Death the Leveller (Summary) Plus One

Death the Leveller

James Shirley

Detailed Summary 

“Death the Leveller” is a poem which is written by the famous Elizabethan poet, James Shirley. James Shirley gave an apt title for this poem. The title, “Death the Leveller”, suggests that death can equalize everyone. In front of death, everyone is equal. No one can escape from the hands of death. Death does not give importance to one’s wealth, achievement, positions and status. That is why the poet calls “Death” as a “Leveller”.

1^st Stanza

          In the first stanza, James Shirley says that “Death” does not care about whether an individual comes from an aristocratic or royal family, and one’s position, status and achievement. These are temporary things and are insignificant. No one can escape from the hands of “Fate”. The “armour” which protects a king or a soldier from an attack becomes powerless in front of “Fate”. Death takes both the lives of kings and farmers. Death does not discriminate anyone on any criteria. Everyone will die and become dust one day. In this poem, the poet associates “kings” with “Sceptre and Crown”, and farmers with “scythe and spade”.

2^nd  Stanza

          In the second stanza, the poet tells people with power achieve many things. For instance, kings with swords will conquer new places. He will exert his dominance over the newly conquered place. For achieving victory, sometimes, the kings have to kill some men. Even if how powerful they are, they will face death sooner or later. They cannot defeat Death with their swords. Ultimately, they become powerless like a prisoner who is living in a jail.

3^rd   Stanza

          In the third stanza, the poet tells that even if a man boasts his “mighty deeds”, achievements and the rewards which he has got in his entire life, those will disappear once he leaves from this world. Death does not pay attention to these. Even a great victorious man becomes a “victim” when he faces “Death”. He cannot defeat “Death”. In the end, all become part of the earth and become dust. According to the poet, what remains is one’s good actions which one has done in one’s entire life. People will remember an individual through his actions even if he is buried in the “cold tomb”. So his action will give him fame.

          As the poem ends, we get an image of a lamb who is taking to an altar for doing sacrifice to please the Gods. This kind of ritual is usually practised by pagans. The sacrificial lamb does not know that it will die soon. In the poem, the man will also sacrifice his life in front of “Death’s purple altar”.