Death the Leveller............ A review by Natasha Sebastian, XI B

Death the Leveller is a poem by the prolific writer James Shirley. He is known as the last of the Elizabethans. Death the Leveller is a funeral poem. It tells how death levels all the manhood in the world in the same way.

                            Shadows aren’t substantial things. Shadows are temporal things. Here, the poet uses shadows to make a compaison with our life. He advises us not to be proud of our blood and state. They are shadows. We cannot create a hurdle against fate. The greatest fate is the ultimate leveller-death. Death can level all the supreme power in the world by bringing them to the level of the working class.

                            Ruling class conquers the whole universe by reaping the human heads using swords. After the mass execution, they wear laurels to show victory. Poet reminds that these cruel people have to face death. They will stoop to death.

                         All the glory, achievements, pride you have earned are illusions. In front of death’s purple altar, all are equal. All blue blooded, red blooded become purple blooded. Death is the supreme leveller.

                     In this poem, poet uses personification (death lays his icy hands on kings), metaphor (laurels, garlands...).

We can see the usage of metonymy in this poem (scepter & crown, scythe & spade). This poem follows a rhythmic pattern. It has a moral touch. Lines are adorned with assonance and ends in ababccdd rhyme scheme.

                               This poem deals with images of death. But it does not terrify with the images of death. If we are born, we will have to die. The only thing that remains in the earth for ever is the good deeds and actions. Good deeds will be remembered for ever. 

Review prepared by Natasha Sebastian, XI B