has Herbert used metaphysical conceits in his poem
“The Collar”?
George Herbert (1593-1633) was a famous religious poet of the 17th century. His poem “The Collar” (1633) shows a struggle between faith and freedom. One special thing about Herbert’s poetry is his use of metaphysical conceits. A metaphysical conceit is a clever, surprising comparison between two far-fetched or dissimilar things. Metaphysical poets use this type of comparison to put their argument in a simple way. In “The Collar,” Herbert uses many metaphysical conceits to show the speaker’s confusion, anger, and religious conflict.
The Collar as a Conceit: The first and foremost metaphysical conceit is the title of the poem itself, “The Collar.” Priests wear a white collar. But the collar is also worn by animals like dogs. Like a dog’s collar, the priest’s collar is a symbol of being controlled. Here, Herbert compares the speaker’s religious life to a collar. This collar tells us that the speaker’s life is controlled by his religious duties. He feels restricted, angry, tired, and confused. This is why he wants to leave his religious life. He wants freedom and happiness. He hits the table and says he will go out.
“I struck the board, and cried, "No more;
I will abroad!”
Harvest and Thorn: A Conceit of Reward and Pain: Conceits are also extended metaphors. A conceit can run through many lines and express a single idea. In this poem, another metaphysical conceit appears when the speaker talks about the harvest. The speaker’s life is compared to a harvest. A harvest is the reward a farmer gets after working hard. A thorn is a painful thing that hurts. The speaker says he has no harvest in his life. He has only thorns in his life. He asks:
“Have I no harvest but a thorn
To let me blood…”
Herbert uses the conceit of a harvest to express that the speaker feels empty and unhappy. He has got no reward in return for his religious services.
Wine and Corn: Conceit of Lost Blessings: The poet then uses another conceit involving “wine” and “corn.” Wine represents joy, and corn represents blessing. He says his sighs have dried the wine and his tears have drowned the corn.
“Sure there was wine
Before my sighs did dry it…”
Sighs cannot dry wine in real life, and tears cannot drown corn in a field. But this extended comparison helps us imagine the speaker’s sadness. He feels his life has no joy or blessings. He only feels guilt and sorrow.
Cage and Rope of Sands: Conceits of False Restriction: The image of a “cage” is a strong metaphysical conceit. The speaker compares his religious life to a cage. It means he feels trapped. He wants to live freely. The “rope of sands” is another metaphysical conceit. A rope made of sand is a weak or false thing. It cannot hold anything. The speaker compares the religious restrictions he feels with the “rope of sands.” It means he feels religion is weak or false. He starts to convince himself that his faith is just a false “cage” he has built for himself from his own false “thoughts.” So, he wants to leave this cage. He wants to break free of the false rope. As he says:
“Forsake thy cage,
Thy rope of sands.”
To sum up, Herbert uses metaphysical conceits to express the speaker’s deep religious conflict. The collar, the harvest, the dried wine, the drowned corn, the cage, and the rope of sand are all surprising comparisons. They help us understand the speaker’s anger, tiredness, and confusion.
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