List of top English Questions on A lecture upon the shadow

How do the shadows before noon differ from the shadows after noon? What do the two kinds of shadow represent?

Notice the spelling of the following words

houres                  shadowes                   Sunne   noone                  clearnesse                  behinde

The ‘e’ that was used in Donne’s period got dropped from English orthography later. Pick out the other words in the poem that have this peculiar feature.

Take note also that the apostrophe is not used for indicating the possessive form: loves philosophy

Examples from other poems from this period:
• How neatly doe we give one onely name
• To parents issue and the sunnes bright starre!

Notice the adjectives in phrases such as ‘infant loves’ and ‘brave clearnesse’. What is the meaning of these adjectives?
(i) in isolation
(ii) as part of these phrases

Love is described as light. What makes the poet talk about shadows?

Comment on the use of the image of the shadows for the idea that the poet wants to convey

The poet seems to be addressing his beloved in the poem. What is the message he wishes to convey to her?

Instead of ‘A Lecture Upon Love’ the poet calls the poem ‘A Lecture Upon the Shadow’. What is the effect that this has on our reading of the poem?