By: Karen Villa, Jessica Jefferson, Alexandra Poem Analysis By: Karen Villa, Jessica Jefferson, Alexandra

“A Litany in Time of Plague.” –Thomas Nashe Adieu, farewell, earth’s bliss; This world uncertain is; Fond are life’s lustful joys; Death proves them all but toys; None from his darts can fly; I am sick, I must die. Lord, have mercy on us! Rich men, trust not in wealth, Gold cannot buy you health; Physic himself must fade. All things to end are made, The plague full swift goes by; I am sick, I must die. Lord, have mercy on us! Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour; Brightness falls from the air; Queens have died young and fair; Dust hath closed Helen’s eye. I am sick, I must die. Lord, have mercy on us! “A Litany in Time of Plague.” –Thomas Nashe Theme: Mortality— Encompasses the idea of death in life/relationship/emotion. Subject: Humanity Speaker: First person. Explanation: The reason it is told in first person is to emphasize that no one can escape death not even the speaker. Brief Summary: Speaker believes that humanity is diseased and that the lord should have mercy on it.

Poetry Breakdown(Mortality) Structure: Poet organizes the poem in a way so that he expresses three of the seven sins in short organized bursts. Style: Allusion is used to express that there is no set age for death. Repetition is used to emphasize that humanity is diseased and that God should have mercy on such sinful creatures. Symbolism is utilized to express that beauty does not last forever. Metaphor compares “life’s lustful joys” to be nothing but toys in death’s eye, because everything that humanity cherishes is perishable and nothing but a momentary object to provide self-satisfaction. Tone: The tone of this poem is very melancholic and absolute to express the sadness and inevitability of death. Support: “All thing’s to end are made.” “Adieu, farewell, earth’s bliss; this world uncertain is:” Adieu, farewell, earth’s bliss; This world uncertain is; Fond are life’s lustful joys; Death proves them all but toys; None from his darts can fly; I am sick, I must die. Lord, have mercy on us! Rich men, trust not in wealth, Gold cannot buy you health; Physic himself must fade. All things to end are made, The plague full swift goes by; Beauty is but a flower Which wrinkles will devour; Brightness falls from the air; Queens have died young and fair; Dust hath closed Helen’s eye. Lust Greed Pride

“What is our life?”—Sir Walter Raleigh What is our life? A play of passion, Our mirth the music of division, Our mother's wombs the tiring-houses be, Where we are dressed for this short comedy. Heaven the judicious sharp spectator is, That sits and marks still who doth act amiss. Our graves that hide us from the setting sun Are like drawn curtains when the play is done. Thus march we, playing, to our latest rest, Only we die in earnest, that's no jest. Theme: Mortality—encompasses the idea of death through life/relationship/emotion. Subject: Humanity Speaker: First person. Explanation: Speaker uses “our” to represent everyone in humanity including himself. Brief summary: Author compares life to a play (specifically a comedy).

Poetry Breakdown(Mortality) Structure: The structure is short, just like life. (Reference to “short comedy”). Style: Metaphor is constantly manipulated in this poem to compare life to a play. Also used to compare heaven to the audience that is constantly looking for mistakes. Simile is used to compare death to the end of the play. Analogy is used to express that our mother’s wombs are our dressing rooms that prepare us for life’s play. Tone: The speaker’s tone is very realistic, they want to convey to the reader that death is very real and inevitable. Support: “thus we are playing to our latest rest, only we die in earnest—that’s no jest. What is our life? A play of passion, Our mirth the music of division, Our mother's wombs the tiring-houses be, Where we are dressed for this short comedy. Heaven the judicious sharp spectator is, That sits and marks still who doth act amiss. Our graves that hide us from the setting sun Are like drawn curtains when the play is done. Thus march we, playing, to our latest rest, Only we die in earnest, that's no jest.

Important note: Remember that these poems express how mortality is inevitable, you don’t know how, when, or why you’re going to die, but please do remember that the fact that death is inescapable is what makes life so valuable. So don’t throw away your life ; it is the most valuable thing you will ever have and there are others who value your life more than you will ever begin to understand, so cherish it. The End!