Sonnet 116 And John Donne Video
Sonnet 116 EXPLAINED - \ Sonnet 116 And John DonneWith Death, be not Proudthe speaker affronts an enemy, Death personified.
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This enemy is one most fear, but in this sonnetthe speaker essentially tells him off. The way the speaker talks to Death reveals that he is not afraid of Death, and does not think that Death should be so sure of himself and so proud.
The confident tone of Death, be not Proudand the direct confrontation of Death provides an ironic sense of comfort to the readers by implicitly suggesting that Soonnet is not to be feared at all, but that in the end, Death will be overcome by something even greater.
The speaker immediately creates a personified version of death by talking directly to him. He paints a picture of Death as an arrogant being, and one who needs to be humbled. The speaker assumes the position of the one who must humble this being, Death. Apostrophe occurs when a writer addresses a subject who cannot respond. Readers know immediately that this sonnet will consist of one Sonnet 116 And John Donne who will do all of the talking and accusing of his subject.
Death, though adequately personified, cannot respond to the accusations of the speaker. Jkhn in Death, be not Proudthe speaker accuses the death of having illusions of grandeur.
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He claims that while Death thinks that he has the power to kill, he actually does not. The speaker first humbles Death by telling him that his idea that he has the power to overthrow lives is simply an illusion, and that he has no such power at all. It sounds almost as if the speaker is making fun of Death for having lived under the illusion that he had any sort of power over life or death. It seems dangerous for one to Sonnet 116 And John Donne death in this way. Though everyone knows that physical death does indeed occur, the speaker is challenging Death in a different way.
Just as a restful night of sleep brings pleasure, so should death. The speaker implies that sleep is simply a small glimpse of Death. Thus, there is nothing to fear in death, for death will bring something like a pleasurable sleep. Here in Death, be not Proudthe speaker says that the best men seem to experience death the soonest.
While others have long questioned why it seems as if the best people die soonest, the speaker offers an answer here, suggesting that the best among men deserve to experience the peaceful rest of death sooner, without having to endure the agonies of a long life on the earth. Thou art slave to fate, chancekings, and desperate men. Here, the speaker takes on a stronger tone and begins to taunt Death with more ferocity than he did at first. He has taunted Death, telling him that he is not to be feared, but rather that he is a slave to the will of fate and men, and that as a lowly slave, his companions are the even lowlier beings such as sickness and war. These accusations serve to allow the readers to feel a sense of power and victory over Death. The speaker certainly feels authority over Death, and he passes this feeling along to his readers when he puts Death in his place by talking down to him. This comparison further portrays Death as something not only weak, but even pleasurable.
With these final lines of Death, be not Proudthe speaker reveals exactly why he has been taunting death so relentlessly. Although it is obvious that Death is real, and that people who experience Death do not come back to earth, the speaker reveals his reasons for claiming that Death is weak and easily overcome. The speaker has not only told Death that he has no real power over anyone, but that he will experience the end of himself when all wake in eternity and death will be no more. Subscribe to our mailing list and get new poetry analysis updates straight to your inbox.
Allisa graduated with a degree in Sonnet 116 And John Donne Education and English and taught World Literature and Composition at the high school level. She has always Sonnet 116 And John Donne writing, reading, and analysing literature. Thanks loads for this. I was assigned to read this in class in this analysis has made my life easier ten fold.
I find that having a rough Sonnet 116 And John Donne what a poem is about before trying to deal with it is always helpful.]
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