Love is the star of the show in many of Donne's poems, and "The Canonization" is no exception. It's such a big deal to the speaker, in fact, that someone (we never find out who) has been harassing him about it. It's true that there's a case to be made here that harassment is a deserved reaction to a guy who's clearly too full of his own relationship for his own good. Though, it's also worth asking: have we really gotten to the point where being in love is something to hold against someone? More pointedly, love in this poem allows the speaker to put forward a pretty radical proposal—namely, that romantic love is just as deserving of sainthood as love of God or fellow human beings. "Where's the love for the lovers?" he seems to be asking in this poem.
Questions About Love
- What about his relationship, according to the speaker, makes it so special?
- Are you annoyed by the speaker's love or jealous of it? What parts of the poem influence your reaction to him?
- Why do you think love is "rage" (39) for the lovers once they get to heaven?
- Why don't we ever hear from the speaker's lover in this poem? What do you think she might have to say?
Chew on This
The speaker going on and on…and on about his love is actually an indication of his deep insecurity in the relationship.
Love is worth celebrating in all its forms. This poem is trying to convince all those cynics and the haters out there to more fully appreciate the power of love.