Death, Be Not Proud : Themes
Death, Be Not Proud is a notable literary work by John Donne. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Death, Be Not Proud.
Themes
The Powerlessness of Death: In this poem, the speaker says that Death is not powerful or scary. People think death is powerful, but that’s not true. The speaker tells Death to stop being proud. Death is just like sleep, and sleep gives us rest. So death must also be peaceful, not frightening. The speaker says that after death, we go to heaven, where we live forever. That means death does not win. It cannot really kill anyone. It just gives rest to the body, and the soul becomes free.
Also, death is not free. It depends on other things like fate, chance, kings, or poison. So, Death is like a servant. Even medicines or magic can give us better rest than death. In the end, the speaker says, death will die. When people go to heaven, they defeat death forever.