John Donne and W;t Essay
Ideas and themes change according to the different times and the historical, social, cultural and personal context of the time they are written in, with the texts either reflecting or contrasting the ideas of that time. Death and mortality and the spiritual and emotional connections are themes that have evolved over time due to the different contexts. These themes are thematically central to John Donne’s poetry written in the 17th century and Margaret Edson’s 20th century play W;t.
During the 17th Century, religion, especially Christianity, permeated all aspects of society. Donne’s Death be not proud and Hymne to God my God, in my Sickness reflect his Christian belief that the material body was a temporary vessel for the soul’s journey and hence death was not something to be feared. In his Holy Sonnet, Death be not proud, Donne patronises death, and attempts to dispel the fears associated with death, reflecting the influence of his personal and historical contexts on his poetry. Donne’s immediate use of the imperative, ‘Death be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe’, belittles the existence of death by creating a condescending tone. Moreover by personifying death and then directly addressing it, Donne demeans death’s power saying that it’s nothing but an end result to fate and chance. To further criticize death, Donne uses a metaphor to equate death to ‘rest and sleepe’, robbing it of its power.
In contrast, Edson’s W;t portrays a society in which the concept of a universal religion no longer exists, instead science was the saviour. As a result death is seen as the final and absolute end in a context influenced by the existential fear of mortality and death which was prominent in late 20th century society. Edson’s main character Vivian’s constant attachment to the IV pole symbolises the modern medical science world. Vivian describes herself as, ‘just the specimen, just the dust jacket, just the white piece of
During the 17th Century, religion, especially Christianity, permeated all aspects of society. Donne’s Death be not proud and Hymne to God my God, in my Sickness reflect his Christian belief that the material body was a temporary vessel for the soul’s journey and hence death was not something to be feared. In his Holy Sonnet, Death be not proud, Donne patronises death, and attempts to dispel the fears associated with death, reflecting the influence of his personal and historical contexts on his poetry. Donne’s immediate use of the imperative, ‘Death be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe’, belittles the existence of death by creating a condescending tone. Moreover by personifying death and then directly addressing it, Donne demeans death’s power saying that it’s nothing but an end result to fate and chance. To further criticize death, Donne uses a metaphor to equate death to ‘rest and sleepe’, robbing it of its power.
In contrast, Edson’s W;t portrays a society in which the concept of a universal religion no longer exists, instead science was the saviour. As a result death is seen as the final and absolute end in a context influenced by the existential fear of mortality and death which was prominent in late 20th century society. Edson’s main character Vivian’s constant attachment to the IV pole symbolises the modern medical science world. Vivian describes herself as, ‘just the specimen, just the dust jacket, just the white piece of