Donne's Attitude to Women : A Psycho-political Study of His Poetry

Abstract

The dissertation entitled “Donne’s Attitude to Women: A Psycho-Political Studyof His Poetry” concerns on the poetry by John Donne. His poetry projects women in a very negative way, such as "imposture beast", "mindless creature", "things indifferent" and so on that praralyze the self of women. His political poems aspire to subjugatewomen in all cultural domains–social, familial, political and economical–only to serve the patriarchal ideology. Elizabeth I, who wanted to patronize some female poets exerted fear of losing his authoritative position. So, he politicized his poetry to relegate women form patronization representing her very negatively. He creates monomanical images about women as they are “body without mind” and "unfaithful, lusty creature" fit only for sexual dance with men. His structured psyche perpetuates the dominant worldview of the contemporary era that the subordinate position of women is willed in heaven and advantageous on earth. His documentation of women is his psychic manifestation that simply aspires to marginalize women to prolong the domination of male over female. He consolidates the ideological undercurrent of his time that wanted women to be complacent with their role models. But those Renaissance women who enjoyed a bit liberty under the monarchy of Queen Elizabeth exerted havoc in his mind. That’s why, hedeliberately depicts women in a very negative manner. Such politically aspirant hero of patriarchal society devised his poetry to subjugate women for the achievement of his covert intention.