What is the 'Extasie' in Donne's poem of the same name referring to?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: The souls of two lovers departing their bodies to commune in the air
The poem 'The Extasie' describes the union of souls as a spiritual dialogue that occurs outside the body. Donne eventually argues that the souls must return to the 'book' of the body to manifest their love in the physical world.
Keep practicing
More John Donne questions
- 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?
- In 'A Hymn to God the Father', Donne repeatedly puns on which two words?
- Which of these is a typical characteristic of Donne's poetic meter and tone?
- In 'A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning', Donne famously compares the souls of the two lovers to which mathematical instrument?