Introduction: “The Broken Heart” by John Donne
“The Broken Heart” by John Donne, first appeared in the 1633 posthumous collection, is characterized by its metaphysical qualities, blending intellectualism with deep emotional expression. It explores the intense, destructive power of love, portraying it as an overwhelming force that shatters the heart and leaves one irreparably broken. The poem conveys the idea that love, though often idealized, can bring profound suffering and disillusionment, challenging romanticized notions of its beauty. Donne’s use of paradox, vivid imagery, and a complex structure deepens the theme of love’s devastating nature, reflecting the broader metaphysical concern with human experience and the interplay between reason and emotion.
Text: “The Broken Heart” by John Donne
He is stark mad, whoever says,
That he hath been in love an hour,
Yet not that love so soon decays,
But that it can ten in less space devour ;
Who will believe me, if I swear
That I have had the plague a year?
Who would not laugh at me, if I should say
I saw a flash of powder burn a day?
Ah, what a trifle is a heart,
If once into love’s hands it come !
All other griefs allow a part
To other griefs, and ask themselves but some ;
They come to us, but us love draws ;
He swallows us and never chaws ;
By him, as by chain’d shot, whole ranks do die ;
He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry.
If ’twere not so, what did become
Of my heart when I first saw thee?
I brought a heart into the room,
But from the room I carried none with me.
If it had gone to thee, I know
Mine would have taught thine heart to show
More pity unto me ; but Love, alas !
At one first blow did shiver it as glass.
Yet nothing can to nothing fall,
Nor any place be empty quite ;
Therefore I think my breast hath all
Those pieces still, though they be not unite ;
And now, as broken glasses show
A hundred lesser faces, so
My rags of heart can like, wish, and adore,
But after one such love, can love no more.
Annotations: “The Broken Heart” by John Donne
| Line | Annotation |
| He is stark mad, | Begins with a bold assertion, setting a provocative tone. |
| whoever says, | Continues the assertion, introducing the idea of a misguided belief. |
| That he hath been in love an hour, | Presents a common misconception about the fleeting nature of love. |
| Yet not that love | Contradicts the previous statement, suggesting that love’s power is enduring. |
| so soon decays, | Emphasizes the lasting impact of love, even when it is painful. |
| But that it can ten in less space devour ; | Compares love to a voracious beast that can quickly consume. |
| Who will believe | Poses a rhetorical question, challenging the reader’s beliefs. |
| me, if I swear | Continues the rhetorical question, appealing to the reader’s sense of reason. |
| That I have had | Introduces a comparison between love and a physical illness. |
| the plague a year? | Further develops the comparison, suggesting the severity of love’s effects. |
| Who would not laugh at me, if I should say | Continues the rhetorical question, highlighting the incredulity of the claim. |
| I saw a flash of powder burn a day? | Introduces a comparison between love and a sudden, intense experience. |
| Ah, what a trifle | Expresses a sense of disbelief and wonder. |
| is a heart, | Refers to the human heart, symbolizing love and emotion. |
| If once into love’s hands it come ! | Suggests that love has a powerful hold over the heart. |
| All other griefs | Compares love to other forms of suffering. |
| allow a part | Implies that other griefs are less intense or consuming. |
| To other griefs, and ask themselves but some ; | Suggests that other griefs are more manageable. |
| They come to us, but | Contrasts love with other griefs, emphasizing its invasive nature. |
| us love draws ; | Implies that love is irresistible and compelling. |
| He swallows us and | Continues the metaphor of love as a consuming force. |
| never chaws ; | Suggests that love’s destruction is complete and merciless. |
| By him, as by chain’d shot, whole ranks do | Compares love to a destructive weapon, capable of causing widespread harm. |
| die ; | Emphasizes the devastating consequences of love. |
| He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry. | Continues the metaphor, comparing love to a predator and the heart to its prey. |
