The Metaphysical Poets
Webster, The Duchess of Malfi
Directions: After reading the lecture, answer one of the four questions below. This answer is due no later than Thursday, Apr. 17.
Your responses to other students' answers are due by midnight on Saturday, Apr. 19. Remember: in order to get the full 20 points, you MUST respond thoughtfully to at least 3 or 4 other people's postings.
This set of discussion questions is worth a possible 20 points. Late answers receive 0 points, so post early :)
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Just answer one of the following questions.
1. Most writers and critics of the 18th and 19th centuries disliked the Metaphysical poets, for a variety of reasons. (They were not taken seriously until T. S. Eliot championed them in the early 20th century.) The criticism levelled against them the most often was that their appeal was to the intellect rather than to the emotions. Matthew Arnold, a Victorian poet and critic, for example, argued that they were inferior poets, since "...their poetry is conceived and composed in their wits, genuine poetry is conceived and composed in the soul. The difference between the two kinds of poetry is immense" (Matthew Arnold, Essays in Criticism, 1865). Do you agree with this assessment? Give specific quotes and examples from the poems to support your opinion.
2. John Donne's "The Flea" is traditionally read as a man's attempt to talk his lover into having sex with him, even though they are not married. One of my students, Ernesto Gonzales, interprets "The Flea" differently: he sees it as a conversation in which the man is pleading with his lover not to have an abortion. What evidence can you give to support or refute his interpretation? Do you agree with it or not?
3. By the end of The Duchess of Malfi, has Bosola redeemed himself? Explain your answer, using specific examples from the play.
4. How does the play, The Duchess of Malfi, explore the theme of "imprisonment"?
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