In 'The Apparition', what does the speaker threaten to do after he is dead?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Haunt his mistress while she lies in bed with a new lover
This is one of Donne's more bitter and vengeful poems. It uses the gothic trope of a ghost to attack a mistress who rejected him, imagining her terror as he visits her by 'candle-light' while she lies with another man.
Keep practicing
More John Donne questions
- Which scientific advancement of the early 17th century influenced Donne's line 'And new philosophy calls all in doubt'?
- In 'A Valediction: Of Weeping', the speaker compares his tears to what objects?
- What is the 'Extasie' in Donne's poem of the same name referring to?
- Which major 20th-century poet is credited with reviving interest in John Donne and the Metaphysicals?
- In the poem 'The Relic', what does the speaker imagine will happen when his grave is dug up?
- The poem 'Twicknam Garden' uses which of the following to express the speaker's sorrow?