How do you reconcile John Donne the bohemian, a visitor of ladies and a frequenter of plays with John Donne brooding over the ephemeral character of the world? ( MEG 101 ) ( STUDY OF JOHN DONNE )

John Donne's life and poetry reveal a complex and multifaceted personality. It is true that he had a reputation as a man about town and a frequenter of plays, but it is also true that he was a deeply spiritual and introspective poet. However, these aspects of his life need not be seen as mutually exclusive.

Donne's bohemian lifestyle and his search for worldly pleasures were perhaps a way for him to grapple with the transient and ephemeral nature of life. His poetry often reflects this tension between worldly pleasures and the search for something more lasting and meaningful. In "The Flea," for example, he explores the theme of physical love and the transience of human pleasure, while in "Death Be Not Proud," he grapples with the idea of death and the possibility of an afterlife.

In short, Donne's poetry reflects the tension between the transitory pleasures of life and the search for something more lasting and meaningful. His exploration of these themes is not a contradiction but rather a reflection of the complexity and richness of human experience.