Marlowe, Raleigh, Shakespeare, and Donne
The Life of
Christopher
Marlowe
(1564-1593)
Born—February 6, 1564 in
Canterbury, England
 Baptized Catholic
 Eldest son of a shoemaker
 Lived during the same time as
Shakespeare
 English poet and dramatist



At 14 he started at King’s
School

The university was
reluctant to grant the
degree because they
suspected that Marlowe
was an atheist.

The queen’s Privy Council
intervened and the degree
was granted.
In 1581, Marlowe was
granted a six-year
scholarship to study at
Corpus Christi College in
Cambridge, England

1584—earned his B.A.

1587—began his M.A.

Did not join the clergy but went to London to
write plays for The Admiral’s Men.

He is renowned for his elaborate style that
influenced the tragic style used by his
predecessors.

Considered by many to be the chief of dramatic
form.

Died May 30, 1593 during a brawl at a tavern in Deptford,
England. He was stabbed in the eye.

Some believe that he was a secret agent.

Some believed that he was involved with secret peace
negotiations.

Some believe his quick temper and lawless past led to his
demise.

His life and death are both mysterious but his early death
provided a preface for Shakespeare’s fame.
Setting
Christopher Marlowe sets the poem in early spring in a rural
locale (presumably in England) where shepherds tend their
flocks. The use of the word madrigals (Line 8)–referring to
poems set to music and sung by two to six voices with a
single melody or interweaving melodies–suggests that the
time is the 16th Century, when madrigals were highly
popular in England and elsewhere in Europe. However, the
poem could be about any shepherd of any age in any
country, for such is the universality of its theme.

The Passionate Shepherd: He importunes a woman–
presumably a young and pretty country girl–to become his
sweetheart and enjoy with him all the pleasures that nature
has to offer.

The Shepherd’s Love: The young woman who receives the
Passionate Shepherd’s message.

Swains: Young country fellows whom the Passionate
Shepherd promises will dance for his love.
“The Passionate Shepherd” is a pastoral poem.
Pastoral poems generally center on the love of a
shepherd for a maiden (as in Marlowe’s poem), on
the death of a friend, or on the quiet simplicity of
rural life. The writer of a pastoral poem may be an
educated city dweller, like Marlowe, who extolls the
virtues of a shepherd girl or longs for the peace and
quiet of the country. Pastoral is derived from the
Latin word pastor, meaning shepherd.
The theme of “The Passionate Shepherd” is
the rapture of springtime love in a simple,
rural setting. Implicit in this theme is the
motif of carpe diem–Latin for “seize the day.”
Carpe diem urges people to enjoy the
moment without worrying about the future.
In each stanza, the first line rhymes with the second, and the
third rhymes with the fourth. The meter is iambic tetrameter,
with eight syllables (four iambic feet) per line. (An iambic
foot consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed
syllable.) The following graphic presentation illustrates the
rhyme scheme and meter of Stanza 1:
Come LIVE.|.with ME.|.and BE.|.my LOVE,
And WE.|.will ALL.|.the PLEA.|.sures PROVE
That HILLS.|.and VALL.|.eys, DALE.|.and FIELD,
And ALL.|.the CRAG.|.gy MOUNT.|.ains YIELD.
Over the centuries, Marlowe’s little poem has
enjoyed widespread popularity because it captures
the joy of simple, uncomplicated, love. The
shepherd does not worry whether his status makes
him acceptable to the girl; nor does he appear
concerned about money or education. The future
will take carry of itself. What matters is the moment.
So, he says, let us enjoy it–sitting on a rock listening
to the birds.






Dales – valleys
Melodious – musical
Madrigals – a short, musical poem about love
Posies – flowers
Embroider’d – sewn
Swains – young boys from the country

1. a) What does the shepherd in Marlowe's poem offer his love
to make his world sound attractive and desirable?
b) What things does he offer her that he cannot possibly
provide?

