Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · English Literature
Course version: 9ET0 · Version from Sept 2015
Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 –…
Full specification wording
Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – Metaphysical Poetry – John Donne Selected Poems (Penguin Classics, 2006): A Valediction of Weeping
'A Valediction of Weeping' explores the profound grief of parting lovers through complex metaphysical conceits centred on tears.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9ET0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 11 of 22
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
'A Valediction of Weeping' explores the profound grief of parting lovers through complex metaphysical conceits centred on tears. Donne's speaker transforms his tears into coins minted with his lover's reflection, giving them sudden value. As the tears fall and shatter, they symbolise the destruction of their shared world. The poem escalates this imagery, comparing the tears to tears "pregnant" with the beloved's reflected image and entire globes, illustrating how the lovers encompass each other's universe. Finally, the speaker warns against excessive mourning, arguing that their intertwined sighs and tears could manifest as literal storms and tides, endangering his physical journey. Donne masterfully blends intense emotional vulnerability with rigorous intellectual argument to navigate the trauma of separation.
What earns the marks
- Analyse the conceit of tears as coins or medallions, focusing on how the lover's reflection imparts value to the speaker's grief.
- Evaluate the geographical and astronomical imagery, specifically the transformation of a tear into a globe or world.
- Discuss the poem's conclusion, where emotional expressions such as sighs and tears are equated with destructive natural forces like winds and tides.
- Examine the intricate stanza structure and rhyme scheme, noting how they reflect the cyclical and overwhelming nature of the speaker's sorrow.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating the poem as a simple expression of sadness.
Put it right: Analyse the rigorous intellectual argument the speaker uses to persuade his lover to stop crying.
Misunderstanding the 'pregnant' tear imagery.
Put it right by explaining that the tear is 'pregnant' with the lover's reflection, not a literal pregnancy.
Overlooking the destructive power of grief in the final stanza.
Put it right: Ensure you discuss how the speaker fears their mutual sorrow will cause literal shipwrecks.
Exam tips
- Contrast the emotional turbulence of this poem with the calm, spiritual parting depicted in 'A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning'.
- Pay close attention to the semantic field of water and the sea, linking the microcosm of the tear to the macrocosm of the ocean.
- Explore how Donne uses the concept of reflection to emphasise the lovers' interdependence and shared identity.
Try the lesson
The start of the Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – Metaphysical Poetry – John Donne Selected Poems (Penguin Classics, 2006): A Valediction of Weeping lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
In John Donne's 'A Valediction of Weeping', what primary metaphorical function do the speaker's tears serve in the first stanza?
Listen
A Valediction of Weeping' explores the profound grief of parting lovers through complex metaphysical conceits centred on tears. Donne's speaker transforms his tears into coins minted with his lover's reflection, giving them sudden value. As the tears fall and shatter, they symbolise the destruction of their shared world. The poem escalates this imagery, comparing the tears to tears "pregnant" with the beloved's reflected image and entire globes, illustrating how the lovers encompass each other's universe. Finally, the speaker warns against excessive mourning, arguing that their intertwined sighs and tears could manifest as literal storms and tides, endangering his physical journey. Donne masterfully blends intense emotional vulnerability with rigorous intellectual argument to navigate the trauma of separation. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Analyse the conceit of tears as coins or medallions, focusing on how the lover's reflection imparts value to the speaker's grief. Evaluate the geographical and astronomical imagery, specifically the transformation of a tear into a globe or world. Discuss the poem's conclusion, where emotional expressions such as sighs and tears are equated with destructive natural forces like winds and tides. Examine the intricate stanza structure and rhyme scheme, noting how they reflect the cyclical and overwhelming nature of the speaker's sorrow. A common slip: Treating the poem as a simple expression of sadness. Instead, analyse the rigorous intellectual argument the speaker uses to persuade his lover to stop crying. Exam tip: Contrast the emotional turbulence of this poem with the calm, spiritual parting depicted in 'A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning'.
See it
Put it in order
Put these steps in the order they happen.
- 1. Tears as entire globes
- 2. Storms and tides endangering his physical journey
- 3. Lovers encompass each other's universe
- 4. Tears as coins minted with the lover's reflection
- 5. Tears fall and shatter
- 6. Intertwined sighs and tears
- 7. Destruction of their shared world
- 8. Tears 'pregnant' with the beloved's reflected image
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Grief and separation
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Microcosm and macrocosm
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
The destructive power of emotion
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Value and identity
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Grief and separation
- The profound sorrow of parting lovers, which the poem explores through complex metaphysical conceits centred on tears.
- Microcosm and macrocosm
- The relationship between the small world of the lovers' tears and the larger world and weather, as when a tear becomes a globe.
- The destructive power of emotion
- The fear that sighs and tears, equated with winds and tides, could manifest as literal storms endangering the speaker's physical journey.
- Value and identity
- The worth given to the speaker's grief when tears become coins minted with the lover's reflection, and the lovers' shared identity emphasised through reflection.
Label the diagram
Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.
1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3
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