Professor Vivian Bearing vs John Donne in the Play Wit by Margaret Edso

Is it realistic to misunderstand something, except still be guided toward its claims? Is it possible for something that eventually has the greatest impact on your life to be unnoticed until the furthermost possible moment? In most cases, a accepted apocalypse does not present itself until later in a persons life. In the comprise Wit, by Margaret Edson, the character of Professor Vivian Bearing reaches a profound realization concerning one of the great impacts in her own life. Vivian, self-proclaimed mental and widely-feared professor, essentially devotes her life to the works of John Donne, a renowned metaphysical poet. She tirelessly prides herself on her exceptional skills and experience with analyzing Donnes works, even in the midst of being diagnosed and treated for ovarian cancer. During her stay in the hospital, Vivian unwillingly sees that her lifetime analysis in Donnes writings has only scratched the fold in comparison to the lawfulness that she discovers in th e last hours of her life. For the first time, she is qualified to personally relate to the speaker in the sonnets that she was supposedly so beaten(prenominal) with.In poetic terms, wit means the development of a metaphysical conceit. It is an insightful use of analogy, metaphor or inventive joining of different images to make a point in a poem. In these regards, this play has been appropriately titled. John Donne, whose Holy sonnets make numerous appearances in the play, uses his metaphysical poetry to spark unrest, debate, and controversy. He himself wrestles with questions about faith, Gods forbearance and judgment, human mortality, sin, damnation, absolution, and salvation. The Holy Sonnets are the product of doubter, one who has not yet found inner peace. This realization i... ...s a moment when she starts to see the true meaning but doesnt want to accept it at first, which is spare from the groaning and hiding. However, at the end of the play and the end of her lif e, Vivian is ready to accept this truth that she herself is living out the same life as the speakers in Donnes poems and begins reaching for the light (Edson 66).Works CitedDonne, John. Holy Sonnet 5, Holy Sonnet 6, Holy Sonnet 10. John Donnes Poetry A Norton sarcastic Edition.Ed. Donald R. Dickson. W.W. Norton & Company. bleak York, London. 2004. (Handout)Donne, John. Hymn to God, my God, in My Sickness. Poems of John Donne. vol I. E. K. Chambers, ed. London Lawrence & Bullen, 1896. 211-212.Edson, Margaret. Wit. MCC Theater New York City, NY, 1999Gardner, Helen, ed. The Metaphysical Poets. London Penguin, 1985.