DEATH BE NOT PROUD By JOHN DONNE (England)
Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Might and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure- then from thee much more must flow;
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones and soul’s delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate
men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well,
And better than thy stroke. Why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
INTRODUCTION
This sonnet is about making death seem not-so-scary.
Death has got the real attitude problem in a sense that he thinks he is the
biggest, worst meanest dude in town. Everybody treats him like the king of the
underworld. They think he has the power to do the terrible things. Donne and
other metaphysical poets in general are masters of surprise ending and this one
is no exception. In traditional Christian theology, it is thought that when
people die it’s like they are asleep until the end of the world or the
judgement day. The poem like most sonnets has centred on only one subject –
death
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
MORTALITY / DEATH
The poem takes an assertive (clear) stand against
mortality (death). It makes a paradoxical statement that mortality is itself
mortal - which is to say death can die. But the speaker wouldn’t make this
statement if he doesn’t fear that may be death is the end. He shows that
although people fear death terribly but in the long run death will be no more
and as a result there is no reason for fear.
He compares death with a ‘short sleep’ in which people
sleep but there comes a day when they will wake up and live eternally and death
shall be the loser.
He says;
One short sleep past, we
wake eternally
And death shall be no
more, Death thou shalt die.
DREAMS AND HOPES
The big dream and hope in the poem is to defeat death
and go to heaven. The speaker is confident that his faith in God won’t let him
down. Nevertheless, that is a thing about faith it doesn’t always come with a
guarantee. However, the speaker shows that even himself, he has got no much
option. He must die no matter what. The difference it makes however is that,
when you die in God you will rise again and live eternally. This gives him
enough hopes to face death.
COURAGE
The poem provides us with courage of confronting death
without fear. Throughout the entire poem, the speaker grows more confident by
showing that death is not the end of life. Although it claims people’s lives
now, a day is coming when death will take its own life. In such a case we
certainly have nothing to fear.
He says;
Death be not proud,
though some have called thee
Might and dreadful, for
though art not so.
RELIGION and FAITH
The poem seems to be centred on the subject of
religion. It is only in religious spheres people believe that after this life
there comes a better life when this mortal body shall put on immortality and
death shall be defeated forever.
Even though, Donne puts a clear demarcation that this
chance of rising and living eternally is not just for everybody who simply die.
He rather seems to be very meticulous by adopting a more specific statement
that only the good people (our best men)
are entitled to this privilege.
He says;
And soonest our best men
with thee do go,
Rest of their bones and
soul’s delivery
THE AFTERLIFE
The poet has the hopes of the afterlife. He even shows
that the afterlife is better than this life. For him death seems to be a
blessing because it is only through death that people are capable of enjoying
the afterlife.
Here says Donne;
From rest and sleep,
which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure - then
from thee much more must flow,
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
a. What type of the poem is
this?
This poem is a sonnet because it is made up of 14
lines (verses)
b. In what sense is the “sleep of death a short sleep”
(line 13)?
Although the dead remain in their tombs for hundreds
of years, still Donne calls it a short sleep since the dead know nothing. From
the day they die they remain unconscious and remember nothing until the day of
resurrection.
c. The poem has no
clear/overt reference to Christianity. Aside from the title how do you know
that this is a religious poem?
It is only in the religious context people have the
assurance of afterlife (life after death). It is the bible that describes death
as a short sleep and further states that death will one day be no more in the
new heaven and the new earth. (1Cor 15:26)
d. Comment on the figures
of speech;
v Personification.
Death is addressed as though it is a person. “Death be not proud though some have called
thee mighty and dreadful” “Death, thou shalt die”
v Symbolism
He has used common symbols in Christian theology “sleep
and rest” to represent death.
“One short sleep past,
we wake eternally” (line 13)
v Apostrophe
Addressing a thing/person in its/his absence. The poet
addresses death but death does not respond. Eg he says ‘poor death’ which is an embarrassing way to talk to someone who
considers himself tough.
v Metaphor.
The poet compares ‘rest and sleep’ as
the pictures of death. Also death is compared with a slave.
v Synecdoche.
This implies using part of something to represent the
whole.
In the poem he uses the “bones of the best men” to represent the whole physical body.
v Rhetorical question.
The speaker asks “why swell’st thou
then?” it is just intended to make death realize that he has no reasons to
be proud, and not seeking for a response.
e. Comment
on the rhyming scheme.
Like most petrarchan sonnets, this sonnet has 14 lines
and a rhyme scheme that goes ABBAABBA and the last six lines are CDDCAA
RELEVANCE
Today in our society, there are these two basic
concepts about death. On one extreme there are those who believe that death is
the end of life and human history. Therefore, when they come at the point of
death they face it with fear. On the other extreme there are those especially
in religion realm who believe that death is but another door to a better life.
For them, death should not be proud because they aspire for afterlife which is
better than the life we live now. They take death as a blessing and not as a
doom.
SAMPLE QUESTION
(NECTA 2009) with reference to the poem below highlight the central theme and relate it to what is currently happening in our society.
