To His Mistress Going to Bed Analysis

Come, Madam, come, all rest my powers defy,
Until I labour, I in labour lie.
The foe oft-times having the foe in sight,
Is tired with standing though they never fight.
Off with that girdle, like heaven's zone glistering,
But a far fairer world encompassing.
Unpin that spangled breastplate which you wear,
That th' eyes of busy fools may be stopped there.
Unlace yourself, for that harmonious chime
Tells me from you, that now 'tis your bed time.
Off with that happy busk, which I envy,
That still can be, and still can stand so nigh.
Your gown going off, such beauteous state reveals,
As when from flowery meads th' hill's shadow steals.
Off with that wiry coronet and show
The hairy diadem which on you doth grow;
Now off with those shoes, and then safely tread
In this love's hallowed temple, this soft bed.
In such white robes heaven's angels used to be
Received by men; thou angel bring'st with thee
A heaven like Mahomet's paradise; and though
Ill spirits walk in white, we easily know
By this these angels from an evil sprite,
Those set our hairs, but these our flesh upright.
License my roving hands, and let them go
Before, behind, between, above, below.
O my America, my new found land,
My kingdom, safeliest when with one man manned,
My mine of precious stones, my empery,
How blessed am I in this discovering thee!
To enter in these bonds, is to be free;
Then where my hand is set, my seal shall be.
Full nakedness, all joys are due to thee
As souls unbodied, bodies unclothed must be,
To taste whole joys. Gems which you women use
Are like Atlanta's balls, cast in men's views,
That when a fool's eye lighteth on a gem,
His earthly soul may covet theirs, not them.
Like pictures, or like books' gay coverings made
For laymen, are all women thus arrayed;
Themselves are mystic books, which only we
Whom their imputed grace will dignify
Must see revealed. Then since I may know,
As liberally, as to a midwife, show
Thyself: cast all, yea, this white linen hence,
Here is no penance, much less innocence.
To teach thee, I am naked first, why then
What needst thou have more covering than a man.

.: :.

This poem is metaphysical in that it emphasizes and exaggerattes something...in this case Donne's mistress. He has an aching desire for her and expresses this intent need for her throughout the poem whilst trying to seduce and convince her to allow him to have his 'wicked way' with her.

| Posted on 2008-11-27 | by a guest

.: :.

This is about the discovering of America. This is not about a woman at all, let alone about a wife. He has hope for the new world, just as a typical male would be hopeful in this stance.

| Posted on 2008-11-07 | by a guest

.: :.

America along with all of the continents in the 17th Century were represented visually as naked women -- noble and bearing gifts to the equally naked Europe. America here, the symbol of the beloved, is a mine of gems, on which the lover places his seal to establish his empry. She is "discovered" and claimed, but also like a "picture" or a "book" and therefore a text that has the depth of meaning that requires recursive readings. What I wonder is if his plea for her to become completely naked is out of the ordinary in the context of the times. I know there were times in history when women themdelves never even saw themselves completely unclothed.

| Posted on 2008-09-14 | by a guest

.: :.

I had only discovered the idea that this poem could be about a wedding night while browsing this website. I believe it could be, as Donne's wife (Ann More) was very young at the time they were married (16?), and this supports the line "To teach thee, I am naked first".
Furthermore, the line "Your gown going off, such beauteous state reveals” refers to a gown, which is typically a woman's full-length elegant or formal dress for special occasions.

| Posted on 2008-09-04 | by a guest

.: :.

To the person who posted before my, of course the speaker is male, the poem starts with 'Come, Madam' and is entitled 'to his mistress'. The key word here being HIS, the persona is a male!
To the person who posted before you, the point of a metaphysical conciet is to be absurd. There is nothing stupid about comparing undressing a woman to discovering America. Know your context

| Posted on 2008-09-01 | by a guest

.: :.

Sorry what is to say that the speaker is even male. The phallicity of this poem may not be intended purely for metaphysical conceit. Is this the bizarre workings of our own contemporary assumptions? How bout some resistance people

| Posted on 2008-07-29 | by a guest

.: :.

This poem could well be about a wedding night... the true context behind it is obviously hidden and we do not know... plus a mistress can be a wife. And i think the whole wedding night idea fits in well... you could also say that she's just given birth, which is why she wearing white etc. But the whole discovery of America thing is a pretty stupid thing to say. Made me laugh though

| Posted on 2008-07-12 | by a guest

.: :.

this poem is about a mistress.
NO WIFE.
he rushes her to get undressed, and wants to teach her as she may hesitate.

| Posted on 2008-06-25 | by a guest

.: john donne :.

the poem is about his wedding night with his wife. "licence my roaving hands, and let them go, before, behind, between, above, below." that is why his bride is dressed in all white. he calls her his America becouse it's their first night together he wants to discover her.

| Posted on 2008-05-01 | by a guest

.: :.

Of course, the poem is overtly sexual, reflecting the style of the Ovidian elegies.
However, Donne does actually defy expectations in this poem. Yes, the woman is somewhat commodified in the comparison to the New World ("My mine of precious stones", for example) but interestingly, the woman remains clothed at the end of the poem, contrasting the sexual expectations throughout.

| Posted on 2008-02-26 | by a guest

.: Analysis :.

Admittedly this poem is of an overtly sexual nature and can be interpretted to portray Donne in a chauvanistic light but is it not also a possibility that the relationship is more than what it appears. His lover represents a freedom and a wild abandon more commonly associated with love albiet an erotic use of the idea shown here. i feel that the poem has the air of freeing her from the constraints of her clothing which symbolise the way society restricts women. he is taking her back to what i

| Posted on 2008-01-12 | by a guest

.: :.

sorry person below me, but person bellow you was right. its the persona recounting a striptise of his mistress (wife or girlfriend) he describes each layer as she casts them off, praises her beauty and draws abstract comparisons between her and metaphysical concerns (called conciets). The part about AMerica is only one form of a conceit which compares the woman to his own kingdom, his own newly discovered AMerica, which had only just been explored in the time the poem was written. It is an overtly sexual poem. How else could you explain "but these the flesh upright" and 'hariy dyadem' and the countless references to nakedness otherwise?



| Posted on 2007-09-24 | by a guest

.: :.

that is completely wrong!! to the person that posted before me. It has nothing to do with a woman at all. Im in year 11 and i managed to figure that out...

it is about the discovery of american, and the beauty that lies beneath - refers to the abundance of natural resources and that.

| Posted on 2007-09-02 | by a guest

.: Analysis :.

This is an elegy, which means it is in praise of something, as we find out in the poem he is praising her body, and her beauty, in an attempt to get her to sleep with him. He describes her clothes, while telling her to remove them because what is underneathy is of greater beauty, and that is what he is really interested in. His aim in this poem is to get her to sleep with him, and he is getting her to take off all of her clothes so he can 'explore' her. It presents Donne as arrogant and misodgynous.
By Laura Dobbins.

| Posted on 2007-04-02 | by a guest