HOLLY SONNET 10

By: John Donne, 1572 - 1631

Author’s Background: He is considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and include sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons.

Summary

This poem goes on about death being a figure that has been known to be mighty and dreadful. A common image or personification of so-called “death” was portrayed by the famous Grim Reaper also known as king of the dead. He causes a victim’s death by coming to collect their souls. The author says otherwise, he writes that death is not something or someone to be feared. It should be considered as a sort of reward or another form of slumber. Finally, he claims that death is only temporary as according to his religion, they are going to “awaken once more” in the afterlife where death will no longer exist.

Biographical Approach

Some of the similar aspects to the author’s life in regards to his work “Holly Sonnet 10” was during his early life of when he married Anne Donne and she bore 12 children though only 10 survived and three of which died before they turned 10. He went through despair as he slowly lost a child one by one. He distracted himself by writing Biathanatos though not published at that time but it was later published after his death, it was only a means of defense from suicidal thoughts during that time. His wife Anne Donne died after 5 days of giving birth to their 12^th child which he also wrote about his love and loss entitled “17^th Holy Sonnet”. Donne's earliest poems focused on topics like corruption, mediocre poets, and pompous courtiers. He claims that one needs to know his religion inside out, instead of blindly following it. Characters or subjects of his writings are all mostly non-fictional, significant people, society at that time, etc...