Word Meaning

This is my play’s last scene Summary

The poem is a meditation on death and the afterlife, written from the perspective of a speaker who is nearing death. The speaker compares his life to a play, a pilgrimage, and a race, and death to the last scene, last mile, and last pace of those things. He acknowledges that he is a sinner, but he expresses confidence that his sins will be forgiven and that his soul will be reunited with God.

The poem is full of rich imagery and symbolism. The speaker personifies death as a “gluttonous” force that will “unjoint” his body and soul. He also contrasts his mortal body and immortal soul, suggesting that the body is mortal but the soul is immortal. The speaker also uses a number of poetic devices, such as alliteration and personification, to create a vivid and emotional picture in the reader’s mind.

The overall tone of the poem is one of resignation and acceptance. The speaker knows that he must die, but he is not afraid. He is confident in his faith and in God’s forgiveness. The poem is a powerful reminder that death is a natural part of life and that we should not fear it.

In short, the poem is about the speaker’s acceptance of death and his confidence in God’s forgiveness.

Key Points

Author The poem is written by John Donne, an English metaphysical poet, and Christian cleric.

Form The poem conforms to the pattern of a traditional, fourteen-line, Petrarchan sonnet. The text is contained within one block, but can be separated into two sections. One containing eight lines, also known as an octave, and one with six known as a sestet. The rhyme scheme follows a pattern of ABBAABBACDCDEE.

Speaker The speaker in the poem is the poet himself, John Donne.

Setting The setting of the poem is not explicitly mentioned, but it revolves around the speaker’s impending death.

Theme The main themes of the poem are death, the separation of the body and soul in death, and fear of death and God’s judgment.

Plot The poem begins with the speaker stating that he is in the last mile of his life. He knows that God has declared the beginning and end of his life and he’s happy to accept those limitations. He speaks on how death is going to come for him and separate his “earth-born” body from his soul.

Tone The tone of the poem is contemplative and introspective, as the speaker meditates on the nature of death and the afterlife.

Style Donne’s style is characterized by abrupt openings, various paradoxes, ironies, and dislocations. These features, along with his frequent dramatic or everyday speech rhythms, his tense syntax, and his tough eloquence, were both a reaction against the smoothness of conventional Elizabethan poetry and an adaptation into English of European baroque and mannerist techniques.

Message The message of the poem is that death is not to be feared, but seen as a transition from earthly life to a spiritual existence. The speaker expresses faith in the promise of eternal life and the purification of the soul after death.

John Donne

Birth and Early Life: John Donne was born in 1572 in London, England. He was the third of six children.

Education: Donne was educated at home by private tutors until he went to Hart Hall, Oxford, at age 11. He left Oxford after three years.

Marriage: In 1601, Donne secretly married Anne More, with whom he had twelve children.

Works: Donne is known for his metaphysical poetry. His works are notable for their realistic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, and sermons. Some of his most famous works include:

“Go and Catch a Falling Star”

“The Good Morrow”

“A Valediction Forbidding Mourning”

“The Canonization”

“For Whom the Bell Tolls”

“Death Be Not Proud”

“Sunne Rising”

Career: Donne began his career as a lawyer. He later became a cleric in the Church of England.

Death: Donne died on 31 March 1631.

Legacy: Despite his great education and poetic talents, Donne lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. He spent much of the late 16th and early 17th centuries writing letters of recommendation for patrons in hopes of securing employment, and his literary reputation remained in obscurity until 20th-century scholars rediscovered him.