Death Be Not Proud by John Donne - Explanation
The poem "Death Be Not Proud" is written by John Donne, a noted metaphysical poet. It is a sonnet, a fourteen-line poem. In the poem, Donne challenges death to restrain from boasting of its might against mankind. He refuses to bow before the might of death and emphasizes the death's usage of dirty tricks to kill people. He gives reasons to prove his points and conclude that death, in the end, will die.
The poem employs the literary devices of conceit. Death is personified. Donne uses metaphor to compare dying with "short sleep". The rhyme scheme of the poem is: abba abba cddcae.
Explanation
Donne reprehends death for his pride of being mighty and creating fearfulness among people. The death might think that it can bring down anyone it claims. He ridicules Death by saying that it can't neither eliminate them nor him. Death is helpless.
"Rest and sleep" symbolise the picture of the death. They are the desirable activities for men so death is not dreary, instead, it creates relief and serenity. It is "much pleasure" to face death. The greatest men ever existed on earth leave the world and accompany death at young age. Death freed them from the sufferings of life inflicted on their bodies. In fact, death delivers their souls to the abode of the God.
Death is a slave to "Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men" and sticks to cheap instruments to kill people like poison, war, and diseases. People can have a good sleep with poppy which is much better than a touch of death. It is worthless to swell with these shortcomings of death.
After death kills us and puts us to a "short sleep". People can wake for eternity in heaven and then there would be no threat of death anymore and death itself would die.
The poem employs the literary devices of conceit. Death is personified. Donne uses metaphor to compare dying with "short sleep". The rhyme scheme of the poem is: abba abba cddcae.
Explanation
Donne reprehends death for his pride of being mighty and creating fearfulness among people. The death might think that it can bring down anyone it claims. He ridicules Death by saying that it can't neither eliminate them nor him. Death is helpless.
"Rest and sleep" symbolise the picture of the death. They are the desirable activities for men so death is not dreary, instead, it creates relief and serenity. It is "much pleasure" to face death. The greatest men ever existed on earth leave the world and accompany death at young age. Death freed them from the sufferings of life inflicted on their bodies. In fact, death delivers their souls to the abode of the God.
Death is a slave to "Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men" and sticks to cheap instruments to kill people like poison, war, and diseases. People can have a good sleep with poppy which is much better than a touch of death. It is worthless to swell with these shortcomings of death.
After death kills us and puts us to a "short sleep". People can wake for eternity in heaven and then there would be no threat of death anymore and death itself would die.