Critically appreciate George Herbert’s ‘Virtue’.

Critically appreciate George Herbert’s ‘Virtue’.

Virtue is a didactic poem. It teaches us that virtue is supreme and super lasting. In this world of impermanence, beautiful thing and beauty itself are subject to decay but a truly virtuous soul remains unchanged through all eternally. The poem   is finest specimens of metaphysical that are present in the poem are – a blending of thought and feeling metaphysical concentration, unification of sensibility learnedness. 

In Virtue Herbert speaks of the permanence of a virtuous soul. All the beautiful things of the world including a sweet day a sweet rose and the sweet spring are subject to decay but a virtuous soul remains unchanged. To assert his points Herbert uses three images in this poem. First he speaks of a sweet day which must comes to an end and be swallowed up by dark night. Secondly he refers to a sweet rose which in spite of its sweet color and fragrance is destined to wither.  Thirdly he speaks of a spring which, with its music and color is damaged to sink into oblivion.

Herbert visualizes a sweet day which is cool, calm and bright. He fancies that the day represents the wedding of the earth and the skies as if they have worked together in order to bring about the day:

“Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright,
The bridal of the earth and sky,”

However, a cool, calm and bright day must come to an end with the passing of time and at the fall of night. The dew shall weep because the sweet day will die in night. The evening dew is regarded. Here is the tear of mourning over the death of the sweet day.   Herbert presents a serene yet invigorating day and locates the reader in the celestial and terrestrial realms simultaneously, for the day in its loveliness brings them together. Day, however, gives way to night, just as life gives way to death. The narrator asserts, turning a daily natural event, nightfall, into a metaphor. Beyond death, the line also suggests grief at the loss of paradise on Earth, the Fall, which is the original cause of death in the Judeo-Christian story of the Creation. The evening dew, invested with emotion and made to represent grief, is equated with tears, which are shed at nightfall over the Fall, the sin that brought death into the world.......................................................................................................................................

TO GET COMPLETE STUDY MATERIAL JOIN NSOU ENGLISH COACHING

SHARE

Milan Tomic

Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•