what do you know about "song : Go and catch a falling star" by John Donne?

Go and catch a falling star

by John Donne

John Donne's "Go and catch a falling star", first published in 1633, is a fantastic take on a tradition theme: Women's supposedly inevitable infidelity.


In the poem, a speaker tells a listener that he can look the whole world over, but finding a woman who'll be faithful to his is about as unlikely as finding a mermaid or meeting the devil.


The poem's rhyme scheme, relatively steady meter, and clear hyperbole make its tone feel somewhat light-hearted and satirical.


But the speaker also harbor genuine melancholy, bitterness, and cynicism toward women and relationships.


The poem explores a traditional literary theme of Donne's era: Women's romantic infidelity. 

 

Symbols in the poem

        *falling star - to catch a falling star is impossible. But the effort to do suggest speaker crushed dreams. The stars symbolizes the purity, hope, wishes, and faithfulness. In Donne's English "falling"  also have a sexual connotation.

        *Night - symbolic of peacefulness.
       
        *Mermaids - Symbol of the attraction and dangers of sex.
 
 

themes

        *Women - Women are criticized

        *status of Elizabethan woman

        *impossible possibilities

        *man vs. woman

        *fantasy vs. reality

        *male chauvinism

        *metaphorical criticism over women's infidelity

        *misogyny - man > woman

        *inconsistency of human nature


Techniques  

  • metaphor

  • rhyme patters

  • imagery

  • hyperbole

  • abrupt entrance

  • dramatic monologue

  • logical / argumentative / radical language

  • radical structure

  • metaphysical conceit

  • juxtaposition (realism and fantasy)

  • uncommon themes

  • language (colloquial)

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