Question- Write critical analysis of the poem "The Virtue" by George Herbert.

Answer -

George Herbert's poem entitled "Virtue" is a poem from his collection of poems under the title of the "Death and Mutability". The poem of this collection convey the idea that all beautiful, sweet, pleasant and good looking things in the world are mortal and it is certain that they will come to an end.

Our lives are short and they are not going to please us for long. "Virtue" is a beautiful short lyric comprising only sixteen lines in four stanzas of few lines each. In this poem, Herbert gives voice to his conviction that everything in this world days, life, or even spring is subject to destruction. Yet the virtuous soul is mortal and eternal.

The beuty and goodness of creation often overwhelms us with awe because it is a mirror of the goodness and supremacy of creator. George Herbert's "virtue" emphasizes the spiritual truth that this world and life itself is beautiful. However, despite its beauty all of creation will come to a fury end which will leave us to face eternity - George Herbert was a brilliant poet who expressed his religious beliefs and convictions through poetry. In his poem, "virtue" he uses colourful diction, powerful imagery and surprising metaphors as a means of establishing the theme life is short but our souls will remain forever.

The first stanza of "virtue" is a referring to a beautiful sunny day, "sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright" line 1 is that takes us inwardly to a perfect spring afternoon where all is good. Herbert makes the wonderful comparison between day and the virtuous soul. He describes the day as something tranquil and brilliant and then compares it to the marriage between a man and a woman, "The bridal of the earth and the sky" (line-2). However, we are the impacted with the spiritual truth that even this will all fade away.

Herbert uses personification to usher in a more emotional context by -saying the dew shall weep thy fall tonight (Line-3), because the day must come to an end which is a metaphor of death. The poem continues with the comparison of a beautiful rose and a virtuous soul. The soul is "angry and brave" (line-5) and makes a rash onlooker rub his eyes in amazement. However, Herbert writes that the flower is in its grave and it will fade (Line- 7). Finally, Herbert brings us to season of spring which includes both beautiful days and beautiful roses.

Spring could also represent time and everything in between. It is likened to "A box where sweets compacted lie" and just as before the third line of the quatrain literates the shortness of earthly glory.

"My music shows ye have four closes." By music Herbert is referring to his poem and how his poetry bears testimony to the mortality of nature. In the same way as the poem must come to an end. The first three stanzas are filled with consistent repetition. 

He begins each with word "sweet" and end with "must die". The first three stanza echo each other so that we, the reader, can understand and retain the theme. Herbert has built up momentum through repetition and moves us from a sweet day to a sweet rose and then to sweet spring. We are then led to the last quatrain which is slightly different from the previous repeated word "die". The virtuous soul described by Herbert is "Like a season'd timber, never gives" (line 14). The word "season'd" "and never given" suggest that a sweet and virtuous soul is strong and able to endure. The imagery used in line 15 "whole world turn to coal" is referring to scriptures that contain prophetic and apocalyptic messages foretelling how the world will all be burned. However, even though the whole world and everything in it shall be burned, the virtuous souls will then chiefly lives.

The poem "virtue" is highly structured. It has a set rhyme scheme and meter. To begin with Herbert uses the ABAB rhyme scheme in his poem. Herbert wrote this poem iambic tetrameter. The last line of each stanza contains two iambs.

Literary Devices: Alliteration: It occurs in the very first line of the poem "sweet day, so cool; so calm, so bright" This line also contains asyndeton.
Metaphor: "The bridal of the earth and sky", "full of sweet days and roses", etc.
Personification: "The dew shall weep thy fall to night".
Refrain: Each stanza ends with the phrase "must die". It is kind of a refrain.
Imagery: In these lines, the rose's bright red colour is portrayed symbolically: "sweet rose, whose hue angry and brave".
Epigram: "But though the whole world turn to coal, then chiefly lines".

The finest metaphysical poem displays the dialectical expression of personal drama. Virtue is not such a poem. Yet it is a remarkable poem of its kind combining some of the best qualities of the classical and metaphysical school of poetry.

...Prev | Next...