighten the reader's heart.
How is Batter my heart a metaphysical poem?
Critics feel fairly certain that one group of John Donne's Holy Sonnets was published in 1633, a collection that included “Batter My Heart,” sometimes listed as “Batter My Heart, Three Person'd God.” It gained fame as a prime example of the style of Metaphysical Poets and Poetry with markedly unusual figurative ...
What is the rhyme scheme of Donne's sonnet Batter my heart three Personed?
“Batter My Heart, Three-Personed God” is a fairly typical sonnet. It has fourteen lines, and the metrical scheme is iambic pentameter, five feet to a line; each foot contains an unstressed and a stressed syllable. The rhyme scheme is abba, abba, cdcd, ee, not the only sonnet rhyme sequence but a common one.
Who wrote the poem "Batter my heart, three-person'd God"?
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me. "Holy Sonnet XIV" – also known by its first line as "Batter my heart, three-person'd God" – is a poem written by the English poet John Donne (1572 – 1631). It is a part of a larger series of poems called Holy Sonnets, ...
Who wrote the Holy Sonnet?
"Holy Sonnet XIV" – also known by its first line as "Batter my heart, three-person'd God" – is a poem written by the English poet John Donne (1572 – 1631). It is a part of a larger series of poems called Holy Sonnets, comprising nineteen poems in total. The poem was printed and published for ...
How many quatrains are there in Holy Sonnet XIV?
Ray's argument ), three quatrains and a couplet (the division established by the English sonnet, an example being an article by Purificación Ribes ), or decide to avoid definite pronouncements on this issue by referring to line numbers only (seen in James Winny’s A Preface to Donne ). This supposed difficulty has been circumvented here, with critics dividing the poem as they see fit in their readings, although there are instances where the style of this poem is addressed directly (especially when it comes to the imagery of the poem).
What does the speaker say in the line 9 of the poem?
The belief that the soul is feminine was common in Christian culture, as pointed out by Ray. In his article, he sees this metaphor at work in Holy Sonnet XIV, and he describes this "feminine soul" in the sonnet as "feel [ing] that she has been forced into a marriage with the conqueror and usurper Satan (i.e., sin)," further observing that the speaker himself states in the poem that he is "betroth'd unto your enemy." The absence of any expression of submissiveness or prayer is noticeable, which goes against what is often expected in more traditional poems of devotion dealing with this subject. From the line "Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain" up until "Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me," the usual attempt of carrying a sonnet to its resolution by a sequential argument collapses, which is a result of "syntactic units becom [ing] smaller and increasingly antithetical, ending in the hopeless oppositions of 'except' and 'never'" in the final lines. Bellette, who describes this process of argumentative dissolution, notices that it resembles what is happening in another Holy Sonnet, "As due by many titles I resign."
What is the meaning of the first four lines of the poem?
In the first four lines of the poem, the speaker voices his need of being violated and forcefully remade by God, in order to get the promised salvation ; his soul cannot be repaired, and it must be destroyed completely. This process of conversion is often associated with the Calvinist doctrine of Total Depravity; in the words of the Cambridge theologian William Perkins: "he that will beleeve in Christ must be annihilated, that is he must be bruised and battered to a flat nothing..." The act of suffering to gain life after death is typical for Calvinists, especially Puritans. This religious group was known for their extreme doctrines regarding subjecting oneself to God, one of them being a process called "humiliation" which included a masochistic and self destructive belief that " [t]he will had to be crushed before it would be, or while it was being, taken over by God." In the first quatrain, there is an aura of expectation present, disclosed by phrases "as yet" and "That I may rise," that adds to the progression and longed for continuity of "past, present and future actions." Bellette notices that " [t]here is also a similar logical order in the placing of parallel [subordinating] elements within the strong government of 'for' and 'that.'"
How many poems are in the Holy Sonnets?
It is a part of a larger series of poems called Holy Sonnets, comprising nineteen poems in total. The poem was printed and published for the first time in Poems in 1633, two years after the author's death.
Why does the speaker crave to be violated by God?
The speaker craves to be violated by God not only because the speaker loves him and wants to be close to him, but also to be saved from sin and Satan, which is communicated in physical terms. The poem itself is a plea addressed directly to God, who is invoked in his Trinitarian form ("three-person'd God").
Who is the poet who wrote the sonnet of Donne?
This is the aspect of Donne which prefigures (and possibly influenced) a poet of 250 years later, the Victorian religious poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, who often addresses God in the same breathless, excited way that we see in this sonnet. (Hopkins also favoured the sonnet form, as demonstrated by his most famous poem, ‘The Windhover’, ...
