Donne's Poem 'Death Be Not Proud'

In the poem "Death Be Not Proud," written by John Donne death is personified. The personification of death creates a feeling that death is less powerful than we think. Donne creates and image of death that is not mysterious, not in control, and a slave of low status. He does this by undermining the idea of death as bound to the rules of "fate, chance, kings, and desperate men." He insists that death is no …

…else to do his work. Death has to play by the rules just as humans do. In the example of death being a slave to a king is suggesting that death is less powerful than a mortal is. If a king can order another person to death and by what means he pleases, death again is at command and is subordinate to a man. Therefor man should not fear death because man can control death.