John Donne

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John Donne

John Donne had a rich life full of travel, women and religion. Donne

was born in 1572 on Bread Street in London. The family was Roman

Catholic which was dangerous during this time when Catholicism was

being abolished and protestant was taking over. Donne’s farther was an

iron monger who died in 1576. At 11 Donne and his younger brother went

to university and studied there for three years then he went to

Cambridge for a further three years.

He left without any degrees because as a Catholic he could not swear

the ‘Oath of Supremacy’, which made you swear an oath declaring Henry

VIII as head of the Church of England, Donne refused to swear this. In

1592 Donne joined a law practice and a legal career seemed ahead of

him.

In 1593 Donne’s brother Henry died of a fever in prison after being

arrested for sheltering a catholic priest, John Donne then started to

question his faith and wonder why his brother who was doing g-ds will

would be allowed to be arrested and die in jail. As both his farther

and brother had now passed away Donne inherited a considerable amount

of money, which he spent on women, travelling and other pleasurable

pursuits. In 1596 Donne joined a naval expedition against the Spanish

Armada. One year later he sailed to the Azores. Often in John Donne’s

poems they include his travels and experiences for instance in the

poem ‘To his mistress going to bed’ he says ‘license my roving hands

and let them go… O America! My new found land[1] Donne possibly means

that the woman in front of him is a new land waiting to be discovered

and explored. In 1598 Donne was appointed Private Secretary to Sir

Thomas Egaton. This meant he was on the road to a promising career.

Later in 1601 John Don...

... middle of paper ...

...is writing and how he thought also how he

was conflicted throughout out his life about whether he should convert

or not and risk a lifetime in hell and eternal damnation to further

his career. I hope you enjoyed my essay.

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[1] To his mistress going to bed, by John Donne, John Donne

“Everyman’s poetry

[2] The Flea, by John Donne, “Complete English Poems”, Everyman

[3] The Canonisation, by John Donne “Complete English poems” Everyman

[4] ibid.

[5] Hymn to g-d the Father by John Donne, ibid.

[6] ibid.

[7] ibid.

[8] The Good Morrow, by John Donne ibid

[9] The Sonne Rising by John Donne, “John Donne” Everyman’s Poetry.

[10] A Valediction Forbidding Mourning, by John Donne, ibid

[11] To his mistress going to bed, by John Donne, ibid.

[12] ibid

[13] ibid

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