2. Notice that lines 19 and 20 at the end of the fifth stanza in
Marlowe's poem almost repeat the poem's opening lines.
a) What effect is created by this near repetition?
b) Instead of ending with this refrain-like repetition, the
shepherd goes on for another stanza. Does the promise of the
final stanza add anything new to the promises made earlier? If
so, what does it add?

3. What, metaphorically, does the speaker want to
prove in the first stanza?

4. What is the purpose of the Shepherd’s poem?

5. Why has Marlowe capitalized “Love” when he
speaks to the young maiden in the poem?
Born: October
1552 in Devon
Died: October
29, 1618 in
London
Nationality:
British
Religion: Born
to a prominent
Protestant
family






Writer
Poet
Soldier
Courtier: a person who attends the court
(centre of government and residence) of the
monarch
Explorer
Colonizer (founder of Virginia)



Was similar to Marlowe in the sense that
both men were reckless, free-thinkers who
eventually came to violent ends.
Was noted for his charisma, wit, and
womanizing
Was in and out of favour with Queen
Elizabeth I.
Loved by the queen in the 1580s.
Was frequently at court.
The queen found out about his secret marriage to
one of her maids of honor, Elizabeth
Throckmorton, in 1592.
 Raleigh was imprisoned in The Tower of London
but regained her favour through military exploits
and voyages to South America.




His success came to a halt when James I, from Scotland,
came to the throne in 1603.

James I accused Raleigh of plotting to bar his ascension to
the throne and had him imprisoned until 1616.

Released to make one last voyage to South America to
search for gold.

Voyage was a failure.

Raleigh’s men burned a Spanish settlement, Spain
demanded he be arrested (James I was happy to carry out
this demand), and Raleigh was executed for treason in
1618.

On the night before he died he wrote one of
his best poems, “The Author’s Epitaph,
Made by Himself.”

While on the scaffold, he smiled as he ran
his finger along the ax and said, “This is a
sharp medicine, but it is a physician for all
diseases.”

In an obvious attempt to impress the queen,
Raleigh laid his plush and expensive cloak
over a mud puddle so the queen would not
muddy her feet.

Raleigh introduced and popularized the use of
tobacco in Europe (this is fact, not legend).

Immediately before his death, Raleigh asked for
one last smoke of tobacco.

His request was granted, and it is believed that this
established the tradition of allowing prisoners one
last cigarette before their execution.

Relatively straightforward and easily
understood.

Often appears to express contempt for the
world around him (as in the poems “What
is Our Life” and “The Lie”).

Expresses sarcasm and satire at social flaws
(as in the poem “The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd”).

Written in response to Marlowe’s “The Passionate
Shepherd to His Love.”

Speaker of the poem is not the author

Traditional pastoral mode—shepherds, idealized, and
rustic landscape.

The nymph may be considered “anti-pastoral”—
opposed to the perfection of nature.

Satirical mode—the nymph dismisses the shepherd’s
romantic pleas because she does not see happiness in
terms of material comfort . She also knows how
quickly promises are broken.

It's important to note that the narrator is not
necessarily the poet; Marlowe is no more the
"Shepherd" from the first poem than Raleigh
is the "Nymph" in the second.

Both poets are using traditional voices from
pastoral literature which uses shepherds and
an idealized rustic landscape to indirectly
explore a range of ideas and themes.

Rhyme Scheme and Meter

Theme

Figures of Speech (find two)
"The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd"

1.
a) What assumption made by Marlowe's shepherd does Raleigh's
nymph begin by attacking?
b) How does she follow up this attack?

2. As in Marlow's poem, lines 19 and 20 of the fifth stanza of Raleigh's
poem sound like a summarizing refrain. Yet the nymph, like the
shepherd, goes on for an additional stanza.
a) Why does this last stanza begin with "But?"
b) How are lines 19 and 20 transformed in lines 23 and 24.
c) Describe the change in attitude in the last stanza in the poem, and how it
affects your evaluation of the nymph's reply.

