The period between the XVI-XVII centuries is known for the people’s revising of previous ideals,

The period between the XVI-XVII centuries is known for the people’s revising of previous ideals, for new important discoveries and for centralizing and focusing on man and his knowledge.  English Renaissance poets and philosophers refer to man as the highest creature, who plays an important role in their works.  They insist on the importance of the human being and of his wisdom; they devote themselves to examining human nature, psychology and desire of seeking for truth.  Renaissance poets choose man to be their main character, instead of referring only to G-d.

         Medieval literature and philosophy was based on a variety of religious dogmas and statements; they were mostly related to G-d and the Church order.  The poets devoted themselves to the saving of the humankind from heresies and dangerous prejudices.  Dante wrote his “Inferno”, where he developed a map of Hell and classified the sinners and their future punishments.  St. Bernard of Clairvaux writes his criticism on Abbot Suger’s architecture, insisting on the right way of the Church building.  Philosophers insist on geocentric construction of the universe, where the Sun rotates around the Earth.   

          The discovery of new planets, black holes on the Sun and the invention of the heliocentric system of the universe has changed a lot. The work of Nicholaus Copernicus shook the world.   It denied everything that humans had held certain for centuries.  The excitement and confusion that the astronomers and the scientists have left in their wake is reflected in John Donne’s seventeenth century poem "An Anatomy of the World — The First Anniversary."   As he wrote: "And new Philosophy calls all in doubt” (205).   “`Tis all in pieces, all coherence gone" (213).  The poet illustrates the situation in the world, when the old ideals break down and yield to demands of the new time.  “For every man alone thinks he hath got to be a phoenix,” (216-217) – Donne claims that now it is man’s turn to act after a long oblivion.  Man, who used to play the indirect role, will come up from the ashes as a mythological bird; he will not be a myth any longer, but will exist also in literature, and will be examining himself and asking questions that will get answered sooner or later.

             John Donne’s poem The Good-Morrow starts with one of those questions.  “I WONDE by my troth…” (1).   “Wonder” is capitalized, therefore, emphasized.  The Renaissance man is not afraid of asking questions; he consequently becomes wiser, after receiving answers.  The poet also refers to the lovers’ “waking souls” (10), which now look on each other “out of fear” (11), for the new time has come, and there’s no need in all the prejudices of the past; any person is free to love and to be loved and not to hide his fillings from the executive people’s eyes. 

             The lover in Donne's The Good-Morrow joyously uses the new cartography that has accompanied Renaissance exploration to proclaim union with his beloved: "Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone, / Let maps to others, worlds on worlds have shown; / Let us possess one world -- each hath one, and is one” (14-18).  The poet refers to the newest discovery of his time in order to proclaim the importance of knowledge and the significance of the new invasions during his lifetime.  Donne declares the speaker and his beloved in the poem to be the two perfect “hemispheres” (21).  Human brain consists of two hemispheres, which are responsible for logical (mathematical) and emotional (artistic) thinking and impulses.  This connection lets the reader realize that the author is strongly convinced in the importance of any possible developments in all the spheres of science, in order to increase people’s knowledge without increasing the already existing old whereabouts.  Unlike Golden poetry, Donne uses very physical and material images that can hardly be applicable to the image of Golden lovers.  Here comes the rational explanation to the occurrence – even love can be logical, explainable and understandable rationally.  Here we see another example of the poet’s interest in the Renaissance ideas of examining human nature and psychology.