| If ’twere not so, | Poses a hypothetical question, challenging the reader’s understanding of love. |
| what did become | Continues the hypothetical question, seeking an explanation for the speaker’s experience. |
| Of my heart when I first saw thee? | Introduces a personal anecdote, illustrating the power of love. |
| I brought a heart | Describes the speaker’s initial state, suggesting a whole and intact heart. |
| into the room, | Continues the description, setting the scene for the encounter. |
| But from the room I carried none with me. | Suggests that love has transformed the speaker’s heart. |
| If it had gone to | Continues the hypothetical scenario, exploring the possibility of mutual love. |
| thee, I know | Expresses confidence in the speaker’s own heart. |
| Mine would have | Suggests that the speaker’s love could have had a positive influence. |
| taught thine heart to show | Implies that the speaker’s love could have inspired compassion. |
| More pity unto me ; | Continues the suggestion of mutual understanding and compassion. |
| but Love, alas ! | Introduces a twist, revealing the destructive power of love. |
| At one first blow did shiver it as glass. | Compares the heart to glass, emphasizing its fragility and vulnerability. |
| Yet nothing can to | Suggests that love’s impact is permanent and irreversible. |
| nothing fall, | Continues the idea of the enduring nature of love. |
| Nor any place be empty quite ; | Implies that love leaves a lasting imprint. |
| Therefore I think | Offers a conclusion based on the speaker’s experiences. |
| my breast hath all | Suggests that the speaker still carries the remnants of love. |
| Those pieces still, though they be not | Implies that the heart is broken but not completely destroyed. |
| unite ; | Continues the metaphor of the broken heart. |
| And now, as broken | Compares the speaker’s heart to broken glass. |
| glasses show | Suggests that the broken heart reveals a multitude of emotions. |
| A hundred lesser | Implies that love has fragmented the speaker’s emotions. |
| faces, so | Continues the comparison, emphasizing the complexity of the speaker’s feelings. |
| My rags of heart can like, wish, and adore, | Describes the speaker’s remaining capacity for love and longing. |
| But after one such love, can love no more. | Concludes with a sense of resignation and a realization that the speaker’s capacity for love has been diminished. |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “The Broken Heart” by John Donne
| Literary/Poetic Device | Example | Explanation |
| Allusion | “the plague” | References the plague, a deadly disease, to compare the devastating effects of love to something fatal and inescapable. |
| Apostrophe | “Ah, what a trifle is a heart” | Direct address to an abstract concept, in this case, the heart, reflecting Donne’s emotional turmoil and frustration. |
| Assonance | “At one first blow did shiver it as glass” | Repetition of vowel sounds, particularly the “i” sound, which creates a rhythmic flow and emphasizes the sharp breaking of the heart. |
| Conceit | “He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry” | Extended metaphor comparing love to a pike (a predatory fish) and human hearts to small fish (fry), illustrating love’s overwhelming, destructive power. |
| Enjambment | “I brought a heart into the room, / But from the room I carried none with me.” | A sentence or phrase that runs over from one line to the next without a pause, creating a flow of thought and urgency. |
| Hyperbole | “I have had the plague a year” | Exaggeration to emphasize the extreme suffering and length of pain caused by love. |
| Imagery | “At one first blow did shiver it as glass” | Vivid description that appeals to the senses, evoking the visual of a heart shattering like fragile glass. |
| Irony | “If I should say / I saw a flash of powder burn a day?” | The speaker mocks the idea that love can last for a short time, highlighting the irony of the intensity of emotion versus its fleeting nature. |
| Metaphor | “Love draws; He swallows us and never chaws” | Love is metaphorically portrayed as a monstrous, consuming force, illustrating its destructive nature. |
| Metaphysical Conceit | “Broken glasses show / A hundred lesser faces” | An elaborate, intellectual metaphor that compares a broken heart to shattered glass, reflecting how it can never be whole again. |
