Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

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.

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.

Summary

The poem is written in the seventeenth century in England. At that time, the British were strengthening her control across the world. There was also social, religious turmoil, indecisions, instability, and violence. There was also a revolution when England went through the “dark ages.” There were diseases such as the bubonic plague and degeneration. Donne converted from Catholicism to Anglicanism and these religious beliefs stand at the forefront of “Death, be not Proud.” He intertwines his thoughts about death and the afterlife in the poem. Also, Donne alludes to the Christian idea that death is a short nap before eternal peace.

The speaker personifies Death directly and tells Death not to be arrogant and proud because it takes away people’s lives. He continues by telling death that just because people fear Death, it should not be proud. In addition, he tells Death that it is not as powerful as people would believe because it cannot truly kill people.

The poet shows pity for Death because he compares death to sleep and rest and implies that there is no physical end to life when there is an eternal world. He predicts Death as a pleasing and delightful stage of rest and sleep. The speaker calls those people “best men” who are taken away by Death because Death is nothing more but a means of the resting of these bodies as the soul transforms for the eternity.

Death is obedient to people who act in despair and is submissive to luck and fate. It is also connected to battles, toxins, and illnesses. The speaker then asks Death that after knowing all this, why is it still so full of pride? the speaker then alludes to Death as merely a short phase of sleep that is stuck between eternal afterlife and the real world. Death does not have a place in the eternal world, and therefore Death has no power in the final rest or sleep of mankind.

THEMES

Powerlessness

The speaker starts his conversation with Death by addressing it directly. It shows the power of man over Death. Though man is mortal, he is still superior to Death. The poem depicts the picture of Death as powerless and weak. It negates the higher status of Death by comparing it to rest and sleep. Death does not make an end to life but it transfers souls to the eternal world. The powerlessness of Death is proved in the last lines of the poem when the speaker says that it is the Death itself that dies.

The speaker argues that although people fear Death and believe it powerful, no one truly dies. Through logical arguments, the speaker takes pity on Death and thinks it weak. He confronts Death directly because he believes that Death cannot kill him. He then composes the poem and conveys the message as a challenge.

The speaker calls rest and sleep the other pictures of Death. He says that people feel pleasant after rest and sleep. Therefore, they must feel good after death as well because it is a short resting phase. He suggests that Death simply keeps the physical bodies of people in rest and transports their souls to the afterlife. Death is a resting phase between the temporary life on earth and the timeless and limitless afterworld.

The speaker continues to describe Death as powerless when he notes that Death a slave to earthly kings. The speaker believes that Death exists because of worldly things and cannot work alone to end lives. So, Death is a slave and not a master. He further notes that even Death has its end. Death has only one function and that is to take souls to where they are meant to be.

Eternal Life

The theme of eternal life and its limitlessness is present in the final line of the poem. The speaker says that we will wake up from the “sleep” of death in eternal life and there will be no death there. This poem proves the reality of the afterlife which is eternal. Death is not the end of life, but it is a path to enter a new life. Death is a rebirth and Donne goes against Death and sheds a new light on the traditional understanding of death. He suggests that death is a gift for us from God that gives us immortal life in heaven. It is the ultimate freedom of souls.

Appearance versus Reality

Death is not as powerful or mighty as it appears. But it brings stillness which is not permanent. The reality is that death is temporary. It is arrogant but it relies on poison, war, illness, or any danger to assist in its job. Donne’s Christian beliefs resonate throughout the poem as he notes that on the Day of Judgment, everyone will come back to life… there will be no more death and when there is no more death and then Death will die.

Mortality versus Immortality

Everyone will die eventually, and this is the fear that many people hold. People see death as the final stage or as doom. But the poet seeks to change this perspective by alluding to his Christian principles that Death is not final. He suggests that people are immortals’ souls that occupy mortal vessels. Therefore, Death takes humans from their mortal and temporary world to an immortal status. Most people fear death because they fear what will happen to their material possessions when they die. Others fear death because of their ignorance about the afterlife. So, the poet seeks to clarify the powerlessness of Death and suggests that Death pauses our stories and leaves us with the possibilities of creating a new life without insecurities.

Courage

            Courage resonates from the speaker throughout the poem. He has overcome his fear of Death and is confident in reassuring the readers that one should face Death with grace and courage and the belief that Death is a temporary state. He furthers notes that one cannot avoid Death but that there should be no fear because Death should never take control of one’s life.

Tone – dark, challenging, and mocking.

Line-By-Line Analysis

“Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

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.”

The poet personifies death and considers it as a human which has pride. Of the seven deadly sins, pride is the most serious and therefore, one should begin to fear Death. But the speaker has no fear of death despite its reputation. He suggests that Death is not ‘mighty and dreadful’ because Death cannot kill him. The speaker’s superior tone continues throughout the poem as he hints that he is immune to death because of his religious faith. Hence, the speaker indicates that while Death may think he overthrows his victims, it is not final. The speaker mocks Death and shows pity towards it. These opening lines indicates that Death has no real power over humanity.

Lines 5–8

“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.”

The speaker notes that sleep and rest are pleasures and that is what Death is. Sleep is natural; we wake up feeling better after sleep and death is similar. The poet goes on to say that Death takes the best men, and they get double rest because their soul is delivered to eternal life as well. The word “delivery” is associated with birth as well. So, the poet alludes to Death giving pleasure, as it helps to birth the soul. In other words, Death is important to the afterlife.

Lines 9–12

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?

The final six lines suggests that Death is not strong by itself because it relies on fate, desperate men or rulers, and chance. Death exists because of war, random accidents, and sickness. The poet alludes to opium and poppy as other elements that aid sleep. He further notes that these are like Death when it comes to sleep and therefore has no merit or strength.

Lines 13–14

One short sleep past, we wake eternally

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

The final couplet (two lines) shows that mankind’s death is just a short sleep as people awaken from Death and live in eternity. This adds the closing insult or mockery to the proud Death. The speaker notes that Death will be dead.

Literary Devices

Alliteration

When two or more consonants that begin a word are placed closely together in a line:

For those whom thou think’st…much more must flow…thou then?…we wake…Death, thou shalt die.

Assonance

When two or more words have similar vowel sounds and are placed together in a line:

thou think’st thou…much more must…bones, and soul’s…slave to fate…desperate men…

Caesura

When a line pauses midway forcefully, by punctuation:

One short sleep past, we wake eternally

Enjambment

When one of the lines of the poem flows into the other line and there is no punctuation, but the thought or idea still maintains its flow: Lines 1 – 2 and Lines 3 – 4.

Irony

The final line contains the irony that Death itself shall die.

Repetition (Anaphora)

This is used to highlight the meaning or reinforce an idea, as in lines 7, 10, 11, 12 and 14