Character Sketch from Class 12 English Poem 1 – Sweetest Love, I Do Not Goe of the Narrator and the Beloved
A character sketch defines what the character is like and how he/she evolves or develops throughout the story. In this post you can find the Character Sketch of the Narrator and the Beloved from BSEB Class 12 English Rainbow Book Poem 1 Sweetest Love, I Do Not Goe
- Character Sketch of the Narrator
- Questions related to the Character of the Narrator
- Character Sketch of the Beloved
- Questions related to the Character of the Beloved
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Character Sketch of the Narrator
The subject of John Donne’s poem is a loving man who seeks to comfort a beloved woman before he leaves on a journey. He tells her that he is leaving not out of a lessening love or to pursue another person, but that it is necessary because he has to leave for a time, possibly the implication being he is going to die. He uses metaphysical conceits to compare his leaving to the sun rising and falling, and expresses that he intends to return. He understands that as human beings, we cannot always fight against fate and fortune, but their love is above and beyond any separation. The narrator’s tone conveys tenderness and reassurance; he wants to relieve the beloved’s concerns and sadness. The narrator’s strong connection to the beloved is shown through his statement that her sighs and tears greatly affected him, “They might have a bit all the pennies in my soul, They might have jack all the blood in my life”. Finally, he hopes for her to remain positive and not let any of her fears come true, and he restates that their love is strong, and the idea will remain strong.
Questions related to the Character of the Narrator:
- How does the narrator use metaphysical conceits to reassure his beloved about his leaving?
- In what ways does the narrator convey the extent of his emotional connection to his beloved?
Character Sketch of the Beloved
The beloved in the poem is characterised as an intensely loving person and an emotional creature. Her love for the narrator is sincere, and she expresses it through both the sighs and the tears, which the narrator interprets as the beloved’s sorrow about his departure. She is worried about their separation and possibly envisioned it as a permanent one, or perhaps manifesting as harm befalling him. The beloved’s emotional responses are ultimately rooted in love, which ironically causes the narrator distress, as he feels that her grief drains him of energy and vitality. The narrator expresses comfort, but in the end, her behaviour (as an emotional creature) confirms the reality of her frailty and the seriousness of her emotional self in love.
Questions regarding the Character of the Beloved:
- What do the beloved’s responses to the narrator’s departure tell us about her emotional state?
- What are the narrator’s interpretations of the beloved’s sighs and tears? What does that tell us about their relationship?
