John Donne's "The Anniversary": Metaphysical love poem/ Critical appreciation/ Critical analysis

Question: Discuss Donne’s The Anniversary as a metaphysical love poem. / Write a critical appreciation of The Anniversary. / Attempt a critical analysis of the poem.

Answer: At the outset, let us have a clear concept of metaphysical love poem. A metaphysical love poem is distinguished by the preponderance of the intellectual over the emotional element, and it is expected to make use of some conceits that are brilliant. In John Donne’s metaphysical poem named The Anniversary, we find that all these conditions are fructified complacently. The poem gives an account of a couple celebrating their first year in a relationship. The fundamental conceit of the entire poem is the metaphor of royalty. Simultaneously, imagery of divinity and death permeate the poem. The vital interest lies in the manner in which Donne uses royal imagery to convey the thought of a love. The opening lines imminently proclaim that not only Kings, but also all the “glory of honours, beauties, wits, / The sun itself” have aged by one year ever since the speaker met his lover. That is to say, nobody can escape ageing and mortality. A complete year of their relationship has rolled away. This love is eternal. It is not really ethereal and spiritual now. It is very much associated with the senses of worldly passion. The speaker asserts that death cannot perish them at all. Is this then the core idea of the poem. Anyway, we must say that Donne expresses passionate love, not spiritual love, in terms of royalty by comparison. He is weaving together death, spiritual love and other elements. He makes royalty into an overreaching metaphor for love that is indeed noble. Therefore, we can call the poem to be a successful metaphysical one.