Views of Death in Donne¡¯s Poetry

------On John Donne¡¯s ¡°Death, be not proud¡± And ¡°Since she whom I loved hath paid her last debt¡± John Donne was the most outstanding of the English Metaphysical poets and a churchman famous for his sermons. His poetry is noted for its ingenious fusion of wit and seriousness and represents a shift from classical models toward a more personal style. Donne was born in London to a prominent Roman Catholic family but converted to …

…subject. It is safe to assume he did not fear death in the conventional manner, for he believed in the concept of an afterlife. His faith in Christian theology calmed those fears and doubts, but at times he searched for answers to questions about death, answers that had no explanation. For this reason, his poetry is highly paradoxical, a quality that only adds to its richness and attractiveness, much to the delight of its readers.