This is my playes' last scene - Donne

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

Donne mirrors Renaissance spiritual uncertainty, grappling with salvation through Cartesian duality.

Question 2

1: Life as a journey, death as final spiritual step

Answer 2

“My pilgrimages last mile” → Metaphor

Question 3

2: Death as a process, not an end

Answer 3

“Instantly unjoint / My body and soul” → visceral imagery

Question 4

3: Apparent certainty in salvation

Answer 4

“Then, as my soul to’ heaven her first seat takes flight” → Religious imagery

Question 5

4: Despite faith, Donne still seeks divine forgiveness

Answer 5

“Impute me righteous, thus purg’d of evil” → Religious allusion

Question 6

Conclusion

Answer 6

Donne constructs death as a transition, yet his plea for salvation reflects his own theological uncertainty, shaped by tensions between Calvinism & Catholicism