A comparative look at immortality (William Shakespeare & John Donne) Historical - biographical criticism

This study investigates a comparative look at immortality. There are two poets (William Shakespeare and John Donne)that their views about immortality are different. According to the historical biographical criticism, we compare their views by their works. Based on the research, immortality includes: personal and non-personal. By comparing their works ,we get that William Shakespeare’s sonnet (the first seventeen sonnets) insist on immortality by having children and he wants the young man to get marry . What is Shakespeare’s view about immortality Why by having children And so on According to his time and place that he lived , more than half of his view and obsession about immortality was formed by his time ,place and the problems .The most important thing is that Shakespeare lost his only son and to him, he couldn’t be immortal. Even sonnet 71 shows that to him death is the end of someone’s life .by comparing to John Donne ‘s sonnets(5,6,7,12) this obsession of immortality by children is continued but his view about immortality isn’t only by having children but also to continue the life and death isn’t the end of someone’s life as sonnet 10 that Donne saysdeath is nothing . This is something that is totally against Shakespeare’s view. Here is a question how Donne’s view was formed By being careful about his time, that is puritan and also his job we can get our answer. To sum up, Shakespeare’s opinion on immortality is non-personal but Donne’s opinion on immortality is both personaland non-personal

Keywords:

place , time , immortality , puritan , sonnet , comparative , life