John Donne Bio and Analysis of "The Flea"

John Donne was born in 1572 in Bread Street, London to a wealthy Roman Catholic Family. Donne's first teachers were Jesuits, and at age 11 was entered at Hart Hall where he studied for three years. Donne began questioning his faith when his brother Henry died of fever in prison after being imprisoned for giving shelter to a proscribed Catholic priest. Donne's first book of poems, Satires,was known to be one of his most important steps in Literature. John Donne, being well- off by inheritance, spent his money on womanizing, books, and theatres. In 1601, when Donne was beginning a promising career, he secretly married seventeen year-old Anne More, daughter George More. Sir George More had Jack thrown in Fleet Prison for weeks. After being dismissed he lived in poverty and struggled to support his family. In 1607 Donne refused to take Anglican orders, but King James announced that Donne would receive no post or preferment from the King, unless in the church. He finally agreed  and was appointed a Royal Chaplain later that year. In 1616, he was appointed Reader in Divinity at Lincoln's Inn. As his fortunes were improving, Anne Donne died on August 15,1616. Only seven of their children survived their mother's death, which all led to Jack Donne experiencing extreme grief. Jack Donne continued writing depressing works. He died on March 31, 1631.

information taken from :http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/donnebio.htm
picture taken from: google images


In "The Flea," by John Donne, the narrator pleads his love to save the life of something as little as a pesky flea. His reasoning is that the flea binds them together, because the flea has sucked both of their bloods, therefore inside the flea, they are combined. He pleads that killing the flea would be sacrilege, for there would be"three sins in killing three." The lover kills the flea, where she gets on her finger, " the blood of innocence." For the man, he believed the flea reflected their marriage bed, that within the flea they were married. Once she kills the flea, he asks what the fleas sin was, other than sucking their blood. She claims that neither of them are less of people for killing the flea, that they are still together, and she would not lose any more honor by "yielding" to him as when she killed the flea. Her fears have proved to be irrational.