6. William Shakespeare
AKA – Bard of Avon
Died – 23rd of April, 1616.
considered as the national English poet and considered as the
greatest dramatist of all the time.
A clever poet with words and ideas.
This poem appears in IV, Scene 2, and is sung by
Guiderius and Argiragus, the sons of
Cymbeline. Cymbeline is also known as The Tragedie of
Cymebline or Cymbeline, King of Britain. By some, the play
is considered to be a romance or a comedy.
9. ANALYSIS OF ‘FEAR NO MORE ‘
The elegiac poem ‘fear no more ‘ which was scripted
down by William Shakespeare , is extracted from the
play ‘Cymbeline’.
It has the main concentration on the horrific nature of
the death and why people should embrace it in the last
pace of one’s own life .
Shakespeare , who was the pioneer in Elezebethern
society, has written extravagant plays and poems ,
dividing poems mainly into fair-youth poems and
dark-lady poems (by the critics)
10. Overall , there is a gigantic usage of poetic techniques
in this poem, namely, symbols, metaphors, similes,
and sound related techniques such as alliteration,
metaphors, repetition, allusion, personification, simile,
along with the usage of second person narrative voice,
to validate an accusing, sharp tone.
“fear no more the heat o’ the sun…”, as the beginning
of the entire poem, letting the reciter for a sort of
confusion, asking a question from one’s own self ‘
what and why?’
The poet asks to not to be terrified either the heat of
the sun or the harshness of the winter.
11. “…the furious winter’s rages…” can be known as a
metaphor as well as a personification. There, the poet has
used ‘rages’ to showcase the tough change in the nature.
The anger is suggested through the word.
The death is as peaceful as the heir of the wage for s
laborer at the end of the day, he is elated to earn for his
hard work. “taken thy wages…”
Since the world and the people who live in the world are
equal to the death, death does not segregate anyone,
including ‘…golden lads and girls…chimney sweepers…’.
Metaphors are used here to denote the wealth and prosper
of the people.
And there, a literal device named allusion is used, by an
extract from the bible , “…come to dust…” . The original
quote in the bible is ‘man is made from dust and return to
dust’ .
12. There are two phrases repeated in several stanzas ‘fear no
more’, ‘come to dust’, repetition is used here to reinforce
the major theme of the poem , death is inevitable.
In the second stanza, two metaphors are used; ‘frown of
the great’ and ‘tyrant's stroke’. It connotes that once a
person is dead, he should not worry of the king being
superior, the wrath or the disappointment of the great.
Apparently, the dead is not to bother clothes or food
‘…care no more to cloth and eat…’
‘as the oak’ is a simile and can be also taken as a symbol,
to suggest the point that no matter how weak or strong a
person is, death equalize all of them. ‘The reed’ is feeble
and the oak is muscular, but death is above all. The
professions that human beings acquire after the passage
of the time, they will not lead to be immortal.
13. Overall , the death should not bother the harsh criticisms
or gossips that the society spreads, even the emotional
and sociological ups and downs of life.
The final stanza manifests that no evil spirit, exorcisers,
even the ghosts are terrified of the newly died, deceased
souls. So that the spirit should have the maximum usage
of being free. Since ‘nothing ill’ comes to the dead, a
complete bed of luck will be there for him, as the reward,
along with nothing but fame. ‘…and renowned by thy
grave’.
14. The poem flows with the rhyming scheme of ABABCC
DEDECC FGFGCC, in order to give the sense of a poetic
work. Apart from the major theme, there are sub themes
as well. Time, young and all must die. Golden lads and
girls, lovers, screptre, physic, since the death is inevitable.
People should have the potential of embracing the death
without mourning. Moreover, the poem proclaims that life
is brutal and horrifying. If you are born to the world, you
will never be able to escape from that.
The pioneer of Elizabethan era, William Shakespeare, the
poems and plays are yet to be wowed by the society, being
fully satisfied with all positive outcomes due to his literal
work.