John Donne’s Holy Sonnets Analysis Essay - 511 Words

John Donne’s Holly Sonnet, as found in any English sonnet, there is a rhyme scheme and a standard meter. Although the rhyme differs a little from the usual Petrarchan sonnet it is still categorized as one, consisting of ABBA ABBA CDDC AE. Throughout existence, there have been many theories regarding exactly what role Death plays in the lives of humans. Some think Death is the ultimate controller of all living things, while others believe it is nothing more than the act of dying, once your time has come. Donne, on the other hand, has his own philosophy. The entire Sonnet, Donne speaks directly to Death. He starts off by saying â€Å"Death be not proud† meaning that even if other people think Death is dreadful and mighty, death isn’t†¦show more content†¦Death is ridiculed and dishonoured, given an impression of being homeless and poor. Donne claims that death has no power over him or anybody else. The tone is daring and he seems to challenge death. â€Å"Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so† (line 2) the person is obviously fearless and confident about what he is saying about death. Death is shown a sense of insecurity in line three when the speaker says, â€Å"For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow, die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.† He gives Death life, and therefore makes it mortal, exposing it to pain, torment and eventually defeat. In line nine, the speaker goes against that to say that Death is a slave to fate and chance. Next, in line 10 he says â€Å"And dost with poison, war† and sickness dwell,† Therefore, not only is Death a slave, but it is also dependent on people in order to survive. By referring to Death as a person, he makes it easier for the reader to bring Death down to a level of a weakness, allowing us to examine it to see what Death really is. Donne is telling Death that all those who it think Death killed something it really didn’t, and that it cant kill him, again proving that Death is not what takes lives but what delivers them. Although we tell Death it does not control what our destiny, we still recognize that eventually all of us will get there one way or another as stated in lines seven and eight, â€Å"And soonest ourShow MoreRelated The Analysis Of The Profane And Sacred In John Donnes Poems The Flea And Holy Sonnet 141801 Words   |  8 PagesJohn Donne who is considered to be one of the wittiest poets of the seventeenth century writes the metaphysical poem The Flea and the religious poem Holy Sonnet 14. 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