In the modern world
The term ‘elegy’ is commonly used as a term for poems which mourn for the dead. However, in ancient times, elegy could also be about love or praise, whether that be for the deceased or the living. Elegies can represent countless experiences when describing the process of mourning. Most scholars agree that the main purpose of Renaissance elegy is to talk highly of those who have passed, as well as exploring heartbreak and grief as indirect forms of admiration to the deceased. The Romans introduced the idea of love to elegy, and they have not been quite the same since; with erotic love and desire, as well as praise and awe being explored. Considering this, a sense of love, desire and mourning can all be present in elegy with the two elegies explored in this essay possessing a large contrast; one being dominated by the idea of love and desire, while the other is ruled by mourning and grief.
Themes
Grief and despair
According to the authors of both elegy poems its evident that there is a contrast between the two poems. Firstly, Ben Johnson’s elegy poem ‘On my first son’ is led by an immense sense of grief. This is because the speaker is sad which in turn explains to the audience that he is sad because he lost both the title to be called a father as well as him losing his son. Secondly, this poem begins with a significant ‘farewell' and a powerful extended metaphor. The poem states that ‘seven years tho ‘weren’t lent to me, and I thee pay.' Johnson believes that his son was ‘lent' to him by God and that because of this, he will have to ‘pay' God back on ‘the just day.'(Johnson, 1616) This metaphor is particularly effective because it creates a vivid image, emphasizing the fact that even though Johnson's son has passed away and he is mourning, he can recognize and admit that the ‘seven years’ he was able to spend with his son were a gift from God. This part of the elegy can be described as both love and mourning; Johnson is grieving because his son has been taken from him It can be described as an elegy describing a mourning father. Throughout the poem, Johnson expresses his feelings of grief to his son through a one-sided conversation which explores the speakers’ thoughts and addresses questions such as… why did his son die? Is death a state to be envied? And, what is the price of love? (Johnson, 1616) However, comparing this poem with, ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed' by John Donne is littered with desire and erotic language. This elegy does not describe death but instead commemorates the time that a woman gives into the sexual advances of the writer. The elegy seems to objectify the women as one to be desired; this is done by the writer's use of explicit language. The objectification of women can be best explained by the despair of how the writers are trying to explain how he felt for his mistress and how he had trouble portraying them.
Love and faith
The theme of faith and love is best explained in the poem ‘on my first son’ where Johnson’s love to his son makes him have faith that his son is in a better place. Nevertheless, when it comes to the poem ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’ begins with the domineering tone of the speaker calling to the mistress to bed "Come, Madam, come, all rest my powers defy, Until I labor, I in labor lie’ ( Donne, 1654). Donne then shows his luck of faith when he begins to explain how he will not be satisfied until he participates in sexual activity with his mistress, using an intelligent play on words. ‘Labor’ has two meanings, on the one hand, it is man’s hard work, but on the other hand, it denotes women giving birth. This leads to the idea that until he engages in this type of activity, he will continue to endure pain and misery. The word ‘foe’ usually connotes an upcoming physical fight. However, when Donne writes ‘The foe oft-times, having the foe in sight, Is tired with standing though he never fights (Donne, 1654) he creates a paradox. The ‘fights’ the author faces are that of the mind, almost as though he is at war with his mistress. This is because he has to persuade the woman he is with to give in to what he desires. For example, he wants her to take off the ‘spangle breastplate’ that she wears to stop eyes of ‘fools.’ This is a blatant example of love and desire in elegy because Donne craves what is under her clothes and the repetition of “off with” further emphasizes Donne’s longing to see his mistress in the nude. A further example of love is shown by Donne when his mistress removes her gown, again opposing the feelings of grief and sadness in ‘On my first son.’ The author describes her as a ‘flowery mead’ when the clouds move away from it. The word ‘flowery’ connotes beauty and joy which emphasizes how he is in love with what he sees and is in awe of the woman in front of him. Additionally, There is an obvious erotic love when Donne writes ‘To enter in these bonds is to be free There where my hand is set, my seal shall be.’. The verb ‘enter’ has sexual connotations and Donne is attempting to reach freedom through sexual intercourse (Donne, 1654). . This line shows demand for union between Donne and his mistress, further enhancing the feel of desire and love. Donne’s elegy finishes with a surprising statement of equality when Donne write ‘to teach thee, I am naked first; why then What need'st thou have more covering than a man?’ This could, however, be interpreted as a derogatory statement forcing his woman to believe that she should be naked for him and obey his desires whenever he pleases. Donne later goes on the compare his love to an angel when writing ‘In such white robes, heaven's angels used to be.’ Angels connote purity and innocence; this further accentuates how strongly Donne praises this woman; however, this may be viewed as lust for her sexually. The idea of mourning, however, is again emphasized by Johnson in
Religion
The words ‘Mahomet's paradise' when Donne writes ‘heaven like Mahomet's paradise' describe a rewarding state after death in Islam (Donne, 1654). The idea of this paradise while comparing his love to heaven shows amazement and wonders when he sees this woman naked. This eludes to the idea that Donne is going to worship the body of his mistress in bed, just as people worship God. This is also shown when Donne writes ‘full nakedness! All joys are due to thee. As souls embodied, bodies unclothed must be, To taste whole joys.’ This comparison of the soul leaving the body at death to the desire felt by the removal of clothing in bed is a strong use of imagery which is effective in showing how strong Donne’s feelings of passion are (Donne, 1654). The desire in this elegy is so strong that it has begun to cause goose bumps. This is shown by the words ‘those set our hairs on end.' Throughout Johnson’s elegy, there is a strong sense of faith in God's will. Johnson shows an acceptance of ‘fate,' when he writes ‘exacted by thy fate.' He believes that although he is mourning over his son, he also trusts that this is all part of God's plan and should be accepted along with happiness for the seven years that they spent together. In a way, Johnson blames himself for the death of his son and describes how needing he too much was a ‘sin' when stating ‘my sin was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy (Johnson, 1616). The idea of Johnson needing his son shows love and desire in the elegy, while describing the sin as ‘too much’ shows his regret and grief now that his son is gone This made him convince himself that he shouldn’t be mourning over his son’s death because it is a state that should be ‘envied’ as the world can no longer hurt you. This is indicated by the statement ‘will man lament the state he should envy?’ (Johnson, 1616). Johnson then goes onto describes death as a ‘soft peace,' further stressing how he should not worry because his son is in a safe place. The idea of love is also portrayed in this elegy when Johnson describes his son as ‘his best piece of poetry.' This enforces the idea that he greatly valued his son and they had a special bond. Also, desire is shown as Johnson wishes to have his son back.
In conclusion
It is evident that in the modern day, elegy can be best described as a type of poem reflecting upon human mortality. However, in ancient times, elegy poems were popularly known for love and praise, whether it is for the deceased or the living. Throughout most traditional elegies are laments, while others are for love poems. Over time, poets have chosen the method of elegy to reach out to various emotions of the audience; these emotions tend to include joy, love or erotic desire. As a result, it can be said that elegies can be used to explore personal experiences surrounding which mostly gives the picture that elegies are best used to describe human emotions whether they are happy, sad, emotional or love.
References
Ben, Johnson. (1616). Elegy XIX; on my first sonne. Retrevied on 2/24/2018 on https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50340/to-his-mistress-going-to-bed
Donne, John. (1654). Elegy Xix; To His Mistress Going To Bed. Broadview antholohy of the seventeenth- century verse and prose. Broadview press,2004.
