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Donne’s Poetry

To understand where “Death, be not proud” sits within Donne’s broader poetic output, please consult this guide, which provides an analytical overview.

Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Donne began composing his Holy Sonnets in 1609, which is the same year Shakespeare’s sonnets first appeared together in print. Donne adopted Shakespeare’s model for the sonnet form, which featured a structure that differed markedly from the Italian sonnet as innovated by Petrarch. In addition to the matter of poetic form, there’s also a possible allusion in “Death, be not proud” to Shakespeare’s Sonnet 146. Donne’s sonnet concludes with the claim that “Death . . . shalt die” (line 14). Shakespeare’s sonnet ends with a very similar argument: “And Death once dead, there’s no more dying then.”

Emily Dickinson, “Because I could not stop for Death”

Dickinson’s poem is famous for the way it personifies Death as a kindly gentleman, which makes it a useful companion piece for Donne’s sonnet. These two works are also connected in the way they contemplate the possibility of eternal life after death.

Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that good night”

As a sustained refusal of Death, Donne’s poem has much in common with Dylan Thomas’s famous villanelle. However, whereas “Death, be not proud” features a religious perspective on Death, “Do not go gentle into that good night” takes a more secular approach to resisting death.

Louise Glück, “The Wild Iris”

Glück’s poem is worth considering in relation to Donne’s sonnet for the way it explores the theme of life after death from a botanical perspective. Although not outrightly religious in its theme, Glück’s poem may be read through the lens of faith.

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