Death the Leveller

poem Death The Leveller its paraphrase

1. DEATH THE LEVELLER BY JAMES SHIRLEY (1596 –1666)

2. James Shirley was an   English poet and   dramatist . His career of play writing extended from 1625 to the suppression of stage plays by  Parliament  in 1642.

3. Works Two famous plays of him were: The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses   The Lady of Pleasure  

4. “Death the Leveller” is a powerful poem by James Shirley which reminds us that death is a force that haunts all human beings. It is also treated as a funeral song. It says that death is a great leveler . The high and the low, the mighty and the meek, the rich and the poor are all equal before death. This is a very common idea, but Shirley gives depth and vividness to this common truth. 

5. Human glory will not last long. All success and victory are mere shadows, not substantial things. When death catches hold of someone with icy hands the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak must yield. We have no weapon to fight against this almighty fate.

6. The poet discusses the concept of artificial success and victory. In the last stanza, the poem ends with the idea that only our good deeds will be remembered for ever. We can simply boast of our mighty deeds but they don’t have permanency. The scepter and the crown are symbols of their power and glory . All will be reduced to dust.

7. Scythe and Spade represent the poor working class. All will die whether rich or poor. Some men may achieve military glory in battle fields. They will gain honour and fame by defeating their enemies. Their strength will be weakened. The nerves will lose their strength. They can not control death. Death is too powerful for them and they can do nothing against it. The poet speaks of death as an inevitable end. Every minute we are slowly creeping towards death.

8.  The mighty deeds or the glory of human beings are equated with the “Withering of Garlands”. Our head may be decorated with garlands. But these will soon dry and wither away. Therefore let us not boast about our so called mighty deeds.

9. The victorious king will soon become the victim of death . He will be like an animal sacrificed on the altar of death. Bluish red blood will drip from his head. Every head will one day be buried in the cold tomb. Only just and good actions will be remembered after death. They will be like the fragrance of sweet-smelling flowers.

10. Rhyme S cheme The rhyme scheme of the poem is ababccdd (follows in each of the stanza). The pattern creates a rhythm as the first four lines of each stanza illustrate and the four lines give more depth to the poem . The rhyme scheme is consistent throughout the poem.

11. THE glories of our blood and state  a  Are shadows, not substantial things; b  There is no armour against Fate;   a  Death lays his icy hand on kings:      b      Sceptre and Crown               c    Must tumble down,    c And in the dust be equal made  d With the poor crookèd scythe and spade.  d 

12. Summary of the poem "Death the Leveller" "Death the Leveller" explains the power of death against everyone. In stanza one , the speaker makes it clear death will come for everyone regardless of any social status. The second stanza discusses warriors, contrasting their success in battle with the moment they, themselves, must submit to death. In the final stanza , the speaker addresses the reader and reminds people that, similar to how both the victors and victims of war all eventually die, it is certain that we will die, as well, and those who are honorable will be remembered well after their end.

13. The poem is, on the whole, a statement about the power and finality of death. There is nothing that can resist its icy grasp or delay its coming. As the title suggests, death does not have favorites and makes us all equal since it does not distinguish between rich or poor, master or servant, good or evil, and young or old—it reaches out to all and affects each one in equal measure.

14. The first stanza makes it clear that the status we have—because of royal birthright or the high office we hold as leaders of state—has no substance, since it cannot protect against destiny. Death affects everyone in the same manner, and we all turn to dust after we have been interred.

15. In the second stanza , the speaker emphasizes this point by stating that fighting men may bring renewal in destroying and killing others and thus replacing them with new rulers. No matter how great their resolve, though, they eventually have to succumb to death. Such men must yield to fate, whether they are young or old.

16. In the final stanza , the speaker addresses the reader directly and exclaims that he should not be boastful of his great accomplishments since he is growing old and, therefore, is close to succumbing to death's overwhelming power. The reader is made aware that even those who have been victorious will find themselves in death's grasp and become victims to its power. It is a certainty that they will have to surrender to death and be entombed.

17. Only the actions of the just Smell sweet and blossom in their dust.      The last two lines suggest that only the actions of those who have been morally upright will be pleasantly remembered after they have been laid to rest.

18. Figures of speech   Personification  Death is personified and shown as ‘laying his icy hands’.  Metonymy Metonymy is employed in the beautiful contrast between ‘sceptre and crown’ and ‘scythe and spade’.