John Donne and William Shakespeare both wrote a variety of poems that are both similar within the structure of a Sonnet but with very different content. This essay will compare two of their sonnets - Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare and the Holy Sonnet by John Donne.

John Donne's poem is a personal sonnet in which John Donne questions his faith in God. It becomes clear from the sonnet that John Donne feels that he has been tempted to sinful behavior by the Devil, Gods "enemy". John Donne is asking God to restore his faith to an unquestioning level, either by force or proving his power to him so that his faith can be reinforced.

The Shakespearean sonnet shows Shakespeare poking fun at the courtly conventions of the time. The sonnet is in the form of a love Sonnet. Although it mocks the conventional blazon it does not undermine the beauty of his mistress. Shakespeare tells us that he would love her even if "her breast were dun...."

John Donne's sonnet is quite personal as he is writing about his own beliefs but expressing publicly his views. Shakespeare's sonnet is written for a wider audience as he is trying to get people to se

In the first quatrain Donne asks God to force his way into his heart as before he has not done enough to keep John Donne's faith.

Then in the breath from which my mistress reeks"

In this couplet he is suggesting that his love is realistic as he does not use false comparisons and therefore his love cannot be false.

In the following couplet he is asking God to prove that his faith is not ill placed by showing him something definite. Without proof he is not strong enough worship God unquestioningly.

In the next couplet he is saying that he is like a possessed town but he is trying to let God in. The first line of this couplet is also an alliteration. " I like an usurped town". In this couplet the words he uses seem desperate.

"And yet by heaven, I think my love is rare

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Approximate Word count = 1686
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)