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He uses contradiction not to confuse, but to illuminate the complexities of experience. He was dismissed from his post and temporarily imprisoned, and for about a decade he and his growing family were largely dependent on relatives and patrons. In “Holy Sonnet 10” (“Death be not proud”), he boldly declares that death is not powerful, precisely because it is the gateway to eternal life.

Donne continued to write worldly poems and, about 1609 or 1610, he produced a powerful series of "Holy Sonnets," in which he reflected on sickness, death, sin, and the love of God. In 1611 he composed two companion poems, which honored the death of little Elizabeth Drury and won him the support of her father, with whom Donne traveled to France and Germany.

His mother, Elizabeth, a great niece of Sir (later Saint) Thomas More (1477–1535), came from a cultured, devout family: her father, John Heywood, wrote interludes (short plays that are put on during breaks in other entertainment); her brother Jasper was a Jesuit (a person who belongs to a Roman Catholic religious group called the Society of Jesus whose members are concerned with spreading their religious message and teaching); and her son Henry, John's brother, died in 1593 of a fever caught in Newgate Prison, where he was imprisoned for sheltering a Roman Catholic priest.

Selections From Divine Poems, Sermons, Devotions, and Prayers.

Donne took part in the Earl of Essex's crusades against the Spanish in Cadiz, Spain, and the Azores in 1596 and 1597 and wrote about this military experience in his poems "The Storm" and "The Calm." By 1598, when he became secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, he left the Roman Catholic Church.

After three years, he transferred to Cambridge University, but did not complete a degree at either institution. Often categorized as a metaphysical poet, his work transcends simple categorization, offering a complex tapestry of religious devotion, playful wit, and profound human experience. The suppression of his Catholic faith fostered a sense of outsider status and fueled his intellectual curiosity.

The figure is that of an old, seasoned man who has thought and suffered greatly but has achieved some peace of mind. The poem celebrates a love that transcends physical presence, relying on spiritual connection and unwavering loyalty. New York: Oxford University Press, 1970. “The Canonization” is a prime example. “Death be not proud,” with its defiant challenge to death’s power, is a particularly powerful example.

John and his brother Henry were then admitted to Oxford University, where he spent approximately three years. London; New York: Longmans, Green, 1957. He remains a vital and influential figure in English literature, inspiring generations of poets and writers. These poems reveal Donne’s exploration of the complexities of romantic love—from the pain of separation to the transformative power of connection.

Holy Sonnets: Exploring Faith and Mortality

The Holy Sonnets, a series of fourteen sonnets written toward the end of Donne’s life, grapple with themes of faith, sin, and mortality.

Church career

In 1615 Donne was ordained (to be officially installed as a member of the clergy in the church) a priest. His sermons, characterized by their eloquence and vivid imagery, showcased his literary brilliance alongside his religious zeal.

John Donne passed away in London on March 31, 1631, leaving behind a legacy as one of England's greatest masters of prose and poetry.

John Donne Biography

Born: 1572
London, England
Died: March 31, 1631
London, England

English poet and priest

John Donne—English poet, Anglican (Church of England) minister, and public speaker—is ranked with John Milton (1608–1674) as one of the greatest English poets.

New York: Walker, 1965.

john donne biography video kasi