Compare and contrast between
Metaphysical poems and Cavalier poems.
Metaphysical
poetry and Cavalier poetry are two prevailing schools in the 17th century English literature. Though they
share some similarity in terms of theme, such as the theme of carpe diem, Latin word for “seize the day”, as can
be seen in Andrew Marvell’s To His Coy Mistress and
Robert Herrick’s To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time，the two schools differ distinctly with respect to stylistics.
In the first
place, unlike Cavalier poets who used regular rhythmic patterns, Metaphysical
poets usually shunned regular meter or rhyme schemes. Besides, while the
subject matter of Cavalier poems are usually revolved around romantic love,
Metaphysical poems focus more on philosophical and spiritual concerns, such as
John Donne’s later sacred verses and George Herbert’s The Temple: Sacred poems and private ejaculations.
However, the
most striking difference between the two schools is their use of rhetorical
devices. While Cavalier poets tend to use simple, straightforward language and
meter to create graceful language, Metaphysical poets use irony, paradox, and
conceit, the latter frequently employing striking comparisons of dissimilar
things and often far-fetched to the point of eccentricity.
