The Good Morrow: Themes & Linking Poems

The Good Morrow: Themes & Linking Poems

The Good Morrow: Themes

• Love and Relationships: This is the primary theme of The Good Morrow. Donne presents an elevated, spiritual form of love as far more meaningful and fulfilling than mere physical attraction.

• Exploration and Discovery: Donne uses metaphors of exploration and geographies to convey the vastness and depth of the love between the speaker and lover. This theme links to the age of discovery during Donne’s lifetime.

• Spirituality: The poem refers to concepts of the soul and spiritual awakening, hinting at the deep, spiritual bond between the two lovers.

• Innocence vs Knowledge: The speaker talks about his past as one of ignorance and innocence until he found true love. This theme is presented as a stark contrast in the speaker’s life.

• Unity and Individuality: Donne plays with the idea of two becoming one in love, yet also retaining their individuality.

Linking with Other Poems

• Links can be drawn between The Good Morrow and Donne’s other love poems such as The Sun Rising and The Canonisation. These poems also deal with themes of profound and spiritual love.

• The theme of exploration in The Good Morrow finds resonance in The Sun Rising. The idea of the lovers being their own microcosm is something that Donne explores in both poems.

• Some of Donne’s Holy Sonnets like Batter My Heart also explore the theme of spirituality and can thus be linked to The Good Morrow.

• Donne’s use of paradox, a common feature in metaphysical poetry, can be connected across his body of work. For instance, the idea of two becoming one without losing their individuality in The Good Morrow is somewhat reflected in the argument presented in The Flea.

• The theme of awakening to love in The Good Morrow is also mirrored in A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, where Donne discusses the depth and constancy of love.