| Paradox | “Yet nothing can to nothing fall” | A seemingly contradictory statement that reflects the philosophical tension between emptiness and the remaining pieces of a broken heart. |
| Personification | “He is the tyrant pike” | Love is personified as a tyrannical figure, assigning human characteristics to it as a powerful, oppressive force. |
| Pun | “My rags of heart can like, wish, and adore” | The word “like” plays on both emotional attachment and a lesser degree of affection compared to love, creating a subtle pun on emotional capacity after heartbreak. |
| Repetition | “But after one such love, can love no more” | The repetition of “love” emphasizes the finality and loss of the speaker’s capacity to love again. |
| Rhetorical Question | “Who will believe me, if I swear / That I have had the plague a year?” | The rhetorical question is used to provoke thought and express the speaker’s frustration at the disbelief in his suffering. |
| Simile | “At one first blow did shiver it as glass” | Comparison using “as” to liken the heart’s fragility to glass, emphasizing the ease with which it can be shattered. |
| Symbolism | “Heart” | The heart symbolizes not just physical love but emotional vulnerability, making it a key symbol for the poem’s exploration of love’s power. |
| Tone | “He is stark mad, whoever says, / That he hath been in love an hour” | The tone is bitter and cynical, reflecting Donne’s disillusionment with love and its destructive impact. |
| Volta | “Yet nothing can to nothing fall” | A turning point or shift in the poem where the speaker moves from lamenting the destruction of his heart to philosophically reflecting on its fragmented state. |
Themes: “The Broken Heart” by John Donne
- Love as a Destructive Force: In “The Broken Heart,” Donne portrays love as a powerful, destructive force that can completely consume and devastate an individual. The speaker likens love to a plague that “devours” in a short amount of time, underscoring its violent and overwhelming nature. This theme is further reinforced with metaphors like “He swallows us and never chaws,” portraying love as a tyrannical figure that destroys without mercy. The idea that love can cause irreparable harm is central to the poem, culminating in the imagery of the heart being “shivered” like glass, shattered by the power of love in a single moment.
- The Fragility of the Human Heart: The poem also explores the theme of the heart’s vulnerability, emphasizing how easily it can be broken by love. The speaker expresses that the heart is a “trifle” in the hands of love, suggesting its weakness and susceptibility to damage. The simile comparing the heart to glass, “At one first blow did shiver it as glass,” highlights its fragility, implying that once broken, it cannot be mended. The image of a shattered heart that is now in “rags” and fragmented reflects the permanent damage that love can cause, leaving the individual emotionally crippled and incapable of truly loving again.
- The Irreversibility of Heartbreak: Donne’s speaker reflects on the irreversible nature of heartbreak, suggesting that once love has shattered the heart, it cannot return to its original state. The metaphor of the broken glass that shows “A hundred lesser faces” suggests that even though fragments of the heart remain, they are permanently altered and unable to function as they once did. The speaker laments that, after experiencing one such love, he “can love no more,” highlighting the theme that heartbreak changes a person permanently, stripping them of their ability to love with the same intensity or purity.
- The Cynicism Toward Romantic Love: The poem conveys a deep cynicism toward romantic love, presenting it not as a source of joy or fulfillment but as a cause of profound suffering and disillusionment. The speaker mocks the idea of short-lived love, sarcastically stating that anyone who claims to have been in love for just an hour is “stark mad.” This dismissive tone suggests a belief that true love is either an illusion or something inherently painful. The closing lines, where the speaker asserts that his “rags of heart can like, wish, and adore” but not truly love again, reinforce this pessimistic view, portraying love as a destructive experience that leaves no room for recovery.
