Death not be Proud

1. Death not be Proud Andy Garcia Natalie Lynch Sandra Raymond Danelia Sevilla Anaruth Solache

2. Background on John Donne • John Donne was born in London into a Roman Catholic family in 1572. • Donne was unable to attain degrees neither from HetfordCollge nor from Cambridge University because he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy due to his Catholicism. • During his late 20s, Donne fell in love with the Anne More, the niece of Sir Thomas Egerton, to whom he was chief secretary. • They were married against the wishes of both Egerton and Anne’s father, Lieutenant of the Tower Sir George More. • After his release from being imprisoned for the marriage, John and Anne lived in the country side where Donne acquired a living as a lawyer and Anne bore a child nearly every year for sixteen years. • Anne Donne died in 1617 giving birth to her twelfth child, a still-born baby. • Later in life, Donne earned a reputation as an eloquent preacher, and 160 of his sermons have survived.

3. Background on John Donne • John Donne died on March 31st 1631, and although it has not been proven, it is thought that his final illness was stomach cancer. • Towards the end of his life Donne wrote works that challenged death on the grounds of his belief that those who die are sent to Heaven to live eternally. • “Death, be not proud” was written around 1610 and first published in 1633, after Donne’s death. • John Donne had suffered a major illness during his eighth year as an Anglican minister that had brought him close to death, most likely inspiring this poem and several similar poems. • “One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally, And Death shall be no more, death thou shalt die!” (lines 13-14) is an example of the eternal life after death, and consequently the end of the figure Death.

4. Death not be Proud • Death be not proud, though some have called theeMighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe,For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill mee.From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,Rest of their bones, and soulesdeliverie.Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then?One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die. 

5. Analysis of Poem (lines 1-7) • The Poem Begins by addressing death dramatically and directly. It does this by personifying death. • The poem first attacks death for its pride calling it mighty and dreadful. • The people who think the can ”overthrow” death do not really die. The author feels he cannot be defeated by death • In line four John Donne puts death at a place of pity because he feels death is powerless. • Death should not be feared • There is an analogy between death and sleep and since sleep is pleasurable death should be also • Poem argues that it is not a tragedy when the good die young • They should die willingly so their bodies can be buried in the ground and their souls can be released into Heaven • Poem continues to argue that Death is not powerful

6. Analysis of Poem (lines 8-14) • Death is a slave, not a master • Death is dealt to others by fate and chance-personified • Death is a slave to “desperate men”- those who try to commit suicide • Death’s allies are not honest companions but are actually hostile: poison, war, sickness-personified • The "poppy" is a flower used to make opium. Opium is an old-fashioned drug that makes people really happy. • The “poppy” or “magic” charms would work even better to make us sleep than Death would • This is not an eternal sleep that awaits us but a short one before we wake eternally • John Donne concludes the poem by stating that Donne will not be the one to die but Death will.

7. Diction • Donne uses highly emotive diction in order to incite feelings within the reader. • He uses words such as “mighty” and “dreadful” in order to achieve this affect.

8. Themes • Morality • Donne takes a stance against morality in the poem. • He essentially states that morality itself is mortal • “And soonest our best men with thee do go, • Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.” • Death does not exist in the long run. • Courage • “Mighty 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.” • Donne is essentially standing up to death itself and rather than lose his nerve further into the poem, he just grows more bold. • Religion • There are clear religious themes within Death Be Not Proud for Donne believes that Death is not eternal and that is merely a “short sleep” that he along with his brethren will wake from and continue on forever. • “One short sleep past, we wake eternally • And death shall be no more; Death thou shalt die.”

9. Tone • Dark, yet Defiant. • Although speaking about death itself (a morbid topic) Donne writes as though he is staring straight into the face of an enemy and daring that enemy to make its move. Donne is not afraid, and is prepared for whatever may be thrown at him believing that the punishment, death itself, will not be forever.

10. Literary devices • Personification: Lines 1 & 2 ­– Donne addresses death directly as if it were a person (“Death be not proud, though some have called thee / Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so”) • Alliteration: Lines 3 & 6 – Repetition of the same sound is present throughout the entire poem (For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow(3)) (“Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow”(6)) • Metaphor: Line 5 – Donne is comparing rest and sleep to pictures as they can be painted as imitations of death (“From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee”) • Paradox: Line 14 – Donne makes a contradiction in the poem’s final claim that death itself will die (“. . . death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.”)

11. Rhyme Scheme • ABBA ABBA CDDC EE • In this sonnet, Donne mixes the styles of the Shakespearean and the Petrarchan Sonnets. • We notice this because of the divisions (Shakespearean) and the rhyme scheme (Petrarchan) • Donne’s pretty loose with his iambic pentameter. For him, iambic pentameter is less of a rule and more of a general guideline