Woman’s Constancy by John Donne (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions)

 

Woman’s Constancy

by John Donne

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions) 

Woman’s Constancy

Now thou hast loved me one whole day,

Tomorrow when thou leav’st, what wilt thou say?

Wilt thou then antedate some new-made vow?

Or say that now

We are not just those persons which we were?

Or, that oaths made in reverential fear

Of love, and his wrath, any may forswear?

 

Or, as true deaths, true marriages untie,

So lovers’ contracts, images of those,

Bind but till sleep, death’s image, them unloose?

Or, your own end to justify,

For having purposed change and falsehood, you

Can have no way but falsehood to be true?

Vain lunatic, against these ‘scapes I could

Dispute, and conquer, if I would,

Which I abstain to do,

For by tomorrow, I may think so too.

 

Summary

 

Lines 1–2:

Now thou hast loved me one whole day, / Tomorrow when thou leav’st, what wilt thou say?

The speaker notes that the woman has loved him for an entire day. He then wonders aloud what excuse she will give when she decides to leave him the next day.

 

Lines 3–4:

Wilt thou then antedate some new-made vow? / Or say that now

He asks whether she will pretend that a new promise (perhaps made to someone else) was actually made before their relationship began, or if she will claim something else.

 

Lines 5–6:

We are not just those persons which we were? / Or, that oaths made in reverential fear

He wonders if she will argue that they are no longer the same people who made the original promises, or if she will say the oaths they made were made out of fear and thus invalid.

 

Line 7:

Of love, and his wrath, any may forswear?

He speculates whether she might claim that anyone is free to break oaths made under the emotional pressure of love and its potential anger.

 

Lines 8–10:

Or, as true deaths, true marriages untie, / So lovers’ contracts, images of those, / Bind but till sleep, death’s image, them unloose?

He asks whether she will compare the end of love to the way real death ends real marriages. In that case, since lovers’ contracts are only images (or imitations) of marriage, perhaps they only last until sleep—seen here as a kind of temporary death—releases them.

 

Lines 11–12:

Or, your own end to justify, / For having purposed change and falsehood, you

He questions whether she will defend her own ending of the relationship by claiming she had always intended to change or be unfaithful.

 

Lines 13–14:

Can have no way but falsehood to be true? / Vain lunatic, against these ‘scapes I could

He sarcastically suggests that maybe the only way she can be “truthful” is by being false—since she intended to be false all along. He calls this reasoning foolish and says he could easily argue against all these excuses.

 

Lines 15–16:

Dispute, and conquer, if I would, / Which I abstain to do,

He says he could argue and defeat her justifications if he wanted to, but he chooses not to.

 

Lines 17–18:

For by tomorrow, I may think so too.

He ends with a twist: he admits that by tomorrow, he might also feel the same way—ready to leave and justify it. This shows that constancy might be fleeting for both of them.

 

Line-by-Line Paraphrase

"Now thou hast loved me one whole day,"

You've loved me for a full day now,

 

"Tomorrow when thou leav’st, what wilt thou say?"

So what will you say tomorrow when you leave me?

 

"Wilt thou then antedate some new-made vow?"

Will you claim that some new promise you made (perhaps to someone else) was actually made earlier?

 

"Or say that now"

Or will you say now—

 

"We are not just those persons which we were?"

—that we are no longer the same people who made those promises?

 

"Or, that oaths made in reverential fear"

Or that our vows, made with serious and emotional fear,

 

"Of love, and his wrath, any may forswear?"

Can be broken by anyone because love and its anger made us say them?

 

"Or, as true deaths, true marriages untie,"

Or will you argue that just as real death ends real marriages,

 

"So lovers’ contracts, images of those,"

Likewise, a lover’s promise (which imitates marriage)

 

"Bind but till sleep, death’s image, them unloose?"

Lasts only until we sleep—since sleep is like a temporary death?

 

"Or, your own end to justify,"

Or, in order to justify your decision to end things,

 

"For having purposed change and falsehood, you"

Because you had already decided to be unfaithful and change,

 

"Can have no way but falsehood to be true?"

You might argue that the only way to be honest is to admit you were always planning to be false?

 

"Vain lunatic, against these ‘scapes I could"

Foolish woman, I could easily argue against these excuses

 

"Dispute, and conquer, if I would,"

Debate you on them and win, if I wanted to,

 

"Which I abstain to do,"

But I choose not to.

 

"For by tomorrow, I may think so too."

Because by tomorrow, I might feel the same way as you.

