Analyse How the Central Values Portrayed in Donne’s Poetry Are Creatively Reshaped in W;t.

Analyse how the central values portrayed in Donne’s poetry are creatively reshaped in W;t.

Perennial notions pertaining to personal fulfilment through spiritual or emotional connections are ideals which resonate with audiences universally. In John Donne’s 17th Century metaphysical poetry, the composer explores timeless concerns of salvation from a subversive religious standpoint. Donne argues that through humanistic experiences and spiritual rationalisation, one may transcend the physical dimension and achieve a state of introspective resolution. Margaret Edson's postmodern play W;t (1995) inventively remodels these timeless human concerns to reflect a secular milieu wherein academic obsession adversely impacts upon one’s capacity to confront mortality. It is posed by Edson that in such a paradigm, suffering and meaningful emotional connections are paramount to service the individual passion for ascension present across both secular and religious contexts.

The ability of academia to provide existential relief, evidenced by Donne’s subversion of religious authority, is challenged by Edson in a secular paradigm wherein scholarly obsession prevents human connection and fulfilment. In W;t, the academic elitist Vivian Bearing is satirically depicted by Edson in a sterile clinical setting to epitomise the inability of scholarly research into a ‘cure for cancer’ to offer insight into death and the hereafter. Edson poses a commentary upon the status-driven nature of  knowledge in such a secular paradigm wherein Vivian explains in an arrogant tone “After twenty years, I can say with confidence, no one is quite as good as I”. However, by enamouring herself with knowledge, the protagonist is left ill-equipped to face her own mortality and thus is plagued by the perennial anxiety of salvation. Edson’s incorporation of ellipsis within Vivian’s existential questioning “I’m in a… quandary, having these...doubts” reveals her remorse at her academic obsession whilst also serving as a condemnation of the apathetic medical industry. Adversely, within Donne’s sonnet “Death be Not Proud” the poet utilises religious research gained as a priest of St. Paul’s Cathedral to successfully challenge the contextual authority of death. Donne’s demeaning employment of metaphysical conceit in “One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally” employs the discernment of biblical teachings prevalent in his Counter-Reformation context to argue that death is merely a passage to the afterlife and thus should not be feared. Clearly, diverging contexts reveal different interpretations of the capacity of knowledge to offer one existential relief.

Universally applicable to both texts is the significance of human relationships in providing enrichment to individuals and thereby in facilitating an effective confrontation of one’s mortality. Donne’s romantic monologue “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” explores the ability of sacrosanct platonic relationships to allow one to transcend physical and contextual boundaries. The central compass conceit in which “The fix’d foot” of his lover is eternally linked to himself “As stiff twin compasses are two” incorporates a circular motif to reference the prevalent Renaissance symbol of perfect unity. Through this, the poet poses a commentary upon the ability of emotional connection to surpass the barrier of death; as evidenced by the euphemistic simile “as virtuous men pass mildly away”. It is here that Donne manifests religious values pertaining to eternal life to argue the necessity of human connection in the individual experience of a complete life. In contrast to the empathetic approach evident in Donne’s poetry, Edson presents an emotionless academic perspective on the anxious search for salvation in a secular paradigm. The composer’s inclusion of alienating devices such as the breaking down of the fourth wall in “It is not my intention to give away the plot, but I think i die at the end” evoke a sense of detachment within the audience as Vivian metaphorically likens herself to a “specimen jar”. This references the dehumanised nature of contemporary institutionalisation wherein the harsh nature of medical treatment and the absence of ‘bedside manner’, which is likened to a ‘colossal waste of time’ by Jason, prevents comfort in the face of death. Edson’s direct intertextual reference to the poem wherein Vivian in a pedantic tone elucidates “A breach, but an ex-pan-see-on” furthers the satire of apathetic contemporary academia through a dismissal of Donne’s theme of enduring love. Further, it serves as a turning point wherein Bearing epiphanically accepts that “Now is not the time for verbal swordplay” as she instead longs for the humanistic experiences of Donne. Thus, it is reinforced that a lack of emotional connection inhibits the achievement of contentment in the face of mortality.

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