"Sonnet X", also known by its opening words as "Death Be Not Proud", is a fourteen-line poem, or

sonnet A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set Rhyme scheme, rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in ...

, by English poet

John Donne John Donne ( ; 1571 or 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under Royal Patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's, D ...

(1572–1631), one of the leading figures in the

metaphysical poets The term Metaphysical poets was coined by the critic Samuel Johnson to describe a loose group of 17th-century English poets whose work was characterised by the inventive use of conceits, and by a greater emphasis on the spoken rather than lyrica ...

group of seventeenth-century

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

. Written between February and August 1609, it was first published posthumously in 1633. The poem is included as one of the nineteen sonnets that comprise Donne's ''

Holy Sonnets The ''Holy Sonnets''—also known as the ''Divine Meditations'' or ''Divine Sonnets''—are a series of nineteen poems by the English poet John Donne (1572–1631). The sonnets were first published in 1633—two years after Donne's death. They ...

'' or ''Divine Meditations'', among his best-known works. Most editions number the poem as the tenth in the

sonnet sequence A sonnet sequence or sonnet cycle is a group of sonnets thematically unified to create a long work, although generally, unlike the stanza, each sonnet so connected can also be read as a meaningful separate unit. The sonnet sequence was a very popul ...

, which follows the order of poems in the Westmoreland Manuscript (), the most complete arrangement of the cycle, discovered in the late nineteenth century. However, two editions published shortly after Donne's death include the sonnets in a different order, where this poem appears as eleventh in the ''Songs and Sonnets'' (published 1633) and sixth in ''Divine Meditations'' (published 1635). "Death Be Not Proud" presents an argument against the power of death. Addressing Death as a person, the speaker warns Death against pride in his power. Such power is merely an illusion, and the end Death thinks it brings to men and women is in fact a rest from world-weariness for its alleged "victims." The poet criticizes Death as a slave to other forces: fate, chance, kings, and desperate men. Death is not in control, for a variety of other powers exercise their volition in taking lives. Even in the rest it brings, Death is inferior to drugs. Finally, the speaker predicts the end of Death itself, stating, "Death, thou shalt die."

Poem

Donne had a major illness that brought him close to death during his eighth year as an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

minister. The illness may have been

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

, but in recent years it has been shown that he may have had a relapsing fever in combination with other illnesses. The sonnet has an ABBA ABBA CDDC EE

rhyme scheme A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other. An example of the ABAB rh ...

("eternalLY" is meant to rhyme with "DIE"). The last line alludes to 1 Corinthians 15:26: "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death". The poem's opening words are echoed in a contemporary poem, "Death be not proud, thy hand gave not this blow", sometimes attributed to Donne, but more likely by his patron Lucy Harington Russell, Countess of Bedford.

Influence on other works

'' Death Be Not Proud'' (1949) by

John Gunther John Gunther (August 30, 1901 – May 29, 1970) was an Americans, American journalist and writer. His success came primarily by a series of popular sociopolitical works, known as the "Inside" books (1936–1972), including the best-sell ...

, is a memoir of his son's struggle with — and ultimately death from — a brain tumor. In the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

–winning play ''Wit'' by

Margaret Edson Margaret "Maggie" Edson (born July 4, 1961) is an American playwright. She is a recipient of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play '' Wit''. She has been a public school teacher since 1992. Background and education Edson was born in Was ...

(and the film adaptation with

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Emma Thompson on screen and stage, Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Emma Thompson, her accola ...

), the sonnet plays a central role.

References

Sources

*Schaper, Arthur.
Poetry Analysis: 'Death Be Not Proud' By John Donne
. Classical Poets, 2013. Accessed 24 February 2020.

External links

"Death Be Not Proud" in Representative Poetry Online
* http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides3/DeathBe.html * http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15836 * {{John Donne 1609 poems 1633 poems Poetry by John Donne Poems about death Poems published posthumously Quotations from literature 17th-century neologisms 17th-century quotations

Poem

Influence on other works

References

Sources

Further reading

External links