It is fair to say that John Donne is acknowledged for his explorations beyond physical aspects in life during the period of the Renaissance. This "rebirth" in his poetry is essentially illustrated through his use of devices and his expression in meaning. What comes to debate is whether poetic techniques utilized are more significant than the content that is induced. My interpretations of the poems "The Sunne Rising" and "Batter My Heart" encourage the.
idea that in Donne's poetry one is influential over the other. Generally, content relies on the techniques being employed, but techniques would be ineffective without the result of useful content. The critical readings of Helen Gardner and M.E. Rickey claim some similar as well as different insights regarding this notion.
A tendency that can be followed in Donne's work is his exploration of "metaphysical" emotions conveyed by the persona. In view of the fact that love results in the complex range of experiences that need to be articulated, Donne may have expanded his content in some poems in order to express exactly what he feels. The theme of love is relevant in his poem of "The Sunne Rising", where Donne endeavors to create a harmony between the persona and his mistress with pride and boastful admiration, which is seen through his use of hyperbolic conceits: "She is all states, and all princes I, Nothing else is.".
Rickey states that "in Donne's world the physical laws of the universe must adhere to the complexities of love and passion". This implies that despite techniques content is fundamental when dealing with different levels of metaphysical sense. Hence it is seen that each stanza holds different emotions beyond the practical. Techniques are just one of the elements that make up Donne's unique style in Renaissance poetry. The persona introduces a mock-angry tone as devices of outbursts and insults towards the sunne's disturbance between the couple's love, calling it a "Busy old fool, unruly sun" as well as a "Pedantique wretch".