Conceit in poetry is an extended metaphor that adds deeper meaning or hides the message. There are two types: Petrarchan and metaphysical conceit. The function is to substitute one thought for another and capture the reader’s attention.
The function of conceit in poetry is to present an alternative way of conveying the message of a poem. This is to add a deeper meaning or to hide the message using a less obvious format. Conceit in poetry has been present in English since medieval times, but comes from an older and more classical tradition. It remains a popular trick used in modern poetry across a wide variety of poetic forms.
A conceit in poetry is an extended metaphor. It covers a large segment of the poem and may even encompass the entire length of the poem. As a metaphor, it is a deft substitution of one real story for another. The deep meaning, however, does not change from one story to another. The meaning is often culturally specific, by ethnicity or religion, and may not be immediately obvious to readers less familiar with the culture.
There are two main types of conceit in poetry and each has its own functions. The first type is the medieval Italian presumption known as the Petrarchan presumption. This conceit revolves around expressions of love. The function is, therefore, to explain the situation of a lover and also to find new ways to express the feelings of love. This function is performed by taking a situation or idea and then expanding it, much in the same way that the famous “the world is just a stage” metaphor extends outward to encompass larger ideas.
The original function of Petrarchan conceit in poetry gave way to repetition and cliché. It has been replaced by the metaphysical conceit found in metaphysical poetry. The function of metaphysical conceit in poetry is to extend the credulity of a metaphor to the breaking point and to find new and fresh ways of substituting one element or idea for another. An example of this is Andrew Marvell’s poem “Dew Drop”, in which he compares a dew drop to the human soul:
“So the soul, that drop, that ray
Of the clear fountain of eternal day,
(It may be inside the human flower to be seen,)
Still remembering his former height,
Shuns the sweet leaves, and the green flowers,
And, remembering his own light,
He expresses, in his pure and circular thoughts,
Greater skies in less sky.”
The function of conceit is to provide an intelligent means of substituting one thought for another. It is not the function of conceit in poetry to control structure or theme, but to extol intelligence in poetic form. The ultimate function is to capture the attention of the reader/listener and to make the reader concentrate more on the content and meaning of the poem.
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