Metaphysical poetry demonstrates the various techniques employed to present powerful comparisons by which the reader is able to construct meaning. During the Renaissance period, the revolutionary discovery of the Copernican Universe, changed societal perceptions of the earth and its newfound significance in the universe. In "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," John Donne utilizes metaphysical metaphors to represent the union of the lovers' souls during their time of separation. George Herbert employs metaphysical imagery and conceit throughout his poem, "The Pulley," which lends a scientific reasonableness to the poem and influences the reader's interpretation of the text. The presented comparisons in these two poems effectively reflect the dominant issues and ideologies of the metaphysical era, influencing the way meaning is constructed by the reader.

During the Elizabethan Age, the Ptolemaic theory of the universe stated that celestial bodies were perfect spheres with perfectly circular orbits. Thus, the circle and sphere...