Donne uses the extended metaphor of a âcityâ not only in âHoly Sonnet XIVâ but also in âLoves Warâ. In this Elegy which was written in Donneâs youth, he describes a âfree Cityâ which âthyself allow to anyoneâ â a metaphor for how anyone can enter a woman [ii] â and goes onto say how in there he would like to âbatter, bleeds and dyeâ. Here, Donne is controlling the âcityâ and taking over it himself, however, if Donne intended to use this same metaphor in âHoly Sonnet XIVâ, the roles have changed and it now signifies how it is Donne who needs to be seized by Godâs spirit. Furthermore, this represents how Donneâs life and therefore attitude has changed between writing these poems; he used to feel in control but now he is controlled.
The physical verbs that are used immediately sets the violent theme of the octave. The spondaic feet emphasizes Donneâs cry for God to âbreak, blowâ and âburnâ his heart so he can become âimprisonedâ in Godâs power, creating a paradoxical image of a benevolent God acting in a brutal way. He uses a metaphysical conceit to explain how he is âlike an usurpâd townâ with Godâs viceroy (reason) in him. This imagery of warfare that pervades the sonnet symbolises his soul at war with himself; only if God physically âoverthrowâsâ Donne and âbattersâ his sinful heart will he be able to âdivorceâ the devil. It was around the time of writing this poem that Donne renounced his Catholic upbringing which gives evidence to the assumption that the sin he was struggling with began to overpower his Christian beliefs and needed God become as real to him as God was to his respected Catholic parents. Furthermore, in âHoly Sonnet XVIIâ Donne exclaims how âthough [he] have found [God], and thou [his] thirst hast fed, a holy thirsty dropsy melts [him] yet. This reveals that Donne feels that even though he has found God, his yearning is not satisfied which gives evidence towards the assumption that he is crying out for spiritual ecstasy. This paradox between freedom and captivity was most frequently written about by most prison poets such as Richard Lovelace [iii] Donne wrote, âExcept you enthrall me, never shall be freeâ which implies the same idea as Loveless in âTo Althea, From Prisonâ that true freedom is internal, not external, symbolising his struggle with sin whilst he is physically free.