Poem study 1- James Shirley (1596-1666) ‘Death the Leveller’ Essay

The poem cobblers brook the Leveller was written for the upper class educated. Many other people could non understand it. It holds many paroles that people in the late 1500s didnt understand. Words standardised Sceptre- an ornamental rod held by a king/queen as a symbol of forcefulness argon apply in goal the Leveller. Shirleys argument is that a high rank+ position wouldnt last and we cant defend ourselves from destruction. He tries to make us see that good and on the dot actions will live on, precisely no matter how rich or poor you argon, we will all be judged the same in death. wipeout the Leveller also has a rhetorical side, and Shirleys tries to put his point crossways by using phrases like The boast no more round your mighty deeds.The structure of expiry the Leveller is a 3-stanza poem of uniform shape and length giving it a stereotypical look, except for lines 5 and 6 of each stanza were the lines are given emphasize, as they are the important parts. Words u sed in lines 5 and 6 of each stanza are very similar, exampleSceptre and Crown must tumble drink down and Early or late, they stoop to fate. Two words that wearyt rhyme are used first, and because the last word of the line always rhymes with the third word used. Many of the words and phrases used are symbols of royalty such as Crown, Garland and Swords and accouterments are used. These are a sign of war or battle. Death the Leveller generally has a rhyme sequence of AB, AB, CC, AD. Come and tomb in stanza three are an exception.The poem is written in English, and was printed at the period of the parliamentary victory for Oliver Cromwell and the execution of King Charles I. Undoubted, such drastic events traumatized writers like Shirley who had sympathized with the monarch. Thats why he uses royalty in Death the Leveller and death as the main theme. He uses personification with death, example Death lays his pivotal hand on kings. Shirley has given death an icy hand which is pu t upon several(prenominal)thing that Shirley once sympathized with, but is now gone. He uses alliteration in Death the Leveller to emphases the harshness of implements used in burial.The relish of voice of Death the Leveller is a slow, supernatural tone that someone speakingat a funeral might use. The tone stays the same except when emphasizing harshness of cutting implements. It then changes back to the normal tone at the last two lines, but gets a bit softer when the poem concludes to bring back the death feeling. The tone throughout Death the Leveller is generally the same, but when colons are used its emphasized. Yet at the end of line six on the last stanza, a colon is used to show a change in tone and structure.In conclusion, Death the Leveller is an eerie, chilling, serious and somber poem with a hint of melancholy. Its tone can be quite mocking and teetotal in reference to those who were successful in the past. The speakers location is very determined and patriotic and run on lines add readiness and urgency to argue his point, which is,We are all equal in death, some may have money, some may have nothing. Yet when it comes to death, we are judged purely on what is inside.