Explication of John Donne's 'Death Be Not Proud' as a Sonnet

This essay provides a detailed analysis of John Donne's poem 'Death Be Not Proud,' examining its structure as a sonnet and its characteristics as a piece of metaphysical poetry. The analysis begins by defining the sonnet form and its origins, highlighting the works of Petrarch and Shakespeare, and then delves into the poem's structure. The essay explores how Donne employs both Petrarchan and Shakespearean elements, discussing the rhyme scheme and the use of quatrains and a concluding couplet. The analysis focuses on Donne's arguments against the power of death, personifying death and critiquing its pride and influence. The essay also examines the use of conceits and hyperboles, common in metaphysical poetry, and how Donne synthesizes his arguments in the final couplet. Finally, the essay concludes by emphasizing the poem's brilliance as a traditional sonnet and a prime example of metaphysical poetry, highlighting Donne's style and his utilization of the sonnet framework.

RUNNING HEAD: POEM ANALYSIS
Death Be Not Proud as a Sonnet
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RUNNING HEAD: POEM ANALYSIS
Written by John Donne, “Death Be Not Proud” is a poem presenting the arguments against the
power of death. The harbinger of the Metaphysical style of Poetry, Donne personifies death and
addresses death, warning him about its false glory and pride that it takes because of its power of
being the ultimate truth.
The poem was written in Donne’s selection of “Holy Sonnet 10”. Much has been debated
about the nature of the poem as a sonnet. In order to discuss a poem to analysis whether a poem
follows the Sonnet’s structure in form and as device, it is important to analyze Sonnet as a
literary form.
A sonnet is generally considered as a poetic form to be originated at the court of the Holy
Roman Emperor Fredrick 2in Sicily. Giacomo da lentini of Italy is considered to be the
profounder of sonnet. The term is derived from the Italian word Sonetto which means a little
song or a little poem. By the time of the thirteenth century this form of poetry writing became
famous and came to popular as the fourteen lines poem following a strict rhyme scheme. In
English, though this form was introduced by Sir Thomas Wyatt and earl of summary, it was
populated by Petrarch and Shakespeare. While Petrarchan sonnet is a direct reflection of the Italy
Renaissance Sonnet with 14 lines and Iambic pentameter, the Shakespearean sonnet was
however, the rework of the Petrarchan sonnet, where he divided the poem in three divisions
(Spiller).
In his rhyming scheme of “Death be not proud” Donne makes use of both Petrarchan as
well as Shakespearean sonnet. Following the Shakespearean sonnet, the poem has there are three
quatrains and a concluding couplet (Marno). The rhyming scheme is however, petrarchan as it
follows the scheme of abba in the first two quatrains and finally groups them into an octet in the
final stanza. In the third stanza he switches to cddc and the couplet rhymes in ee.

RUNNING HEAD: POEM ANALYSIS
The poet introduces his subject in the first quatrain and addresses the same to the
audience of the poem which is death. In this stanza, the poet personifies death and warns him not
to take pride in his power. In the concluding line of the quatrain contains the argumentative by
declaring to death that those it kill, “die not” and the poet also will not be killed in the way.
The poet starts the second quatrain relating closely with the first quatrain through the
abba rhyming scheme where the tone is more about praising the death for its good qualities
rather than fearing the perilous death. Donne then enters a segment where he criticizes death for
thinking highly about his own power. According to him, death does not possess any extra power,
neither does it has the will to operate by his own will. He is, according to Donne, is the “slave of
fate, chance, kings and desperate men”
The thesis as well the antithesis presented in the previous two stanzas comes a synthesis in the
last couplet presented by Donne in the poem. Donne has been an iconoclast in his own genre of
metaphysical poetry and thus, makes use of farfetched conceits as well as the robust approaches
in his method of synthesis. This usage of the conceits or hyperboles are also an example of
following the Petrarchan sonnet style. Petrarch in his sonnets made use of strong hyperboles to
describe his lady love. He often seemed to be overwhelmed by the divine beauty of his love and
often uses dismay regarding the ignoring attitude of the lover. Donne too, had used in this poem,
the hyperboles in criticizing as well as praising death. In the final section, the poet caps his
arguments against death and brings on with the final resolution that the death is nothing but the
servant to other powers and thus, has nothing for itself to boast (Donne), .Moreover, Donne,
being a perfect metaphysical poet shows his knowledge in various sections including Christian
religion by telling the fact that death itself are resurrected o their eternal reward and is thus,
destined to die.

RUNNING HEAD: POEM ANALYSIS
The poem is thus, a brilliant example of a traditional sonnet and a metaphysical poetry. In
his following of his predecessors, Petrarch and Shakespeare in style and form, the poem “Death
be not Proud” is a perfect sonnet. On the other hand, Donne also showed his masterstroke in
utilizing the framework of sonnet within the relatively new trend of metaphysical poetry.

RUNNING HEAD: POEM ANALYSIS
Reference List:
Donne, John, . 'Death be Not Proud'. ProQuest LLC, 2004.
Marno, David. Death Be Not Proud: The Art of Holy Attention. University of Chicago Press,
2016
Spiller, Michael RG. The development of the sonnet: An introduction. Routledge, 2013.
Donne, John. "Holy Sonnet 10." The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 5th edn (New
York: WW Norton & Co., 1986) (2010): 1099.