When Death Dies: John Donne's Positive Spin on Death.
Death is ordinarily viewed with a certain finality that causes it to be viewed negatively. However, John Donne refutes this common belief in his poem, "Death, be not proud". Although death is the end of mortal life, Donne establishes it as a positive occurrence resulting in eternalness. Throughout each quatrain, he proves that death should be viewed with optimism instead of fear for there is nothing to be afraid of.
Donne's first quatrain declares that death is not powerful because although it may think that it's killing people, it's really not. Donne writes, "For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow/Die not" (3-4), which states his theological opinion that after death is eternal life. He is personifying death saying it thinks he's killing people when he's actually not because they don't die, they move on to eternal life. He then goes on, defying death, telling him that he cannot kill the speaker either.
The second quatrain goes even further to say that death should not only not be feared, but revered. He says, "From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,/Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow" (5-6), which means death must be an extremely enjoyable experience. He's saying that if sleep, which is a small copy of death is enjoyable, then pure death must be only an increased feeling of what sleep gives. This viewpoint is very unique because most people believe death to be painful and agonizing thereby causing them to fear it. However if people were to view it as sleep in its purest form it would be held in high regard and even looked forward to.
John Donne's final quatrain does more than just pronounce death's goodness but goes so far as to mock it. He describes death as a slave to everything that causes it, such as "fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,/And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell" (9-10).