What is the opening line of John Donne's poem?
A reading of a classic Donne poem by Dr Oliver Tearle. ‘Batter my heart, three-person’d God’: a typically blunt and direct opening for a John Donne poem, from a poet who is renowned for his bluff, attention-grabbing opening lines. This poem, written using the Italian or Petrarchan sonnet form, sees Donne calling upon God to take hold ...
How many poems are there in the book "Batter My Heart"?from poemanalysis.com
This poem is part of a series of nineteen poems, which are most commonly referred as Divine Meditations, Divine Sonnets, or Holy Sonnets. ‘Batter my Heart’ was published two years after Donne’s death. John Donne wrote Holy Sonnet XIV in 1609, and it is found in the Westmoreland Manuscript and, later, in Divine Meditations (1935).
What is the meaning of the poem "Batter my heart"?from poemanalysis.com
It is directed at God and asks him to take hold of the speaker. This poem is part of a series of nineteen poems, which are most commonly referred as Divine Meditations, Divine Sonnets, or Holy Sonnets.
What does the octet of "Batter My Heart" mean?from poemanalysis.com
The poem starts with the lyrical voice asking the “three-personed God” (God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost) to attack his/heart, as it were gates belonging to a fortress (“batter” comes from “battering ram” the element used in medieval times to break down the door ...
Who wrote the Holy Sonnet?from poemanalysis.com
John Donne wrote Holy Sonnet XIV in 1609, and it is found in the Westmoreland Manuscript and, later, in Divine Meditations (1935). Holy Sonnets focus on religious matters, and, particularly, on themes such as mortality, divine love, and divine judgment. In Holy Sonnets, John Donne writes his poems in the traditional Italian sonnet form.
Who is the poet who wrote the sonnet of Donne?from interestingliterature.com
This is the aspect of Donne which prefigures (and possibly influenced) a poet of 250 years later, the Victorian religious poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, who often addresses God in the same breathless, excited way that we see in this sonnet. (Hopkins also favoured the sonnet form, as demonstrated by his most famous poem, ‘The Windhover’, ...
What is John Donne's poetry?from poemanalysis.com
Donne’s poetry introduced a more personal tone in the poems and a particular poetic meter, which resembles natural speech. Moreover, John Donne is considered to be the genius of metaphysical conceits and extended metaphors, as his poems combine two concepts into one by using imagery.
What is the conceit in "Batter my heart, three-person'd God"?
In the poem Donne uses the conceit, or elaborate metaphor, of the speaker's sinful heart as a besieged city . The speaker, who resides in this city, isn't asking for mercy or clemency from God; he...
What is the theme of the poem "Batter My Heart"?
The influence of sense and sensibility on human individuals is one of the main thematic concerns of "Batter my heart,... I would argue that it is not a fair statement and that the poem is far more concerned with the effects of reason on human beings than it is with the complex emotions implied by the term...
What is the paradox of the last two lines of "Batter My Heart"?
The paradox of the final two lines of "Batter my Heart" is expressive of the Christian belief that freedom—the spiritual freedom of the soul that goes to heaven—is based on subservience to God. For...
Is John Donne's sonnet metrical?
This famous sonnet by John Donne does not follow a regular metrical scheme, and indeed does not possess a very tight organisation as a poem. We can say that on the whole it is written as a loose...
How many poems are there in the book "Batter My Heart"?from poemanalysis.com
This poem is part of a series of nineteen poems, which are most commonly referred as Divine Meditations, Divine Sonnets, or Holy Sonnets. ‘Batter my Heart’ was published two years after Donne’s death. John Donne wrote Holy Sonnet XIV in 1609, and it is found in the Westmoreland Manuscript and, later, in Divine Meditations (1935).
What is the meaning of the poem "Batter my heart"?from poemanalysis.com
It is directed at God and asks him to take hold of the speaker. This poem is part of a series of nineteen poems, which are most commonly referred as Divine Meditations, Divine Sonnets, or Holy Sonnets.
What does the octet of "Batter My Heart" mean?from poemanalysis.com
The poem starts with the lyrical voice asking the “three-personed God” (God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost) to attack his/heart, as it were gates belonging to a fortress (“batter” comes from “battering ram” the element used in medieval times to break down the door ...
What is John Donne's poetry?from poemanalysis.com
Donne’s poetry introduced a more personal tone in the poems and a particular poetic meter, which resembles natural speech. Moreover, John Donne is considered to be the genius of metaphysical conceits and extended metaphors, as his poems combine two concepts into one by using imagery.
