“That thou remember them, some claim as debt;
I think it mercy, if thou wilt forget” (13-14). By just looking at the last two lines of this sonnet, the theme of the whole poem could be inferred. While John Donne grew up being a Catholic, he later became a Protestant. Due to him suffering through losses and tragic events throughout his life, he, at times, felt conflicted and confused to why his God would let him suffer through that. But overall, he was a man who was passionate about religion, who maintained a close relationship with God, and through this, his poems were concentrically immersed with the theme of religion. Knowing this aspect of his life, the poem’s main theme is mercy. Through the use of imagery and allusions, this poem is a …show more content…
In these preliminary lines, Donne uses an allusion of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is alluded from Genesis of the Bible. These lines refer to Adam and Eve and how they ate the fruits off the tree, even though God told them not to. Christian stories have used this story to explain the emergence of all sins.
In line three, the mention of “lecherous goats” is another allusion to Matthew 25:31-46 of the Bible. In this parable, it was mentioned that sheeps and goats were going to be separated - sheeps on the right and goats on the left. The right was a representation for the inheritance of God. Those on that side would be taken care of and blessed by God for eternity. However, the left was a representation for the exact opposite. Those on this side would burn in hell for eternity. To sum this allusion up, the goat is a metaphor for evil. In addition to that, the “serpents” is a more clear metaphor for the devil.
In these four lines, Donne discusses the sins and evilness in the world due to the Tree of Knowledge. These evils include goats and serpents. However, he questions God why he should be damned to hell if the evils are still in existence in the
I think it mercy, if thou wilt forget” (13-14). By just looking at the last two lines of this sonnet, the theme of the whole poem could be inferred. While John Donne grew up being a Catholic, he later became a Protestant. Due to him suffering through losses and tragic events throughout his life, he, at times, felt conflicted and confused to why his God would let him suffer through that. But overall, he was a man who was passionate about religion, who maintained a close relationship with God, and through this, his poems were concentrically immersed with the theme of religion. Knowing this aspect of his life, the poem’s main theme is mercy. Through the use of imagery and allusions, this poem is a …show more content…
In these preliminary lines, Donne uses an allusion of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is alluded from Genesis of the Bible. These lines refer to Adam and Eve and how they ate the fruits off the tree, even though God told them not to. Christian stories have used this story to explain the emergence of all sins.
In line three, the mention of “lecherous goats” is another allusion to Matthew 25:31-46 of the Bible. In this parable, it was mentioned that sheeps and goats were going to be separated - sheeps on the right and goats on the left. The right was a representation for the inheritance of God. Those on that side would be taken care of and blessed by God for eternity. However, the left was a representation for the exact opposite. Those on this side would burn in hell for eternity. To sum this allusion up, the goat is a metaphor for evil. In addition to that, the “serpents” is a more clear metaphor for the devil.
In these four lines, Donne discusses the sins and evilness in the world due to the Tree of Knowledge. These evils include goats and serpents. However, he questions God why he should be damned to hell if the evils are still in existence in the