Copernicus, Donne, and Webster

In middle school, we all have “that project” where we have to research a certain historical individual who had tremendous impact upon the world. Somehow, I was stuck with Copernicus, the man who discovered that the Earth, and all of the planets in our solar system, revolved around the Sun; the scientifically accepted view of the universe thus shifted from a geocentric view to a heliocentric view on the universe. When I was doing this project, I often asked myself, “Who cares? I wish I had Oprah instead of this guy.” But, Copernicus and his heliocentric discovery keep popping up in my studies. I can’t get away from him!

This time, Copernicus’s heliocentric universe has shown up in our Early 17^th Century writings. The Norton says:

“Galileo’s telescope provided evidence confirming Copernican astronomical theory, which dislodged the earth from its stable central position in the cosmos and, in defiance of all ordinary observation, set it whirling around the sun.” (1351)

Many authors responded to this new confirmation in science, as well as others such as the discovery that blood circulates throughout the body, in their works. The two works that explicitly discussed planets and heliocentrism were The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster and “Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward” by John Donne. In Duchess, when Antonio and the Duchess are exchanging their vows, Antonio says, “may our sweet affections, like the spheres, Be still in motion!” (Webster 1584). And, in Donne’s poem, he asserts, “Let man’s soul be a sphere, and then, in this, / The intelligence that moves, devotion is.” (Donne 1415)

I find it so interesting that authors are using scientific, figurative language in order to discuss love, whether for another human or for God. It is definitely a shift from the earlier periods we’ve studied so far! I wonder who Donne and Webster’s intended audiences were. If it is for both the laypeople and the wealthy aristocracy, it definitely speaks to the acceptance of science throughout the masses.