Death Be Not proud
by John Donne
Presented by: Matt Gordon
And Khala Febres
Death Be Not Proud lines 1-4
• Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
Lines 1-4 Analysis
• The Poem Begins by addressing death dramatically and
directly
• It does this by personifying death
• The poem first attacks death for its pride calling it mighty
and dreadful
• The people who think the can ”overthrow” death do not
really die
• The author feels he cannot be defeated by death
• In line four John Donne puts death at a place of pity
because he feels death is powerless.
Lines 5-8
• From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Lines 5-8 Analysis
• Death should not be feared
• There is an analogy between death and sleep and since
sleep is pleasurable death should be also
• Poem argues that it is not a tragedy when the good die
young
• They should die willingly so their bodies can be buried in
the ground and their souls can be released into Heaven
• Poem continues to argue that Death is not powerful
• Death provides the believing Christian a reward
Lines 9-12
• Thou art slave to Fate,
Chance, kings, and
desperate men,
And dost with poyson,
warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can
make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake;
why swell'st thou then;
Lines 9-12 Analysis
• Death is not a master, it is a slave
• Death is dealt to others by fate and chance-personified
• Death is a slave to “desperate men”- those who try to
commit suicide
• Death’s allies are not loyal companions but are actually
hostile: poison, war, sickness-personified
• The "poppy" is a flower used to make opium, an oldfashioned drug that makes people really happy,
• The poppy or magic charms would work even better to
make us sleep than Death would
Lines 13 and 14
• One short sleepe past,
wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no
more; death, thou shalt
die
Lines 13 and 14 Analysis
• This is not an eternal sleep that is awaits
us but a short one before we wake
eternally
• John Donne finishes the poem by stating
that Donne will not be the one to die but
Death will.
Personification
• When inanimate objects are given human
characteristics and, therefore, human
significance.
• What is personified in this poem?
• What effect does this have?