John Donne
By Will Appman and Kevin Conwell
Early Life of Donne (1572-1631)
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Born in London in 1572
Roman Catholic Faith
Studied at Oxford University (dropped out)
Continued law studies in London, degree in
1596
• Completed Spanish expeditions following
education
• Also known for secular works
Work
• The Holy Sonnets- a collection of sonnets
written by Donne
• Holy Sonnet 10 = Death Be Not Proud
• Sonnets famous for association with God
• Donne known secular works
And without further adeiu…
• We proudly present…
• Death Be Not Proud
Death Be Not Proud
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.
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.
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;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.
John Donne, published 1633
Explanation, lines i-iv
• i. DEATH be not proud
– Apostrophe, or address to abstract figure
– As preacher, Donne was famous for
apostrophes
– 1 Corinthians 15:55- “O death, where thy
sting?”
• i-ii. thou some have called thee mighty and
dreadful, … thou art not so
– Though many people fear Death, he is not
powerful
– People fear the unknown, not Death
• iii-iv. For those whom thou think’st, thou
dost overthrow, Die not.
– Death can kill people by ending their mortal
lives
– Those people move on to an everlasting life,
thwarting Death
Explanation of lines iv-vi
• iv. poore death, nor yet
canst thou kill me.
– Donne takes an unorthodox
stance towards Death
– Thou Donne may die, he
too will have eternal life
• v-vi From rest and sleepe,
which but thy pictures
bee, much pleasure, then
from thee doe go
– When people die, they
seem to rest and sleep
– Donne’s argument 
enjoyable?
Explanation of lines vii-viii
• vii. And soonest our best men
with thee do go
– Donne recognizes that everyone
must someday die
• Low point in middle of poem?
• viii. Rest their bones, and
soules deliverie.
– Physical bodies rest in peace
– Souls move on to paradise
Explanation of ix-x
• ix. Thou art slave to Fate,
Chance, kings, and desperate
men
– God appoints a certain time for
everyone to die, not Death
– Death is the true sufferer, as he has
no purpose
• x. And dost thou with poyson,
warre and sickness make us
dwell
– Death uses poison, war, and
disease to kill people
– These are brutal and unnecessary
means of violence
Explanation lines xi-xii
• xi. And poppie, or charms
can make us sleep as well
– People have their own
means of sleeping/dying
– Death’s skills are obselete
• And better then thy
stroake; why swell’st thou
then
– Our methods are more
effective
– Why should Death continue
his work?
Explanation of lines xiii-xiv
• xiii. One short sleepe past,
wee wake eternally
– Though people die quickly, they
soon wake in heaven
– The eternal bliss of Paradise
outweighs life on Earth
• xiv. And death shall be no
more; death, thou shalt die
– In Heaven, Death cannot touch
one’s spirit
– Without purpose, Death meets
his ultimate fate
The Duel
Additional analysis
• Donne continues mockery of Death
• Personification of Death makes him seem like the
mortal being, while humans are the true
immortals
• Utilization of paradox
• Use of metaphor
• Religious Allegories
Works Cited
"John Donne." LitFinder Contemporary Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2007.
LitFinder. Gale. NORTH ALLEGHENY SCHOOL DISTRICT. 12 May 2009
<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LITF&u=pl2552>.
"Donne, John (1572-1631)." DISCovering Authors. Online ed. Detroit: Gale,
2003. Student Resource Center - Bronze. Gale. North Allegheny Senior High
School. 13 May. 2009
<http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve
&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC3&docId=EJ2101101180&source=gale&srcprod=SRC
S&userGroupName=pl2552&version=1.0>.
“Explanation of: ‘Holy Sonnet 10’ by John Donne.” LitFinder Contemporary
Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2007. LitFinder. Gale. NORTH ALLEGHENY
SCHOOL DISTRICT. 13 May 2009
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LITF&u=pl2552.