In the Name of ALLAH ,The Most

Merciful the most Gracious

 Metaphysical Poetry
Introduction :
1. Definition : poetry of the 17th C that is highly
intellectual and philosophical , marked by conciseness ,
conceits , imagery , wit and the use of paradox …
3. Metaphysical poets : they answered questions about
spiritual concepts which can not be explained by
science such as : Life , Love , God , Death …
• The most famous poets : -John Donne - George
harbert -Andrew Marwell - Henry and others ...
• While the term Metaphysical was given by “Samuel
Johnson” .
The term “Metaphysical”
Meta = beyond
Physical = physical world
• However , John Donne is the pioneer of Metaphysical
poetry , He is called “The Founder of the Metaphysical
Poetry”
 John Donne 1572-1631
Who is John Donne ?
• An English poet of the 17th C
also named - the Metaphysical
poet – or -the poet of love –
• he was a cleric in the church
of England .
• he was known by his divine
sonnets and his strong
arguments .
 Holy sonnet 10
«Death Be Not Proud»

By John Donne
 Holy sonnet 10
• Sonnet is a 14 lines poem in which each
line contains 10 syllables .
«Death/be/not/proud/though/some/have/cal/
led/thee » .
• It was written in 1609 but it was
published in 1633 in England.
The summary
 The first Quatrain
Lines : from 1 to 4
1 Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
2 Mighty and dreadful, for those are not so;
3 For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow,
4 Die not, poor Death, not yet canst thou kill me.
The Old form (archaic) The meaning
Thee You
Thou You
Art Are
Think’st are
Dost Does
Canst Can
 The second Quatrain
Lines : from 5 to 8
5 From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
6 Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
7 And soonest our best men with thee do go,
8 Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
The old form The meaning

Thy your

Pictures Images

Bones The body of a dead person

 The third Quatrain
Lines : from 9 to 12
9 Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
10 And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
11 And poppy or charms can make us sleep well
12 And better than thy stroke, why swell’st thou then?
The old form The meaning

Poppy Drugs (popium)

Charms Magic and spells
stroke touch
Swell’st Be proud
 The Last Couplet
Lines : from 13 to 14

13 One short sleep past, we wake eternally,

14 And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
The Analysis
• In this sonnet , John Donne challenges death with
confidence and gives powerful reasons based on his
religious faith for death not to be proud .
• we all know that many people fear death ,however, unlike
many , the poet has a different attitude towards death and
he behaves like a warrior in fighting this spiritual concept.
• In the first Quatrain : the poet is mocking
death .
• In the second Quatrain : the poet is teasing
death .
• In the third Quatrain : the poet is pitying
death .
• In the last Couplet : The poet triumph over
death .
 - For the form, Donne chose :
• Shakesperian sonnet : composed of three quatrains
(four-line stanzas) with a concluding  couplet (two-line
stanza) .
• Petrarchan sonnet : the first octave (eight-line stanza)
rhyming ABBA,ABBA in which the poet states the
problem or the issue, whereas in the last sestet (six-line
stanza) the poet conclude his issue.
• Iambic pentameter : Five iambic feet per line
« death Be not PROUD though SOME have CALLed THEE
».
 The Themes
• The powerlessness of Death :
The poem is a direct address to death, arguing
that it is weak and death is nothing to fear .
• The Mortality of Death :
Death is not the end of the existence , but the
necessary transition between mortal and immortal life .
 Figures of speech
• Personification: the poet consider «Death» as a living person.
• Apostrophe : The poet is addressing and talking directly to an absract thing
which is «Death» .
• Paradox : The poet paradoxically says : ”Death thou shalt die“ the idea of
death ”dying“ is impossible .
• Metaphor : The poet states that « rest & sleep » are pictures of death .
• synechdoce : bones represents the body generally.
• Alliteration : The repitition of sound « th » in line 3 (thou think’st thou).
 Mood& Tone
1. Mood : the poet trying to satisfy the reader ,
and the reader will feel that death is truly
defeated .
2. Tone : The poet wrote this sonnet with
defiant tone , by challenging death with
confidence .
Thank you for your kind
attention