John Syminges, a wealthy widower with three children of his own.ĭonne was educated privately. A few months after her husband died, Donne's mother married Dr. Heywood was also from a recusant Roman Catholic family, the daughter of John Heywood, the playwright, and sister of the Reverend Jasper Heywood, a Jesuit priest and translator. His father died in 1576, when Donne was four years old, leaving his mother, Elizabeth, with the responsibility of raising the children alone. He avoided unwelcome government attention out of fear of religious persecution. He was of Welsh descent and a warden of the Ironmongers Company in the City of London. His father, also named John Donne, was married to Elizabeth Heywood. 1595, in the National Portrait Gallery, London ĭonne was born in London in 1571 or 1572, into a recusant Roman Catholic family when practice of that religion was illegal in England. He served as a member of Parliament in 1601 and in 1614.Ī portrait of Donne as a young man, c. In 1615 he was ordained Anglican deacon and then priest, although he did not want to take holy orders and only did so because the king ordered it.

In 1601, Donne secretly married Anne More, with whom he had twelve children. He spent much of the money he inherited during and after his education on womanising, literature, pastimes and travel.

He is particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits.ĭespite his great education and poetic talents, Donne lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. He wrote secular poems as well as erotic and love poems. Another important theme in Donne's poetry is the idea of true religion, something that he spent much time considering and about which he often theorised. His early career was marked by poetry that bore immense knowledge of English society. These features, along with his frequent dramatic or everyday speech rhythms, his tense syntax and his tough eloquence, were both a reaction against the smoothness of conventional Elizabethan poetry and an adaptation into English of European baroque and mannerist techniques. He is also known for his sermons.ĭonne's style is characterised by abrupt openings and various paradoxes, ironies and dislocations. His poetical works are noted for their metaphorical and sensual style and include sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs and satires. He is considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London (1621–1631). John Donne ( / d ʌ n/ DUN (1571 or 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a cleric in the Church of England.

John donne complete poems