Time and Drama in George Herbert’s Selected Poems

This article aims to investigate time and drama as two features of the Baroque period in the selected religious poems of George Herbert, i.e. "Death," "The Pulley," "Virtue," "Time," "Ester Wings," "Redemption," "The Flower." The approach applied here is based on Lowry Nelson's propositions about the Baroque period. Accordingly, Time and Drama become two Structural spaces of negotiations in the Baroque period, making an evolution in attitude and intellectually engaging the reader with the feeling of presence and assurance to accept a chosen theme. Additionally, an attempt has been made to investigate the poems thematically as well. In terms of theme, the conceits related to the limitations and passivity of human beings are significant in conveying a religious meaning to the reader. In conclusion, this article will demonstrate how Herbert, like Milton and Donne, uses time and drama as structural mediums in his poems to make an innovative argument and convince readers by creating a sense of presence for them and shaking them from the limitations of human beings and the illusion of earthly life. The significance and novelty of this paper is that it applies Nelson’s approaches in Herbert's poems to both broaden the scope of Nelson's theories and to contribute to the general understanding and application of theoretical views of Baroque.

Keywords:

Time , Drama , human limitations , The Experience of the Contradictory , Passivity