 

Analysis in Detail

Overview

John Donne’s “Woman’s Constancy” is a short lyric poem that explores the themes of love, inconstancy, pretense, and mutual hypocrisy in romantic relationships. The speaker, addressing a woman who has loved him for just one day, cynically anticipates her departure the next day and mocks the excuses she might use. However, the final line flips the entire poem, revealing the speaker’s own potential inconstancy.

 

Themes

1. Inconstancy of Love

The central theme is the fleeting nature of romantic love. The speaker doubts the woman's ability to stay faithful even beyond a single day.

 

2. Mutual Deception

While the speaker accuses the woman of falsehood, he ends by admitting he might act the same way. The poem suggests both men and women are capable of self-justifying betrayal.

 

3. Rhetorical Irony

The speaker pretends to ask what the woman will say, but he already assumes dishonesty, piling up sarcastic questions. His tone drips with irony.

 

Tone

The tone shifts subtly throughout:

Cynical and sarcastic in the beginning (mocking her anticipated justifications),

Philosophical and reflective in the middle (comparing love to death and sleep),

Self-aware and ironic at the end (revealing his own wavering commitment).

 

Structure and Form

Form: 18 lines, unrhymed, no fixed meter (though loosely iambic). A short monologue or soliloquy.

Style: Compact, interrogative, and contemplative.

The poem is one continuous sentence, flowing with enjambments that build the speaker’s rhetorical questioning.

 

Literary Devices

1. Rhetorical Questions

Almost every line is a rhetorical question. These are not genuine inquiries but accusatory and ironic challenges, e.g.,

"Wilt thou then antedate some new-made vow?"

 

2. Metaphor

Donne uses extended metaphors, especially:

Marriage and sleep: He compares a lover's contract to marriage and sleep to death to argue that love is temporary.

"Bind but till sleep, death’s image, them unloose?"

 

3. Paradox

He challenges the logic of constancy and honesty with paradox:

“Can have no way but falsehood to be true?”

Suggests that if someone planned to be false, their betrayal is technically “honest.”

 

4. Irony

The most striking irony is in the final line:

“For by tomorrow, I may think so too.”

The speaker undermines all his prior accusations, revealing that he may also change his mind just as easily.

 

Character of the Speaker

The speaker is:

Highly skeptical of love and fidelity.

Sharp and argumentative, a classic Donne persona.

Self-critical at the end, recognizing his own moral instability.

He’s not simply bitter but deeply conscious of human inconsistency in matters of the heart.

 

Interpretive Insights

The poem is not just an attack on women’s unfaithfulness; it’s a reflection on the nature of love as inherently unstable and self-serving.

Donne uses a clever, almost legalistic voice—listing hypothetical arguments—to expose the fragility of emotional vows.

The closing line universalizes the speaker’s doubts: both genders are equally fickle; love is fragile because people are.

 

Conclusion

“Woman’s Constancy” is a compact, ironic, and intellectually rich poem. It showcases Donne’s signature style: a blend of wit, irony, philosophical speculation, and emotional complexity. What begins as a critique of a woman’s fleeting love ends in a self-revealing confession that human affections—male or female—are rarely constant.

 

Possible Exam Questions

 

What is the central theme of “Woman’s Constancy”?

 

What does the speaker predict the woman will do the next day?

 

Explain the significance of the phrase “one whole day” in the poem.

 

What is meant by “sleep, death’s image”?

 

What tone does the speaker adopt in the poem?

 

Identify and explain one rhetorical device used by Donne in the poem.

 

Reference-to-Context

 

Example 1:

“For by tomorrow, I may think so too.”

Q: Explain the significance of this line in the context of the poem. How does it affect the speaker’s argument?

 

Example 2:

“Wilt thou then antedate some new-made vow?”

Q: What is the speaker accusing the woman of here? How does this reflect his attitude toward love?

 

Example 3:

“Or, as true deaths, true marriages untie, / So lovers’ contracts, images of those…”

Q: Analyze the metaphor in these lines. What argument is the speaker making about love and commitment?

 

Critically analyze the speaker’s view of love and constancy in John Donne’s “Woman’s Constancy.”

 

Discuss the use of irony in the poem. How does the final line alter the meaning of the entire poem?

 

How does Donne use metaphysical conceits and rhetorical questions to build his argument in “Woman’s Constancy”?

 

To what extent can the speaker in “Woman’s Constancy” be considered hypocritical? Support your answer with references to the text.

 

Examine how John Donne blends wit and cynicism in “Woman’s Constancy” to present his thoughts on romantic relationships.