Discussion Topic
The personification and portrayal of Death as arrogant in "Death, be not proud" by John Donne
Summary:
In "Death, be not proud" by John Donne, Death is personified and portrayed as arrogant. Donne diminishes Death's power by addressing it directly and mocking its pride, emphasizing that Death is not as mighty as it believes. He argues that Death is merely a transition to eternal life, thus stripping it of its perceived control and arrogance.
In Death, Be Not Proud by John Donne, why is Death portrayed as arrogant?
"Holy Sonnet X," or as it is more traditionally known, "Death be not proud,"
is a personification of death as a living entity as well as a challenge to the
supposedly proud being of conquest and domination that Death must think itself
of being. The poet challenges Death, saying that it is not quite so fearsome
and in the end may bring about more relief and rest than sleep ever
could.
The poet refers to death as a "slave" to the whims of "Fate, Chance, kings, and
desperate men." The poet is saying that though Death may imagine itself as some
discriminating force free to destroy whatever it chooses, it is actually
subject to many whims, both cosmic and earthly, and may only occur on the
discernment of beings and forces that it no doubt deems so beneath itself.
Right throughout the poem, the speaker attempts to expose the arrogance...
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and presumptuousness of Death. He does this first of all by personifying Death, thus dragging him down to the level of an ordinary person who can easily be insulted. Once he's done that the speaker is in the ideal position to shower abuse and insults upon Death for his perceived arrogance.
First of all, the speaker thinks that Death is arrogant because he's not as scary or as powerful as many people think. It would seem that the figure of Death has an over-inflated opinion of himself and his capabilities:
though some have called thee / Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
The speaker then goes on to belittle Death by comparing him to "rest and sleep". And as there's nothing remotely terrible or frightening about relaxing or dozing off, then there's no need for anyone to be scared of Death.
Furthermore, Death doesn't have as much power as he thinks he has. He is a slave to what must happen, what may happen, to the decisions of kings—because they can send people to their deaths in war or by having them executed—and desperate men, i.e. those who commit suicide. In all these cases it isn't Death that has the power, but fate, chance, and human beings.
In any case, a good Christian like Donne has no need to be afraid as Death is just a short sleep before his soul is rejoined with his body before entering into the bliss of eternity.
References
Why is Death personified in "Death, be not proud"?
Death is personified in John Donne's "Death, Be Not Proud" to show that it is not to be feared and can be conquered. The speaker opens with the idea that many have considered Death "mighty and dreadful," and the speaker seeks to dispel the power inherent in these beliefs. By giving Death very human-like attributes, it seems much more possible that people can actually emerge victorious over Death's limited, human-like powers.
The speaker calls Death a "slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men." Therefore, Death is not in control of people's lives; Death itself must submit to the power of kings—of men who are desperate for other options—and even to the whims of fate itself.
The speaker concludes by stating that Death swells with pride in erroneous thought, for after a "short sleep," people awake into an eternal life. Death does not even exist any longer. By contrast, the people whom Death sought to harm in life hold ultimate victory over Death, as they can never again be touched by its realm. These images all work together to personify death as a temporal and weak entity which should not be feared by mankind: who is ultimately more powerful in the face of spiritual immortality.