Born in Stratford-on-Avon (a small town about
90 miles from London)on April 23, 1564.

Father was John Shakespeare, a glove maker.
His mother, Mary Arden, came from a good
family with considerable land and fortune.

Average student who focused mainly on Latin
grammar but also on French later in London.

Traveling players came to Stratford; this was his
introduction to drama.

Married Anne Hathaway, a woman 6 years older than him, at the
age of 18 on November 27, 1592.

May 26, 1583, their first child, Susanna, was born.

February 2, 1585, they had twins, Hamnet and Judith.

1587-1592 (The Lost Years) Shakespeare left his family (people
believed he was running from the law) to go to London to earn
fortune and fame.

It was believed that Anne did not join him because she was a
Puritan (a Puritan being a religious fanatic who believed that the
stage and actors corrupted people's morals). Puritanism was so
strong in London that eventually all the theatres were closed.

Joined a theatrical company (sponsored by Queen Elizabeth
herself) and became a noted actor, playwright, and poet.
By 1592 he was an established actor but his money was earned by
gate admissions, not from the sale of his plays.
 Theatres were reopened in 1594 after closing temporarily during a
plague epidemic.


After this, Shakespeare focused on writing plays. He wrote 37 by
the time of his retirement in 1610. He wrote comedies, histories,
tragedies, and many sonnets.

Throughout his career, he was a member of the Lord
Chamberlain's Men (later the King's Men) and worked closely with
Richard Burbage.

Dies on April 23, 1616, but was predeceased by his son, Hamnet.

Left his property to his daughter and his "second-best-bed" to his
wife.

Remains unmatched as a writer because of his ability to
understand the truths of the human condition and his skill of
expression. Perfectly communicated profound, universal concepts
in creative, lyrical language.

Introduced the concept of "Blank Verse" – there are 5 feet to a line
and each foot is written in Iambic Pentameter.

Used other stylistic tools such as puns, metaphors, soliloquies,
asides, similes, apostrophes, and personification.
The Reasons Behind Shakespeare's Influence and Popularity
Ben Jonson anticipated Shakespeare’s dazzling future when
he declared, "He was not of an age, but for all time!" in the
preface to the First Folio. While most people know that
Shakespeare is, in fact, the most popular dramatist and poet
the Western world has ever produced, students new to his
work often wonder why this is so.
The following are the top four reasons why Shakespeare has
stood the test of time.
Shakespeare’s ability to summarize the range of
human emotions in simple yet profoundly eloquent
verse is perhaps the greatest reason for his enduring
popularity. If you cannot find words to express how
you feel about love or music or growing older,
Shakespeare can speak for you. No author in the
Western world has penned more beloved passages.
Shakespeare's work is the reason John Bartlett
compiled the first major book of familiar quotations.
• The seven ages of man
• Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
• We band of brothers
• The green-eyed monster
• What's in a name?
• Now is the winter of our discontent
• If music be the food of love
• Beware the ides of March
• We are such stuff as dreams are made on
• Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
• To be, or not to be: that is the question
Marchette Chute, in the Introduction to her famous retelling of Shakespeare’s
stories, summarizes one of the reasons for Shakespeare’s immeasurable fame:
William Shakespeare was the most remarkable storyteller that the world has
ever known. Homer told of adventure and men at war, Sophocles and Tolstoy
told of tragedies and of people in trouble. Terence and Mark Twain told cosmic
stories, Dickens told melodramatic ones, Plutarch told histories and Hand
Christian Andersen told fairy tales. But Shakespeare told every kind of story –
comedy, tragedy, history, melodrama, adventure, love stories and fairy tales –
and each of them so well that they have become immortal. In all the world of
storytelling he has become the greatest name. (Stories from Shakespeare, 11)
Shakespeare's stories transcend time and culture. Modern storytellers continue
to adapt Shakespeare’s tales to suit our modern world, whether it be the tale of
Lear on a farm in Iowa, Romeo and Juliet on the mean streets of New York City,
or Macbeth in feudal Japan.