Literary Theories and “The Broken Heart” by John Donne
| Literary Theory | Application to “The Broken Heart” | References from the Poem |
| Psychoanalytic Theory | This theory, derived from Freudian principles, can be applied to analyze the emotional turmoil and psychological state of the speaker. The intense grief, anger, and feelings of fragmentation experienced by the speaker reflect deep psychological distress. The shattering of the heart can symbolize internal conflict or trauma caused by unrequited love, pointing to the unconscious impact of love on the self. | “At one first blow did shiver it as glass” – the speaker’s heart breaks instantly, reflecting emotional and psychological trauma. |
| Metaphysical Poetic Tradition | This theory emphasizes the intellectual complexity and use of metaphysical conceits in poetry. Donne’s elaborate metaphors and paradoxes in “The Broken Heart” exemplify this tradition, where abstract concepts such as love are explored through intellectual, often startling, comparisons. The speaker’s reflection on love’s destructive nature is presented in a sophisticated, almost scientific manner, blending emotional experience with philosophical inquiry. | “He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry” – a metaphysical conceit comparing love to a predator and the heart to its prey. |
| Feminist Theory | From a feminist perspective, one could critique the poem for its portrayal of love as an entirely male-dominated experience, with the speaker assuming control over the narrative of love and heartbreak. The absence of the female voice or perspective reduces the woman to a passive object, whose response or feelings toward love are never considered. The speaker’s ownership of the emotional experience excludes the woman’s agency in the relationship. | “If it had gone to thee, I know / Mine would have taught thine heart to show / More pity unto me” – the speaker assumes control over both hearts, marginalizing the woman’s perspective. |
Critical Questions about “The Broken Heart” by John Donne
· How does Donne use imagery to depict the destructive nature of love?
- In “The Broken Heart,” Donne uses vivid and often violent imagery to emphasize the destructive power of love. One of the most striking images is the heart being shattered “as glass” at “one first blow,” illustrating how quickly and completely love can destroy a person emotionally. This imagery of broken glass conveys fragility and the idea that once love has inflicted damage, the heart can never be fully repaired. The use of such intense, violent imagery raises questions about how Donne views love—not as something nurturing or uplifting, but as a force that causes irreparable harm.
· What role does hyperbole play in the speaker’s description of love’s effects?
- Donne frequently employs hyperbole in the poem to underscore the intense emotional toll that love takes on the speaker. For instance, the speaker dramatically claims that he has “had the plague a year” to emphasize how love has afflicted him, even though love cannot literally last this long. Similarly, the idea that a heart can be devoured or shattered in mere moments (“At one first blow”) highlights the exaggeration used to communicate the overwhelming power of love. By pushing the descriptions of love’s effects to their extremes, Donne invites readers to question whether the speaker’s portrayal of love is an accurate reflection or a bitter overreaction to heartbreak.
· In what ways does the poem challenge traditional romantic ideals of love?
- Donne’s portrayal of love in “The Broken Heart” diverges sharply from traditional romantic ideals, which often present love as a positive, life-affirming experience. Rather than elevating love, Donne presents it as a “tyrant” that consumes and destroys. The speaker dismisses the notion that love is fleeting or easily endured, claiming instead that it is an overwhelming force that can cause long-lasting damage, as seen in lines like “He swallows us and never chaws.” This cynical view of love challenges the more optimistic representations of love common in Renaissance poetry, where love is typically idealized as a source of happiness and fulfillment.
· What philosophical ideas about human emotion does Donne explore in the poem?
- Donne delves into philosophical reflections on human emotion, particularly through the paradoxical idea that love can simultaneously be all-consuming and leave one emotionally fragmented. The speaker muses, “Yet nothing can to nothing fall,” suggesting that even after love destroys the heart, the remnants of that emotional experience continue to exist, though in a fractured form. This philosophical meditation on the enduring nature of emotional scars after a heartbreak raises deeper questions about whether one can ever fully recover from such pain. The metaphor of broken glass, which “show[s] a hundred lesser faces,” implies that while the pieces of the heart remain, they are diminished versions of their former selves, unable to love fully again.
Literary Works Similar to “The Broken Heart” by John Donne
- “Love’s Alchemy” by John Donne
Similar in its metaphysical exploration of love, this poem also critiques romantic ideals, portraying love as a deceptive force that leads to disillusionment. - “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” by John Donne
Though more optimistic, it shares the metaphysical conceit and intellectual approach to love, comparing the bond of lovers to a compass, which echoes Donne’s tendency to blend emotional depth with intellectual metaphor. - “Sonnet 147” by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s sonnet presents love as a feverish, destructive force, paralleling Donne’s portrayal of love as something that consumes and devastates the heart. - “When We Two Parted” by Lord Byron
This poem similarly reflects on the emotional devastation of lost love, where the speaker is left heartbroken and disillusioned, echoing Donne’s theme of love’s destructive power. - “The Flea” by John Donne
This metaphysical poem also uses conceit to examine love and relationships, blending wit with deeper reflections on physical and emotional connections, much like “The Broken Heart.”
