A Lecture Upon the Shadow (John Donne)

The shadows before noon are the shadows that accompany the lovers as they walk in the morning or early part of the day. They are called the shadows that “were made to blind Others”—that is, they hide the lovers from the eyes of other people. The shadows after noon are the longer shadows that come when the sun is past the head; these do not hide the lovers from others so much as they “work upon our selves” and blind the lovers’ own eyes. So the first kind of shadow represents the secrecy and concealment of early love, while the second represents the self-deception, fading, and dishonesty that can come when love grows weak.

The poet speaks about shadows because they help him explain the changing condition of love. He compares love to light and uses the movement of the sun and shadows to show how love changes with time. The shadows are a vivid image for the hidden, uncertain, and fading stages of love. By contrast, “brave clearnesse” stands for open truth, and the changing shadows help the poet make his moral point that love must remain pure and constant.

The image of the shadows is used very effectively because it turns an abstract idea about love into something visible and memorable. The poet uses the changing shadows to suggest that love can be hidden at first, then later become longer, darker, and less truthful if it declines. This gives the poem a strong intellectual and metaphorical force, which is typical of Donne’s style. The image also helps the poet contrast innocent growth with possible decay in love.

The poet wishes to tell his beloved that their love should remain constant, honest, and mature. He warns her that if love begins to decline, they will create “new shadowes”—that is, secrecy, disguise, and false actions—which will not hide them from others but will instead blind themselves. His message is that true love should stay in the “high'st degree” and not decay into distrust or pretence.

Calling the poem “A Lecture Upon the Shadow” instead of “A Lecture Upon Love” makes the reading more original and intriguing. It prepares us to expect a discussion of something indirect and symbolic rather than a direct love poem. As we read, we realize that the poet is actually teaching us about love through the image of shadows. This title also creates a sense of wit and irony, because the shadow becomes the means of understanding love itself.