Shakespeare invented his share of stock characters, but his
truly great characters – particularly his tragic heroes – are
unequalled in literature, dwarfing even the sublime creations
of the Greek tragedians. Shakespeare’s great characters
have remained popular because of their complexity; for
example, we can see ourselves as gentle Hamlet, forced
against his better nature to seek murderous revenge. For this
reason Shakespeare is deeply admired by actors, and many
consider playing a Shakespearean character to be the most
difficult and most rewarding role possible.

Many of the common expressions now thought to
be clichés were Shakespeare's creations. Chances
are you use Shakespeare's expressions all the time
even though you may not know it is the Bard you
are quoting. You may think that fact is "neither here
nor there", but that's "the short and the long of it.“
***See Handout/Assignment***

Published in 1609 but most were written in the 1590s

154 sonnets in total and suggest an elusive and mysterious "story“

Sonnets 1-126 are addressed mainly to a young man of great
beauty and promise. The speaker expresses affection and
admiration for the young man, urges him to marry and have
children, and warns him about the destructive power of time, age,
and moral weakness.

Sonnets 78-86 are concerned with a rival poet who has also
addressed poems to the young man.

Sonnets 127-154 are addressed to a lady with dark hair, eyes and
complexion. Both the speaker and the young man seem to be
romantically involved with her.

There is no evidence to connect these sonnets
with the facts of Shakespeare's own life though
some speculate that they are auto-biographical
in nature.

The situations and relationships suggested in
the sonnets are a means through which
Shakespeare explores universal questions about
time and death, about beauty and moral
integrity, about love and about poetry itself.

A lyric poem that is 14 lines long

Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnets are divided into
two quatrains and a six-line sestet with a rhyme
scheme of abba abba cdecde (or cdcdcd)

English (or Shakesperian) sonnets are composed
of three quatrains and a final couplet with a
rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg

English sonnets are generally written in Iambic
Pentameter

Sonnet 18 is the best known and most well-loved of all 154
sonnets. It is also one of the most straightforward in
language and intent. The stability of love and its power to
immortalize the poetry and the subject of that poetry is the
theme.

The poet starts the praise of his dear friend without
showiness, but he slowly builds the image of his friend into
that of a perfect being. His friend is first compared to
summer in the octave, but, at the start of the third quatrain,
he is summer, and thus, he has metamorphosed into the
standard by which true beauty can and should be judged.

The poet's only answer to such profound joy and
beauty is to ensure that his friend be forever in
human memory, saved from the oblivion that
accompanies death. He achieves this through his
verse, believing that, as history writes itself, his
friend will become one with time. The final couplet
reaffirms the poet's hope that as long as there is
breath in mankind, his poetry too will live on, and
ensure the immortality of his muse.
1. How does Shakespeare use language and metaphor to present the young man’s
beauty in Sonnet 18?
2. What question does the poetic speaker ask himself in the opening lines of this
sonnet? What does he ultimately decide about whether or not this comparison is
a good one?
3. What are some of the problems with a summer's day that the poet discusses in
the first eight lines? What does the poet mean when he says, "But thy eternal
summer shall not fade"?
4. The poet also promises, "Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade." Does
this seem possible or plausible as a promise?
5. The last two lines, however, limit the promise to "So long as men can breathe, or
eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee." What does the "this"
refer to? How does "this" continue to give this young man/woman life--even four
hundred years after Shakespeare wrote the poem?

Sonnet 29 shows the poet at his most insecure and troubled.
He feels unlucky, shamed, and fiercely jealous of those
around him. What causes the poet's anguish will remain a
mystery; as will the answer to whether the sonnets are
autobiographical.

