Air And Angels By: John Donne Essay, Research Paper

Air and Angels

John Donne?s poem ?Air and Angels? focuses on the medieval beliefs

respecting angels. Angels are commonly seen as messengers of God or appear as

a conventional representation of a human form with wings. A popular theory in

medieval times assumed angels under certain circumstances did assume bodies of

air. The underlying theme of this poem is on love. John Donne?s theory is that

love cannot exist in nothing or in things, but somewhere in-between. The ideal of

love expressed throughout the poem takes on a shapeless and physical form, but to

John Donne, love takes on the form of air and angels, which is the in-between.

Throughout the poem, it shows love taking on two forms, a shapeless and

physical form. In the first stanza there are illustrations and clear examples

showing the two forms of love. In the first stanza of the poem the poet remembers

a past in which he loved his lady before he knew her face or name; her effect upon

him is likened to that of angles which, ?so in a voice, so in a shapeless flame,? are

worshipped by man. John Donne continues his line of reasoning by remarking that

the soul, a soul being the immortal part of a human being, often regarded as

immortal or the moral, emotional or intellectual nature of a person, gives birth to

love which has ?limbs of flesh.? This means love must also assume a physical

form. John Donne than proceeds to say,

?That it assume thy body, I allow,

And fix, itself in thy lip, eye, and brow.?

This means that he is asking for love to take the body of the woman.

Again, the ideal of love taking a shapeless and physical form is discussed,

but in stanza two. The second stanza a continuation of the first stanza advances,

especially using nautical imagery. John Donne discusses the ideal of ?ballast

love,? ballast meaning anything heavy carried in a ship to give stability. This

ideal of ?ballast love? used by John Donne means that he had intended to steady

or by so embody love. John Donne discovered instead that the wares which he

placed upon his love ?would sink admiration,? meaning his love would not please

contemplation. Nautical imagery is ended with ?I saw I had love?s pinnace

overfraught.? Lastly, an interesting line to point out is,

?For, nor in nothing, nor in things

Extreme and scattering bright, can love inhere.?

This line clearly indicates that love cannot exist in nothing or in things, but

somewhere in-between. The question to be asked than is, what is the in-between of

love?

In the last part of the poem, John Donne attempts to prove the in-between

of love, which to him is through air and angels. Where it states,

?Then, as an angel, face, and wings

Of air, not as pure as it, yet pure doth wear,?

indicates that it was thought angels are immaterial, but ?assume? a body of air,

the least immaterial of the elements when they appear to men. John Donne

realizes the inequality between air and angels, as well as between men and

women. It is seen as well, that an angel is less material than ?love?s sphere,?

meaning air, so man is more material than the sphere it takes upon, which is the

woman?s love. Finally, it is apparent to see that in,

?As is ?twixt air and angels? purity,

?Twixt women?s love and men?s will ever be,?

that relative purity is being represented in angels and man, while the perfection

of purity is of the air and the woman.

Throughout the poem, than translated into the essay, it is clear to see that

love takes on a shapeless and physical form. Stanza one and two provided clear

illustrations of these two forms of love. Although love throughout the poem takes

on a shapeless and physical form, John Donne?s theory to love is that it

cannot exist in nothing or in things, but somewhere in-between. This in-between of

love, which was clearly illustrated by John Donne, is in fact air and angels.