Theme of Fighting Death in Prospice by Robert Browning and The Pardoner’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer

Death is defined as the permanent end of something that is no longer alive according to Merriam Webster Dictionary. Departure from life is inevitable and has been studied since the dawn of time. No one knows what truly happens once someone dies. Many theories and stories are made to try and come to terms with passing but no one lives to speak death’s truth. The theme of “fighting death” shows up in several poems. The fear that surrounds death is very prevalent, causing people to try everything in their power to get away from it. We all know that is not possible though. The poem “Prospice” by Robert Browning and “The Pardoner’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer both bring up the theme of battling death, even though death cannot actually be grappled. Another theme shown up in poems is coming to terms with death which is the exact opposite of fighting it. In the poem “Prospice'' it features both opposing themes. Being able to accept death shows up in, for example “Holy Sonnet 10” by John Donne which tries to say that we should not fear the inevitable. Another poem is “Memoriam” which has a religious take on the thought of passing over. One thing all of these poems have in common is trying to figure out a way to accept the afterlife. 

Starting with the poem “The Pardoner’s Tale”. The story goes that three drunk men want to get revenge on death for killing and taking their friend. The men meet an elderly man that tells them to go to a tree where they will find death. They instead find coins, the men no longer wanted to find death since they were so infatuated with the money and greed on their minds. The story goes south very quickly when the friends turn on each other for the reason that they each want the money. By the end each friend is killed off leaving us knowing that the sin in their minds overpowered them. “Thus these two murderers recieved their due, So did the treacherous young poisoner too.” lines 237 and 238, Geoffrey Chaucer. We learn after reading the entire poem that the old man the three drunken men met is actually supposed to be death himself. He used what he knew they wanted… money, to eventually take all of them down. Sin and greed are very significant themes in this poem. The men wanted to battle death and thought they could win but actually lost completely. Overall this poem shows us that death is inevitable and no one can stop it from happening. 

The next poem is “Prospice” by Robert Browning. This poem talks about both fighting death and coming to terms with it. The entire poem follows the speaker coming to terms with his own death. He describes what dying feels like and doesn’t want it to take him away but by the end of the poem he realizes everything will come to an end. He sees beauty in resting his eyes forever. “Though a battle’s to fight ere the guerdon be gained…” line 11, Browning. “Shall change, shall become first a peace out of pain…” line 25, Browning. These two quotes showcase how his views changed throughout time. 

Both of those two poems feature battling death however I believe that “The Pardoner’s Tale” has a more in depth point of view. The story itself helps create a very good understanding of several themes, metaphors, and motifs. The poem “Prospice” however was short and to the point. It was very nice how the speaker did in fact refer, touch on what death actually felt like comparing it to changing weather, but it wasn’t as clear and entertaining as “The Pardoner’s Tale”. 

Now that we covered battling death and hinted at accepting death I want to move into the more in depth themes of coming to terms with death. In “Holy Sonnet 10” by John Donne the poet talks directly to death creating a sense of personification towards the afterlife. Speaking to it makes it somewhat human-like. “Death be not proud, though some have called thee” line 1, Donne. The speaker talks down on death saying it cannot take him which is ironic because that’s exactly what it does; “...nor yet canst thou kill me.” line 4, Donne. The speaker writes that death is just sleep but for an eternity. He says that we will wake up in the afterlife and that’s why we should not fear it. “One short sleep past, we wake eternally…” line 13, Donne. Comparing death to sleep is a very good way of putting it because we sleep all the time so why be scared. Overall this poem’s overarching theme is to not fear passing because we will eventually wake up in the afterlife. 

The next poem is “In Memoriam” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. This poem follows a man that lost his friend to death. He speaks to God relating him to both life and death. He speaks about having faith in God’s will; “For knowledge is of things we see And yet we trust it comes from thee…” Line 797, Tennyson. The speaker is saying we don’t know what’s to come so we must have faith. He comes to terms with letting his friend go because he must have faith that there is an afterlife and his friend is now with God. 

 Between “Holy Sonnet 10” and “In Memoriam” I came to a conclusion that both are quite similar in their beliefs about death however, “Holy Sonnet 10” was easier to understand and grasp compared to “In Memoriam”. I personally like the way Holy Sonnet 10 represent death as humanlike without calling it God. The way the poet says that death is just like sleep greatly represents how we should look at it. In the other poem the faith and Godly will of the speaker is quite strong and shows throughout the poem creating a religious tone overall. Both poems speak about God being in the afterlife and that we should not fear because it’s not just going to be darkness, there will be something once we wake up in the afterlife. 

In Conclusion poetry talks about several deep topics that most will never truly grasp. The idea of death and the afterlife has been contemplated and tested for centuries and still no one knows the truth. In the poems “Pardoner’s Tale” and “Prospice” both talked greatly about the fear and battle of death but “Pardoner’s tale” had a great story and several themes that can really stick with readers. When talking about accepting death we looked at “Holy Sonnet 10” and “In Memoriam '' which took different but similar views on death. “Holy Sonnet 10” captured accepting death in a very simple way by saying it's just like sleep, while “In Memoriam'' had an overall religious view of passing over.