However, an examination of Shakespeare’s life around the
time he wrote Sonnet 29 reveals two traumatic events that
may have shaped the theme of the sonnet.
 In 1592 the London theatres closed due to a severe outbreak of
plague. Although it is possible that Shakespeare toured the outlying
areas of London, it is almost certain that he left the theatre entirely
during this time to work on his sonnets and narrative poems. The
closing of the playhouses made it hard for Shakespeare and other
actors of the day to earn a living. With plague and poverty looming it is
expected that he would feel "in disgrace with fortune" (1).
 Moreover, in 1592 there came a scathing attack on Shakespeare by
dramatist Robert Greene, who, in a deathbed diary, warned three of
his fellow university-educated playwrights: "There is an upstart Crow,
beautified with our feathers, that with his Tygers heart wrapt in a
Players hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blanke verse
as the best of you; and, beeing an absolute Johannes fac totum, is in
his owne conceit the onely Shake-scene in a countrey."
1. In Sonnet 29, what two moods are
contrasted?
2. What kind of men does the speaker say he
envies?
3. What causes his change of mood in the last
few lines of the poem?
4. Judging from the reference in lines 11-12,
what would you say the lark symbolizes?
1. What, according to Shakespeare, are the acts in a man’s life?
2. What is Shakespeare’s concept of life?
3. Lines 152-153:
a) Name the stage in man’s life.
b) What is the figure of speech in the first line?
c) Why does the lover sigh?
4. Lines 155-157:
a) Who is referred to here?
b) What are the distinguishing features of the soldier?
5. Lines 165 – 166:
a) In which act is the man playing this part?
b) What features of old age are mentioned here?
6. Lines 143-147:
a) What poetic device is used in these lines?
b) To what in man’s life does the poet compare the exits and
entrances of the stage to?
c) Explain the phrase “one man in his time.”
7. Lines 149-151:
a) Which stage of human life is described in these lines?
b) What are the words or phrases which indicate that the boy is not
willing to go to school?
8. Lines 154 – 157:
a) Which stage of human life is described in the above
lines? What are the main characteristics of this stage?
b) What is the “bubble reputation” and how is it linked
with the cannon’s mouth?
9. Lines 157-161:
a) How does a man look in this stage of life?
b) What does he do to show his wisdom? Why?
10. How is the last stage of a man’s life described?
He was a “…new kind of poet…a
Copernicus in poetry” (Carey xix).
John Donne was born in London in
1572.
 He was the son of a wealthy
ironmonger. Unfortunately, his
father died when he was only four
years old.
 John’s family was strongly Catholic,
a cause of some conflict for the
family because of anti-Catholic
feelings in England.
(Jokinen)
 As a Catholic in England, his
birthright was persecution and
rejection.
(Carey xix)


John was well educated by
Jesuit priests as a boy.

He later attended Oxford
University but was not granted
a degree because of his refusal
to take the Oath of Supremacy
(that the King/Queen is the
supreme head of the Church in
England).

Donne later studied law.
(Jokinen)

While associated with the Inns of Court ( an institution that specialized
in the study of law), Donne’s love lyrics and satires circulated among
students.
(Abrams)

The speaker of his love elegies is a swaggering nonconformist; he is a
lewd yet intelligent seducer of women of the bourgeoisie out to take his
pleasure and their fathers’ money.

The speaker of the satires is serious, responsible, moralistic and deplores
vice and corruption; he is especially critical of courtiers and state officials
seeking power and success by climbing England’s social ladder.
(Carey xx-xxi)

In 1593, his brother Henry died in
prison.

He had been imprisoned for
harbouring a Catholic priest.
It is speculated that this event may
have lead to Donne’s questioning
of his Catholic faith.
(Jokinen)


In his youth, Donne spent his money on
womanizing, books, theatre and travel.

He joined naval expeditions against the
Spanish in Spain and the Azores.

In 1601, at age 29, he became a member of
Queen Elizabeth’s last parliament. (Jokinen)

His career suffered a set back, however, due to
his secret marriage to Ann More, niece of Lady
Egerton and daughter of Sir George More,
Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.

