John Donne

By Will Appman and Kevin Conwell

Early Life of Donne (1572-1631)

• Born in London in 1572• Roman Catholic Faith• Studied at Oxford University (dropped out)• Continued law studies in London, degree in

1596• Completed Spanish expeditions following

education• Also known for secular works

Work

• The Holy Sonnets- a collection of sonnets written by Donne

• Holy Sonnet 10 = Death Be Not Proud• Sonnets famous for association with God•  Donne known secular works

And without further adeiu…

• We proudly present…

• Death Be Not Proud

Death Be Not ProudDEATH be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,

Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.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 soules deliverie.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.

John Donne, published 1633

Explanation, lines i-iv• i. DEATH be not proud

– Apostrophe, or address to abstract figure– As preacher, Donne was famous for

apostrophes– 1 Corinthians 15:55- “O death, where thy

sting?”• i-ii. thou some have called thee mighty and

dreadful, … thou art not so– Though many people fear Death, he is not

powerful– People fear the unknown, not Death

• iii-iv. For those whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow, Die not.– Death can kill people by ending their mortal

lives– Those people move on to an everlasting life,

thwarting Death

Explanation of lines iv-vi• iv. poore death, nor yet

canst thou kill me. – Donne takes an unorthodox

stance towards Death– Thou Donne may die, he

too will have eternal life

• v-vi From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee, much pleasure, then from thee doe go– When people die, they

seem to rest and sleep– Donne’s argument

enjoyable?

Explanation of lines vii-viii• vii. And soonest our best men

with thee do go– Donne recognizes that everyone

must someday die

• Low point in middle of poem?• viii. Rest their bones, and

soules deliverie.– Physical bodies rest in peace

– Souls move on to paradise

Explanation of ix-x• ix. Thou art slave to Fate,

Chance, kings, and desperate men– God appoints a certain time for

everyone to die, not Death

– Death is the true sufferer, as he has no purpose

• x. And dost thou with poyson, warre and sickness make us dwell– Death uses poison, war, and

disease to kill people

– These are brutal and unnecessary means of violence

Explanation lines xi-xii• xi. And poppie, or charms

can make us sleep as well– People have their own

means of sleeping/dying– Death’s skills are obselete

• And better then thy stroake; why swell’st thou then– Our methods are more

effective– Why should Death continue

his work?

Explanation of lines xiii-xiv• xiii. One short sleepe past,

wee wake eternally– Though people die quickly, they

soon wake in heaven– The eternal bliss of Paradise

outweighs life on Earth

• xiv. And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die– In Heaven, Death cannot touch

one’s spirit– Without purpose, Death meets

his ultimate fate

The Duel

Additional analysis

• Donne continues mockery of Death

• Personification of Death makes him seem like the mortal being, while humans are the true immortals

• Utilization of paradox

• Use of metaphor

• Religious Allegories

Works Cited

"John Donne." LitFinder Contemporary Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2007. LitFinder. Gale. NORTH ALLEGHENY SCHOOL DISTRICT. 12 May 2009 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LITF&u=pl2552>.

"Donne, John (1572-1631)." DISCovering Authors. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center - Bronze. Gale. North Allegheny Senior High School. 13 May. 2009 <http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-3&docId=EJ2101101180&source=gale&srcprod=SRCS&userGroupName=pl2552&version=1.0>.

“Explanation of: ‘Holy Sonnet 10’ by John Donne.” LitFinder Contemporary Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2007. LitFinder. Gale. NORTH ALLEGHENY SCHOOL DISTRICT. 13 May 2009 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LITF&u=pl2552.