Comment on Donne's treatment of love in "The Good Morrow."

Introduction : John Donne’s (1572 – 1631) “The Good-Morrow” (1633) is a famous metaphysical poem about true love. In this poem Donne presents love as a deep spiritual and intellectual bond. He shows that true love can make two people feel complete and united.

Donne’s Treatment of Love : Donne presents his idea of true love through several important aspects and poetic ideas. These are discussed below.

• Love Brings Awakening

• Love Beyond Physical Attraction

• Love as a Spiritual Bond

• Equality in Love

• Purity and Faithfulness of Love

• Intellectual View of Love

• Love as a World of Its Own

• The Immortality of Love

Love Brings Awakening : The poet feels that his life before love was like a child’s dream. After finding his beloved he feels truly awake and alive. Thus love brings a new beginning to their lives.

Love Beyond Physical Attraction : Donne’s love is not based only on physical beauty or desire. He loves his beloved for her mind heart and soul. Their love is therefore deeper than ordinary physical attraction.

Love as a Spiritual Bond : The poet believes that true love joins two souls together. Their physical bodies are different but their souls become one. This makes their love spiritual and meaningful.

Equality in Love : Donne presents both lovers as equal partners in love. He says,

“Whatever dies, was not mixed equally.”

This means that love must be equal on both sides to remain strong. Neither lover is greater or more important than the other. Their equal love makes their relationship strong and complete.

Purity and Faithfulness of Love : The love between the poet and his beloved is pure and sincere. They are completely faithful to each other. Their love does not depend on outside beauty wealth or pleasure.

Intellectual View of Love : Donne treats love through deep thoughts and clever ideas. He asks,

“Where can we find two better hemispheres?”

He compares their two faces to two hemispheres and their eyes to maps. These intellectual ideas make his treatment of love unique.

Love as a World of Its Own : The lovers feel that their small world is enough for them. They do not need the wider world to find happiness. Their love creates a private and beautiful world of its own.

The Immortality of Love : The poet believes that their true love can remain forever. The lovers will remain happy as long as their love stays equal and strong. Thus true and equal love becomes everlasting.

Conclusion : In “The Good-Morrow”, John Donne gives a deep and beautiful picture of true love. He shows that love can awaken people, unite their souls and create a world of happiness. Therefore, Donne’s treatment of love is spiritual, intellectual, pure, equal and everlasting.