He lost his job and was imprisoned for some
weeks; because of the scandal, he would
struggle financially for a decade while
endeavoring to re-establish his reputation.

In his 40’s, Donne converted to
Protestantism, thus winning
the favour of King James I.

With the king’s
encouragement, he took holy
orders in 1615 and became the
Royal Chaplain.

He was greatly admired for his
preaching style which used
elaborate metaphors and
religious symbolism to great
dramatic effect.
(Jokinen)

In 1617, when she was just 33
years old, his wife Ann died
after giving birth to their 12th
child. Unfortunately, the child
was stillborn.

Many of his later poems would
demonstrate an apprehension
of death, especially as he
struggled with his own illness.

His Holy Meditation #17 is a
good example of this
preoccupation with death.
(Jokinen)
"No man is an island, entire of
itself; every man is a piece of
the continent, a part of the
main. If a clod be washed away
by the sea, Europe is the less...
Any man's death diminishes
me, because I am involved in
mankind; and therefore never
send to know for whom the bell
tolls; it tolls for thee."
– John Donne, 1624,
Meditation XVII

In 1621, Donne was appointed Dean of St.
Paul’s Cathedral.

Obsessed with the idea of death, Donne
posed for a portrait in a shroud. The
painting was completed a few weeks
before his death and later used to create
an effigy.

He preached what was called his own
funeral sermon, “Death’s Duel”, just a few
weeks before he died in London on March
31, 1631.

He was buried at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Donne's monument is the only one to
survive the Great Fire of London in 1666
and can still be seen today at St. Paul's.
(Jokinen)
XVII.

Thankfully,
Donne left us
powerful love
poetry, divine
poems and
holy sonnets
reflecting his
religious
struggles, and
satires.
(Jokinen)
Since she whom I loved hath paid her last debt
To Nature, and to hers, and my good is dead,
And her soul early into heaven ravishèd,
Wholly on heavenly things my mind is set.
Here the admiring her my mind did whet
To seek thee, God; so streams do show the head;
But though I have found thee, and thou my thirst
hast fed,
A holy thirsty dropsy melts me yet.
But why should I beg more love, whenas thou
Dost woo my soul, for hers offering all thine:
And dost not only fear lest I allow
My love to saints and angels, things divine,
But in thy tender jealousy dost doubt
Lest the world, flesh, yea, devil put thee out.

His writing shows a mind that was restlessly
energetic, highly individualistic, and essentially
dramatic.

It challenges his readers’ minds to be as daring and
agile as his own.

He began a trend in poetry: he was the original
METAPHYSICAL POET (Abrams).

of Greek origins meaning “beyond” (meta) the “physical” (matter in Aristotle’s
works).

is a branch of philosophy that investigates principles of reality transcending those
of any particular science.

A central branch of metaphysics is ontology, the investigation into what types of
things there are in the world and what relations these things bear to one another.

The metaphysician also attempts to clarify the notions by which people
understand the world, including existence, objecthood, property, space, time,
causality, and possibility.

Before the development of modern science, scientific questions were addressed
as a part of metaphysics known as “natural philosophy“.

The scientific method, however, made natural philosophy an empirical and
experimental activity unlike the rest of philosophy, and by the end of the
eighteenth century it had begun to be called "science" to distinguish it from
philosophy.

Thereafter, metaphysics became the philosophical enquiry of a non-empirical
character into the nature of existence.

Metaphysical poets wrote both love poems and deeply religious
devotional poems.

The poetry categorizes human love and more specifically, human
romantic passion, as a Divine experience comparable to the Afterlife.

It is concerned with defining the entire human experience (love,
romantic and sensual; man's relationship with God, and to a lesser extent
pleasure, learning and art).

Metaphysical poetry is considered great because of its scathing wit,
wordplay, and irony.

It is always meditative and lyrical in nature.

It often presents complicated arguments to confront life’s complications.
(Abrams)

Uses elaborate, intellectualized images (often called “conceits”—a figure of
speech where a parallel is drawn between two dissimilar things to create
striking imagery).

