Death be not Proud

1. Who is the poet addressing in the poem? In what tone is he addressing it? What is
he admonishing it about?
The poet is addressing Death in the poem. The poem is a dialogue between the
speaker, i.e., the poet persona and Death. Death has been personified i.e. it has been
given human qualities.
The tone of the speaker is defiant. He admonishes Death. He almost mocks Death and
its inflated sense of power. The poet debunks the belief that Death is a Victor, explaining
that it cannot kill human beings. It can merely provide rest to their weary bodies and free
their souls to heaven. He wants to show that Death has no power against the salvation
offered by Christianity.
The speaker admonishes Death for being too proud just because some people are in
awe of its power which they find intimidating. Death should not be proud because it is
neither mighty nor dreadful. It is interesting to note that Death has been given the
human quality of pride - one of the seven deadly sins.

2. According to the speaker, how do some people view death? For the speaker, how is
their viewpoint not correct? Why has Death been described in the poem as “poor”?
Which literary device is used by describing Death in this manner?
Some people are in awe of death because of its intimidating power. This makes Death
feel arrogant and haughty.
The speaker defiantly says that he does not fear death. He suggests Death does not
hold sway over the world nor can it overpower him individually. Even those who fear
Death's power are not killed by Death. Death is merely deceived into believing that it
overthrows human life by claiming it.
Further, the speaker calls Death “poor” as it is not human beings who are the subject of
pity but Death itself deserves that (denigration) (the action of unfairly criticizing
someone or something). Hence, Death is neither mighty nor dreadful.
The speaker has personified Death. He chastises Death as being full of pride - a human
characteristic. Death is also a figure of sympathy for him when he calls Death “poor
Death”. It means Death has such a misguided view of itself that it deserves to be pitied.

3. State the metaphors associated with Death used in the poem. What do these
metaphors suggest about Death?
John Donne's sonnet, "Death Be Not Proud", employs numerous literary devices,
including personification, alliteration, and metaphor. Throughout the sonnet, three
metaphors are used.
In the first two lines, Death is addressed and compared to a proud human being; Donne
writes "Death, be not proud, though some have called the mighty and dreadful". Donne
metaphorically represents death as a proud powerful human, but he contrasts the
comparison with another metaphor by the ninth line.
In line nine, Donne states that Death is "slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate
men". He ultimately compares death to a slave in order to convey the idea that death is
not as strong and powerful as one might assume.
The idea is further elevated by the end of the sonnet as Donne compares death to
something that itself can die. He states in the final lines that "poppy and charms", can
lead to death as well, which represents supernatural methods of death. Thus, he
contributes a non-existent element to Death, fundamentally eliminating the power death
is believed to have over humans.

4. How does the speaker compare Death to rest and sleep? How is death related to
sleep in the last two lines of the poem?
The speaker compares death to rest and sleep. A tired person feels rejuvenated after
rest and sleep. Death, he claims, is a mere reflection of rest and sleep whereas life
keeps on moving. Just like rest and sleep make people feel good, death becomes more
pleasurable as it is nothing but a heightened version of rest and sleep.
The last two lines of the poem, categorically state that there is no reason at all for Death
to be proud of its powers. Death can make us sleep only for a short time and then we
awake in the other world and live there eternally. Death will have no role to play. Thus,
in reality Death doesn't kill us: it is Death itself which dies.

5. Who are referred to as the “best men”? How does God treat them? Which figure of
speech is used in the line “Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery”?
The “best men” are those who are loved by God and die young.
The speaker says that the best of men on earth often die earliest, as if they were
chosen by God to get the reward of eternal life in heaven. When they die, their “bones”
get to “rest” while their “souls” are “delivered” to the afterlife. In this way, the souls are
freed from their bodily prisons. Thus, Death is a form of transition from earthly life to
eternal life in heaven.
The figure of speech used in the line, “Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery” is
‘Assonance’. It is a figure of speech in which two or more words close together in a line
have similar sounding vowels; for example bones and soul’s

6. Explain how is Death a 'slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men?
The third quatrain goes on to elaborate on Death's weakness robbing it of its mighty and
intimidating qualities. The speaker here describes Death as a 'slave to fate, chance,
kings and desperate men.' Both fate and chance can cause deaths. Kings can order
executions and desperate men unthinkingly may kill others of themselves. Thus Death
is not free. It is bound by impersonal and unpredictable forces. It is not the cause but
the instrument. The speaker goes on to accuse Death of keeping undesirable company
of poison, war and disease. As such Death here is represented as a miserable slave
who lives in the wretched company of sickness and old age.

7. Describe the three desperate elements with whom Death is said to hang out. What
does it suggest about Death? According to the speaker, is Death the best inducer of
sleep? Why?
The speaker goes on to accuse Death of keeping undesirable company of poison, war
and disease.
As such Death here is represented as a miserable slave who lives in the wretched
company of sickness and old age.
The speaker denies Death as being the best sleep inducer. Flowers such as poppy and
magic from charms are better sleep inducers as they are far gentler and more effective
in their operation.

8. Explain the paradox in the last two lines of the poem, Death be not Proud.
Paradox is a literary device that contains a self-contradictory statement that can be true.
The last two lines of the poem state that there is no reason at all for death to be proud
of its powers. Death can make us sleep only for a short time and then we awake in the
other world and live there eternally. There, Death will have no role to play. Thus, in
reality Death does not kill us: it is Death itself which dies.
The final lines of the poem contain a paradox: the speaker declares that “Death” itself
“shall be no more-i.e.,”Death itself shall die”. If Death is “no more”, how can Death die?
Death doesn't “die” in the sense that it no longer exists. People on earth will continue to
die physically. However, people's souls will “wake eternally” in heaven. Paradoxically,
then, Death is described as a kind of rebirth into the afterlife.

9. How is 'Death be not Proud' a sonnet?

The poem Death be not Proud referred to as Holy Sonnet X, is a part of the Holy Sonnet
series. The poem is written in the form of a sonnet. It has elements of both the
Petrarchan sonnet (named after Petrach, a 14th century Italian poet) and the English or
Shakespearean sonnet. Like a Petrarchan sonnet it has two main sections: the octave
and the sestet(8+6). Based on its rhyme scheme it can also be broken into three
quatrains and a concluding couplet-which is characteristic of the English sonnet (4+4+4
2). In the Petrarchan sonnet form in an octave an argument or point is presented. Its
answer is usually given in the sestet. The moment this response begins is called the
poem's turn, or volta. The turn or volta in this poem is when the speaker simply
intensifies the argument against Death's power, declaring that it's a "slave" to fate,
chance and human whims.

10. How does the poet question the traditional treatment of Death in this poem?
In this poem, John Donne has questioned the traditional treatment of Death. He does
not speak of the power of Death or its inevitability. He has chastised Death as a subject
lacking in significance and power that is ever at the mercy of others and in the company
of detestable things like 'poison, war and sickness'. Donne has tried to project an
unenviable picture of death. Further, there is a subtle evolution of his central theme, i.e.,
Death being a powerless non-entity, as he advances argument after argument to prove
his point.
Finally, at the end of the poem, he deflates the ego of Death by asking why it (Death)
swells up as if puffing itself up in pride, when in reality, it is not able to achieve anything.
It cannot determine its own course of action and is dependent on other causes. He
further goes on to prophecy that it is not human beings who would die but “Death thou
shalt die” because humans will have an eternal afterlife. For humans Death is a
temporary phase which lasts until eternal life in heaven so Death need not be proud of
its power.