Death In Shakespeare's Poetry Essay

Death and its Significance in the Works of Shakespeare and A. E. Housman “To an Athlete Dying Young” by A. E. Housman, and “Fear no More the Heat o’ the Sun” by Shakespeare are elegies for youth who died prematurely. Through different versification, these two poems carry unique tones and attitudes. Both Shakespeare and Housman create elegies that soothe the pain of death, but they use different logic to justify their reasoning. Shakespeare juxtaposes extremes to argue that death is apathetic to the natural world; Housman constructs metaphors for death that signify its possible tranquility. These poets emphasize the loss of perception to justify their claims, but Shakespeare broods on the impotence of everything, while Housman argues that death …show more content…
Housman’s poem celebrates the accomplishments of an athlete, arguing that it was better to die at the height of fame, rather than be forgotten. Shakespeare’s song proves that death is only significant to the living; those who are dead have no feelings or regrets. Housman writes primarily to reassure the young athlete, while Shakespeare writes universally. Housman calls the athlete a, “Smart lad, to slip betimes away / From fields where glory does not stay,” (9-10). Housman acknowledges that fame is short-lived and supposes that the young athlete was wise to abandon it altogether. Shakespeare’s elegy speaks to a global audience, “The scepter, learning, physic, must / All follow this, and come to dust,” (11-12). All the realities of knowledge and power crumble to dust inevitably and have no significance in the afterlife. The universality of death proves comforting because it is not something that must be faced alone. Shakespeare writes that “Golden lads and girls all must, / As chimney-sweepers, come to dust,” to illustrate that death is apathetic towards wealth and class (5-6). The simile that compares dusting to dying, illustrates the notion that death is simply an ordinary occurrence. Housman agrees with this point, yet evokes memory in order to differentiate his champion from other athletes. Those attending the athlete’s funeral, “find unwithered on its curls / The garland briefer than a girl’s,” (26-27). Although the crown is made of flowers, and is therefore temporary, the audience detects no signs of decay in the trophy, which eternalizes the athlete’s success in their memories. The stress in the first two syllables of the word “unwithered” emphasize