John Donne’s Song ‘Sweetest Love I Do Not Goe’: A Structuralist Analysis

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the song through the lens of structuralism. In the course of the discussion, the emphasis is particularly on literary aspects of structuralism. The Song by Donne ‘Sweetest Love, I Do Not Goe’ is analyzed structurally as well as critically. Various figures of speech concerning structuralism is given due importance in the study. By studying the poem following the elements of structuralism in literature, it can be concluded that each word is important in its place and to other words. Words as signs not only convey the differential or relational aspects of structure but also the bulk of ideas related to them i.e. they also have their value. In addition, the phonological aspects of the language will be discussed. This paper is an integrated study that encompasses all the basic elements of structuralism i.e. how words, signs, and phonological substitutions affect the semantic patterns in poetry.