When did John Donne write his Holy Sonnets?from sites.udel.edu
Summary. John Donne wrote most of his Holy Sonnets between 1609 and 1611. The poem form is variation on a Petrarchan sonnet that ends with a rhyming couplet. The rhyme scheme of the first eight lines is the usual ABBA ABBA that we would normally see in a Petrachan sonnet.
Who wrote the Holy Sonnet?from poemanalysis.com
John Donne wrote Holy Sonnet XIV in 1609, and it is found in the Westmoreland Manuscript and, later, in Divine Meditations (1935). Holy Sonnets focus on religious matters, and, particularly, on themes such as mortality, divine love, and divine judgment. In Holy Sonnets, John Donne writes his poems in the traditional Italian sonnet form.
Why is the lyrical voice having trouble showing his/her faith?from poemanalysis.com
The lyrical voice is having trouble showing his/her faith because his/her thoughts, reason, have turned on God (“Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,/But is captived, and proves weak or untrue”). Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain, But am betrothed unto your enemy:
How many poems are there in the book "Batter My Heart"?
This poem is part of a series of nineteen poems, which are most commonly referred as Divine Meditations, Divine Sonnets, or Holy Sonnets. ‘Batter my Heart’ was published two years after Donne’s death. John Donne wrote Holy Sonnet XIV in 1609, and it is found in the Westmoreland Manuscript and, later, in Divine Meditations (1935).
What is the meaning of the poem "Batter my heart"?
It is directed at God and asks him to take hold of the speaker. This poem is part of a series of nineteen poems, which are most commonly referred as Divine Meditations, Divine Sonnets, or Holy Sonnets.
What does the octet of "Batter My Heart" mean?
The poem starts with the lyrical voice asking the “three-personed God” (God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost) to attack his/heart, as it were gates belonging to a fortress (“batter” comes from “battering ram” the element used in medieval times to break down the door ...
What is John Donne's poetry?
Donne’s poetry introduced a more personal tone in the poems and a particular poetic meter, which resembles natural speech. Moreover, John Donne is considered to be the genius of metaphysical conceits and extended metaphors, as his poems combine two concepts into one by using imagery.
Who wrote the Holy Sonnet?
John Donne wrote Holy Sonnet XIV in 1609, and it is found in the Westmoreland Manuscript and, later, in Divine Meditations (1935). Holy Sonnets focus on religious matters, and, particularly, on themes such as mortality, divine love, and divine judgment. In Holy Sonnets, John Donne writes his poems in the traditional Italian sonnet form.
Why is the lyrical voice having trouble showing his/her faith?
The lyrical voice is having trouble showing his/her faith because his/her thoughts, reason, have turned on God (“Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,/But is captived, and proves weak or untrue”). Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain, But am betrothed unto your enemy:
Overview
"Holy Sonnet XIV" – also known by its first line as "Batter my heart, three-person'd God" – is a poem written by the English poet John Donne (1572 – 1631). It is a part of a larger series of poems called Holy Sonnets, comprising nineteen poems in total. The poem was printed and published for the first time in Poems in 1633, two years after the author's death. In the 1633 edition the sequence of the poems was different from that found in Herbert Grierson’s edition from 1912; th…
Internal division
There is no scholarly consensus regarding the structure of Holy Sonnet XIV; different critics refer to particular parts of this poem either as an octave and a sestet (following the style of the Petrarchan sonnet, with a prominent example being Robert H. Ray's argument ), three quatrains and a couplet (the division established by the English sonnet, an example being an article by Purificación Ribes ), or decide to avoid definite pronouncements on this issue by referring to lin…
Imagery
There are two main sets of images in Holy Sonnet XIV, one associated with military warfare and the other with matters of love and marriage. Accordingly, critics (such as Ribes, Beaston, Gosse, Shawcross, Ray) have identified two discourses in the text – one military and the other amorous (marital). When compared, both discourses seem to communicate the same idea: being taken by force by God is the only way to free oneself from Satan’s grasp. Ray explains that "the speaker as…
Themes
The overall imagery in the poem is strongly violent and sexual, but also bears clear traces of estrangement from God. The speaker craves to be violated by God not only because the speaker loves him and wants to be close to him, but also to be saved from sin and Satan, which is communicated in physical terms. The poem itself is a plea addressed directly to God, who is invoked in his Trinitarian form ("three-person'd God"). The speaker does not suffer from an intern…
Musical settings
Benjamin Britten set the poem to music for voice and piano as the second of the nine settings which make up his 1945 song cycle The Holy Sonnets of John Donne.
A setting of the poem sung by the character of Robert Oppenheimer marks the climax of John Adams' 2005 opera Doctor Atomic.
External links
• "Batter my heart, three person'd God