Representative Quotations of “The Broken Heart” by John Donne
| Quotation | Context | Theoretical Perspective |
| “He is stark mad, whoever says, / That he hath been in love an hour” | The speaker begins by mocking the idea that love can be experienced briefly, asserting that love, once felt, consumes entirely. | Psychoanalytic Theory: The intensity of love is compared to madness, reflecting an emotional obsession and internal conflict within the speaker. |
| “Yet not that love so soon decays, / But that it can ten in less space devour” | Love is described as an all-consuming force that can quickly overpower someone, much like a predator. | Metaphysical Poetic Tradition: The abstract concept of love is explored through an intellectual comparison to consumption and devouring. |
| “Who will believe me, if I swear / That I have had the plague a year?” | The speaker uses hyperbole to compare the effects of love to a long-lasting, deadly disease, emphasizing the suffering caused by love. | Feminist Theory: The speaker’s exclusive focus on his own suffering reflects a male-centric narrative, with the woman’s experience entirely absent. |
| “Ah, what a trifle is a heart, / If once into love’s hands it come!” | The heart is belittled, described as insignificant and fragile once it is exposed to the overwhelming power of love. | Psychoanalytic Theory: This reveals the speaker’s vulnerability, showing how love exposes deep-seated fears of emotional fragility. |
| “He swallows us and never chaws” | Love is portrayed as a predatory force that consumes without care, symbolizing the destructive nature of emotional attachment. | Metaphysical Poetic Tradition: Love is metaphorically compared to a tyrant, expanding the intellectual examination of love’s power. |
| “He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry” | This metaphor compares love to a predatory fish, with human hearts as helpless prey, further emphasizing the dominance of love. | Marxist Theory: The metaphor reflects a power imbalance, symbolizing the exploitation of the weak by the strong (in this case, love’s tyranny over the heart). |
| “At one first blow did shiver it as glass” | The speaker describes the heart being shattered instantly, comparing it to fragile glass that breaks easily. | Metaphysical Poetic Tradition: The complex conceit of a heart as glass highlights love’s swift, devastating power, using intellectual and emotional reflection. |
| “Yet nothing can to nothing fall” | The speaker muses that the remnants of a broken heart still exist, even in their fragmented state, pondering the nature of emotional loss. | Existentialism: This reflects on the nature of being and loss, suggesting that emotional remnants persist even after a significant trauma like heartbreak. |
| “And now, as broken glasses show / A hundred lesser faces, so” | The speaker compares his broken heart to shattered glass, symbolizing how he is left with fragmented emotional capacity after love. | Post-Structuralism: The fractured nature of identity is explored, showing how the self becomes fragmented after emotional trauma. |
| “My rags of heart can like, wish, and adore, / But after one such love, can love no more.” | The speaker concludes that, though pieces of his heart remain, they are incapable of loving again after one devastating experience. | Psychoanalytic Theory: The speaker acknowledges emotional repression and the lasting effects of heartbreak on the psyche, reflecting Freud’s ideas of trauma. |
Suggested Readings: “The Broken Heart” by John Donne
- Ruffo-Fiore, Silvia. “The Unwanted Heart in Petrarch and Donne.” Comparative Literature, vol. 24, no. 4, 1972, pp. 319–27. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1769459. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.
- Evans, Gillian R. “John Donne and the Augustinian Paradox of Sin.” The Review of English Studies, vol. 33, no. 129, 1982, pp. 1–22. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/513912. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.
- Alden, Raymond Macdonald. “The Lyrical Conceits of the ‘Metaphysical Poets.’” Studies in Philology, vol. 17, no. 2, 1920, pp. 183–98. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4171771. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.
- Michael Neill. “Ford’s Unbroken Art: The Moral Design of ‘The Broken Heart.’” The Modern Language Review, vol. 75, no. 2, 1980, pp. 249–68. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3727668. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.