The Perfume (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: John Donne
- First Published: 1633
- Type of Work: Dramatic monologue
- Genres: Poetry, Dramatic monologue
- Subjects: Parents and children, Love or romance, Sex or sexuality, Death or dying, Servants, Separation, Perfumes, Dating
The Poem
Although designated an elegy in its original title, “The Perfume” is really better considered a seventy-two-line Renaissance imitation of a classical form. John Donne called it an elegy because he composed it in closed couplets, consecutive lines of end-stopped iambic pentameter, a verse pattern that roughly corresponds to the Latin elegia. He used the same pattern for his satires, but unlike those, this is addressed to a particular lover, as a commentary on their relationship: The two lovers are being separated by the girl’s parents, and this poem is...
[The entire page is 1485 words long]
See Also:
John Donne (Cyclopedia of World Authors)John Donne (Poetry)John Donne (Dictionary of World Biography)
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