Please give a brief history of John Donne's use of imagery.

The imagery of John Donne varies throughout his writing
life. In the beginning, Donne's imagery was meant as a metaphor for the satires which he
wrote regarding common Elizabethan topics. These topics (politics, mediocrity in
writing, and arrogant court people) were described with language that typically alluded
to or blatantly depicted these topics with sickness and animal's
manure.

After facing multiple personal conflicts (illness,
financial problems, and deaths, Donne's poetry changed. The imagery took on a more calm
and sedate feeling.

Renowned for his conceits (use of an
extended metaphor which compares to completely different things into a singular idea),
Donne was the master of imagery. One example of Donne's use of conceit appears in his
poem "The Flea". Donne uses the biting and blood sucking of a flea to describe the union
of a marriage.

That being said, Donne's imagery was the
unchanging part of his poetry. While the message and satirised style of his early years
is far from the more personal and religious works later, Donne's use of imagery always
remained prominent.