John Donne

1572 to 1631
,7 Histo7
Bo7n in London to p7ospe7ous C,thoics
C,thoicism w,s , d,nge7ous f,ith to h,;e in the
time of iz,-eth
Fi7st te,che7s we7e Jesuits
Studied ,t Oxfo7d ,nd C,m-7idge
Woud not sign O,th of Sup7em,c neg,ting his
7eigion ,t uni;e7sit thus did not 7ecei;e deg7ees
Donne's Life
Studied ,w ,nd p,nned , dipom,tic c,7ee7
nhe7ited , conside7,-e fo7tune f7om his f,the7
who died when John w,s oung
Spent time w7iting ,t the the,te7 t7,;eing ,nd
wom,nizing
His fi7st -ook of o;e poems entited "S,ti7es
conside7ed , most impo7t,nt ite7,7 wo7k ,t the
s,me time he w7ote "Songs ,nd Sonnets which
we ,7e studing now
John Donne 1572-1631
"Songs ,nd Sonnets
ou must 7emem-e7 in
7eg,7d to ou7 stud of
pieces f7om Donne's
coection
John Donne 1572-1631
n 1601 Donne s,t in Queen iz,-eth's
,st P,7i,ment. But in the s,me e,7 he
sec7et m,77ied L,d ge7ton's niece 17
e,7-od Anne Mo7e d,ughte7 of Si7
Geo7ge Mo7e Lieuten,nt of the Towe7 ,nd
effecti;e committed c,7ee7 suicide.
Donne w7ote to the i;id f,the7 s,ing:
"Si7 ,cknowedge m f,ut to -e so g7e,t ,s
d,7e sc,7ce offe7 ,n othe7 p7,e7 to ou in
mine own -eh,f th,n this to -eie;e th,t
neithe7 h,d dishonest end no7 me,ns. But fo7
he7 whom tende7 much mo7e th,n m
fo7tunes o7 ife (ese woud might neithe7
jo in this ife no7 enjo the next) hum-
-eg of ou th,t she m, not to he7 d,nge7
fee the te77o7 of ou7 sudden ,nge7.
John Donne 1572-1631
Si7 Geo7ge h,d Donne th7own in
Feet P7ison fo7 weeks ,ong with his
coho7ts S,mue ,nd Ch7istophe7
B7ooke who h,d ,ided the coupe's
c,ndestine ,ff,i7
John Donne 1572-1631
Donne w,s dismissed f7om his post
,nd fo7 the next dec,de h,d to
st7ugge ne,7 po;e7t to suppo7t his
g7owing f,mi. Donne ,te7 summed
up the expe7ience: "John Donne
Anne Donne Undone."
John Donne 1572-1631
Anne's cousin offe7ed the coupe 7efuge in Su77e
,nd the coupe w,s heped - f7iends (women)
who ,so p,ed , p7ominent 7oe in Donne's
ite7,7 ife
Though Donne sti h,d f7iends eft these we7e
-itte7 e,7s fo7 , m,n who knew himsef to -e the
inteectu, supe7io7 of most
John Donne 1572-1631
Befo7e 7econcii,tion with his in,ws Donne's
w7itings Divine Poems (1607) ,nd Biathanatos
(1644) , 7,dic, piece fo7 its time we7e pu-ished
in which Donne ,7gues th,t suicide is not , sin in
itsef.
As Donne ,pp7o,ched fo7t he pu-ished two
,nti-C,thoic poemics Pseudo-Martyr (1610) ,nd
Ignatius his Conclave (1611).
John Donne 1572-1631
Donne h,d 7efused to t,ke Angic,n o7de7s in 1607 -ut King
J,mes pe7sisted fin, ,nnouncing th,t Donne woud
7ecei;e no post o7 p7efe7ment f7om the King uness in the
chu7ch.
n 1615 Donne 7euct,nt ente7ed the minist7 ,nd w,s
,ppointed , Ro, Ch,p,in ,te7 th,t e,7.
n 1616 he w,s ,ppointed Re,de7 in Di;init ,t Lincon's nn
(C,m-7idge h,d confe77ed the deg7ee of Docto7 of Di;init
on him two e,7s e,7ie7).
Donne's ste fu of e,-o7,te met,pho7s ,nd 7eigious
sm-oism his f,i7 fo7 d7,m, his wide e,7ning ,nd his
quick wit soon est,-ished him ,s one of the g7e,test
p7e,che7s of the e7,.
John Donne 1572-1631
Just ,s Donne's fo7tunes seemed to -e imp7o;ing
Anne Donne died on 15 August 1617 ,ged
thi7t-th7ee ,fte7 gi;ing -i7th to thei7 twefth chid
, sti-o7n
Se;en of thei7 chid7en su7;i;ed thei7 mothe7's
de,th
St7uck - g7ief Donne w7ote the se;enteenth Ho
Sonnet "Since she whom o;e'd h,th p,id he7
,st de-t
John Donne 1572-1631
Acco7ding to Donne's f7iend ,nd -iog7,phe7 s,,k
W,ton Donne w,s "the7e,fte7 c7ucified to the wo7d
Donne continued to w7ote poet7 not,- his Ho
Sonnets -ut the time fo7 o;e songs w,s o;e7
n 1619 Donne went ,s ch,p,in with Viscount Donc,ste7
in his em-,ss to the Ge7m,n p7inces. His w7iting w,s
,den with ,pp7ehension of de,th
Donne 7etu7ned to London in 1620 ,nd w,s ,ppointed
De,n of S,int P,us' in 1621 , post he hed unti his
de,th ,nd in which he exceed ,nd w,s ,t ,st
fin,nci, secu7e.
John Donne 1572-1631
Donne's p7i;,te medit,tions Devotions upon
Emergent Occasions w7itten whie he w,s
con;,escing f7om , se7ious iness we7e
pu-ished in 1624.
The most f,mous of these is undou-ted
Medit,tion 17 which incudes the immo7t, ines
"No m,n is ,n is,nd" ,nd
"ne;e7 send to know fo7 whom the -e tos; t tos
fo7 thee."
John Donne 1572-1631
n 1624 Donne w,s m,de ;ic,7 of St Dunst,n's-in-the-West.
On M,7ch 27 1625 J,mes died ,nd Donne p7e,ched his
fi7st se7mon fo7 Ch,7es .. But fo7 his ,iing he,th (he h,d
mouth so7es ,nd h,d expe7ienced signific,nt weight oss)
Donne ,most ce7t,in woud h,;e -ecome , -ishop.
O-sessed with the ide, of de,th Donne posed in , sh7oud-
the p,inting w,s competed , few weeks -efo7e his de,th
,nd ,te7 used to c7e,te ,n effig.
He ,so p7e,ched wh,t w,s c,ed his own fune7, se7mon
Death's Duel just , few weeks -efo7e he died in London on
M,7ch 31 1631.
John Donne 1572-1631
The ,st thing Donne w7ote just
-efo7e his de,th w,s ymne to God,
my God, In my Sicknesse. Donne's
monument in his sh7oud su7;i;ed the
G7e,t Fi7e of London ,nd c,n sti -e
seen tod, ,t St. P,u's.
John Donne 1572-1631