Extensive use of paradox (a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or
absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth).
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Multi-layered use of symbol and metaphor.

Rhythm and meter is irregular to reflect the irregular and unpredictable
movements of an active mind and of an informal speaking voice.
(Abrams)
Title and Publication Information
The poem first appeared as “Holy Sonnet X” in a collection of 19 sonnets
by John Donne (1572-1631). However, its title came to be known as
“Death, Be Not Proud” (after the first four words of the poem). It was
written between 1601 and 1610—the exact year is uncertain—and
published after Donne died.
Type of Work
“Death, Be Not Proud" is a sonnet (14-line poem) similar in format to that
established in Italy by Petrarch (1304-1374), a Roman Catholic priest who
popularized the sonnet form before it was adopted and modified in
England. Petrarch's sonnets each consist of an eight-line stanza (octave)
and a six-line stanza (sestet). The first stanza presents a theme, and the
second stanza develops it.
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Theme
Rhyme Scheme
Meter
Figures of Speech
Questions
Personal View of the Poem

Theme (3 Marks)

Rhyme Scheme and Meter (7 Marks)

Figures of Speech (name two) – reference
the line(s) in which the figure of speech is
found and explain. (2 marks each)
1. Why does Donne consistently capitalize the word death?
(1 mark)
2. What is the tone in Donne’s poem? Defend your answer.
(2 marks)
3. Give an interpretation of the title of the poem.
(1 mark)
4. Why would the poet write “think’st” and “swell’st” instead of
writing “thinkest” and “swellest”?
(1 mark)

Complete a 1/3-1/2 page paragraph summary
of the poem. (10 Marks)

Make at least 3 specific line references as
evidence to support your claims.

Do NOT use the internet for this assignment.
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Rhyme Scheme and Meter

The rhyme scheme of "Death, Be Not Proud"
is as follows: ABBA, ABBA, CDDC, EE. The
meter varies, although most lines are in
iambic pentameter.
“Death Be Not Proud” is among the most famous and most
beloved poems in English literature. Its popularity lies in its
message of hope couched in eloquent, quotable language.
Donne’s theme tells the reader that death has no right to be
proud, since human beings do not die but live eternally after
“one short sleep.” Although some people depict death as
mighty and powerful, it is really a lowly slave that depends
on luck, accidents, decrees, murder, disease, and war to put
men to sleep. But a simple poppy (whose seeds provide a
juice to make a narcotic) and various charms (incantations,
amulets, spells, etc.) can also induce sleep—and do it better
than death can. After a human being’s soul leaves the body
and enters eternity, it lives on; only death dies.
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To convey his message, Donne relies primarily on
personification, a type of metaphor, that extends through
the entire poem. (Such an extended metaphor is often called
a conceit.) Thus, death becomes a person whom Donne
addresses, using the second-person singular (implied or
stated as thou, thee, and thy). Donne also uses alliteration, as
the following lines illustrate:
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Line 4: Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst though kill me
Line 6: Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow
Line 13: One short sleep past, we wake eternally (Note: One
begins with a w sound; thus, it alliterates with we and wake.)
Donne ends the poem with paradox and irony: Death, thou
shalt die.
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Abrams, M.H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature.
New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1987. Print.
Boldt, Danielle, Sarah Carlin, and Erin Maguire. "The Life of Christopher
Marlowe." Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593). LtWr 308 A, n.d. Web. 28
Mar 2010.<http://public.csusm.edu/marlowe/index.html>.
Carey, John. Introduction. John Donne: A Critical Edition of the Major Works.
Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1990. xix-xxxii. Print.
Jokinen, Anniina. "The Life of John Donne." Luminarium.
22 June 2006. Web. 27 May 2010.
Mabillard, Amanda. Why Study Shakespeare? Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug.
2000. (January 31st, 2011) < http://www.shakespeareonline.com/biography/whystudyshakespeare.html >.