Recap
An extended metaphor develops one comparison across several lines. A conceit is an elaborate, often surprising extended metaphor linking two very unlike things, developed so ingeniously that it persuades. Name the tenor (what is described) and the vehicle (what it is compared to). Then do two steps: unpack the individual comparisons (what each element of the vehicle suggests about the tenor), and explain how the elements combine and affect one another to build the poem’s meaning. Strain or surprise in a conceit is usually part of the effect. The full explanation, with worked examples from Donne, is in the study guide.
Key relationships
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tenor | The subject being described | The lovers’ souls |
| Vehicle | The thing it is compared to | A pair of compasses |
| Element | One part of the vehicle mapped to the tenor | The fixed foot, the roaming foot, the circle |
| Combination | What the elements add up to | The circle needs both journey and constancy, so parting completes the bond |
| Strain | Where the comparison is surprising or extravagant | A flea as “marriage temple” |
| Effect of strain | Persuasion, irony, wit or intensity | The speaker’s cleverness is on display |
Conditions to remember
- Unpack two or three well-chosen elements; you do not need to explain every parallel.
- Always move from elements to combination; a list of matches is not enough.
- Attribute the comparison to the speaker, and ask what the speaker gains by it.
- The same poem can contain more than one comparison; explain how they support or complicate each other.
Mistakes to avoid
- Naming the metaphor and stopping.
- Listing parallels with no comment on what they mean.
- Treating a conceit as only decorative.
- Ignoring the surprise or strain.
- Forgetting to link the metaphor to the poem as a whole.
Worked mini-example
Take Donne’s compasses. Tenor: the lovers’ souls. Vehicle: a pair of compasses. Unpack: the fixed foot “leans and hearkens”; the moving foot must “obliquely run”. Combine: the circle is only “just” if the moving foot travels and returns while the fixed foot stays firm, so parting completes the bond. Link: this supports the speaker’s plea for a farewell with “no tear-floods”. Two elements, one combined meaning, one link to the whole.
Quick self-check
- What is the tenor in Donne’s compass conceit, and what is the vehicle?
- What does it mean to say a conceit “strains”?
- Name the two steps of the skill.
- In “The Flea”, what do “marriage bed” and “marriage temple” do to the flea?
- What is the difference between a simile and an extended metaphor?
Answers.
- Tenor: the lovers’ souls; vehicle: a pair of compasses.
- The comparison is surprising, extravagant or illogical, and that effect is part of how it persuades or characterises the speaker.
- Unpack the elements, then explain how they combine.
- They inflate a trivial insect into a sacred space, which makes the argument witty and shows the speaker’s manipulation.
- A simile compares with “like” or “as” and may be brief; an extended metaphor states that one thing is another and develops the comparison over several lines.
Next: the practice questions.