Holy Sonnets XIV: Batter My Heart
FORM AND STRUCTURE
- The poem is a sonnet
- It is loosely iambic pentameter. Donne’s rhythmic patterns are inventive as he
manipulates them to create the rhythms of the natural speaking voice. He does not
conform to traditional rhythmic patterns
- The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet with a Shakespearean rhyming couplet at the end
to clinch the argument
- The rhyme scheme is consistent with the Petrarchan sonnet form
- The poem has an octave/sestet division
- Octave: The poet presents the dilemma- the speaker wants to achieve redemption
and eternal life yet feels unworthy and is acutely aware of his own innate sinfulness
- Sestet: In the sestet, the poet requests God to take action and intervene in his life
- The poet skilfully uses the sonnet form to present the speaker’s dilemma
- However despite the personal nature of the sonnet, it has a universal / Christian
relevance as it looks at the innate frailty of the human condition and the innate
sinfulness of man
LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY
Octave
- Line 1: The poem has a dramatic opening, “Batter my heart.” Through the
imperative verb “batter” and the aural effects of the plosive ‘b’ sounds the poet
suggests the need for divine intervention. The imperative verb also creates a tone of
urgency and desperation. The hyphenated allusion to the holy trinity, “three-
person’d God” characterises the speaker as god-fearing and Church-going. The
paradox “three-person’d” alludes to one of the central mysteries of Christian faith.
This allusion implies the gulf between human experience and divine knowledge. The
late caesura and use of syntax creates a jagged, uneven rhythm and also suggests
the despair / panic / restlessness of the speaker. The ‘heart’ is the symbolic seat of
emotion and passion in the human body. The apostrophe to the divine, “for you”
creates a sense of intimacy and the direct, impassioned appeal creates a sense of
urgency.
- Line 2: The poem consists of 3 central conceits- The poet compares himself to:
A vessel needing to be fixed
A town under siege
A wife in an unhappy marriage
- The conceits suggest the poets innate sinfulness and his acute sense of his
unworthiness
FORM AND STRUCTURE
- The poem is a sonnet
- It is loosely iambic pentameter. Donne’s rhythmic patterns are inventive as he
manipulates them to create the rhythms of the natural speaking voice. He does not
conform to traditional rhythmic patterns
- The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet with a Shakespearean rhyming couplet at the end
to clinch the argument
- The rhyme scheme is consistent with the Petrarchan sonnet form
- The poem has an octave/sestet division
- Octave: The poet presents the dilemma- the speaker wants to achieve redemption
and eternal life yet feels unworthy and is acutely aware of his own innate sinfulness
- Sestet: In the sestet, the poet requests God to take action and intervene in his life
- The poet skilfully uses the sonnet form to present the speaker’s dilemma
- However despite the personal nature of the sonnet, it has a universal / Christian
relevance as it looks at the innate frailty of the human condition and the innate
sinfulness of man
LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY
Octave
- Line 1: The poem has a dramatic opening, “Batter my heart.” Through the
imperative verb “batter” and the aural effects of the plosive ‘b’ sounds the poet
suggests the need for divine intervention. The imperative verb also creates a tone of
urgency and desperation. The hyphenated allusion to the holy trinity, “three-
person’d God” characterises the speaker as god-fearing and Church-going. The
paradox “three-person’d” alludes to one of the central mysteries of Christian faith.
This allusion implies the gulf between human experience and divine knowledge. The
late caesura and use of syntax creates a jagged, uneven rhythm and also suggests
the despair / panic / restlessness of the speaker. The ‘heart’ is the symbolic seat of
emotion and passion in the human body. The apostrophe to the divine, “for you”
creates a sense of intimacy and the direct, impassioned appeal creates a sense of
urgency.
- Line 2: The poem consists of 3 central conceits- The poet compares himself to:
A vessel needing to be fixed
A town under siege
A wife in an unhappy marriage
- The conceits suggest the poets innate sinfulness and his acute sense of his
unworthiness
