How does Metaphysical poetry typically treat the tension between 'Agape' (spiritual love) and 'Eros' (physical love)?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: By using the language of one to explain and intensify the other
Metaphysical poets frequently use erotic metaphors to describe the soul's longing for God (Donne's Holy Sonnets) and religious metaphors to describe the perfection of human love (The Canonization). They viewed both as expressions of a singular, intense passion.
Keep practicing
More Love and Religion questions
- In 'A Hymn to God the Father', Donne asks God if He will forgive the sin 'where I begun'. What is he referring to?
- What does the 'Mirror' represent in many Metaphysical religious poems?
- In 'The Good-Morrow', Donne describes the lovers' world as one where 'whatever dies, was not mixt equally'. What is the source of this 'mix…
- Which Metaphysical concept describes the use of religious terminology to elevate secular love to a state of holiness?
- In John Donne's 'The Extasie', what is the primary argument regarding the relationship between the soul and the body in love?
- In George Herbert's 'Love (III)', the interaction between the speaker and Love is framed as what social setting?