A Litany in Time of Plague

Thomas Nashe

In this poem, the author is speaking as a person that has died from the plague. The speaker takes on a role of telling others that they will also die. Mentioning the rich, the well-known, the brave, and the beautiful, the speaker is able to make the reader feel as if all those that have died throughout history are all grouped together now in one place. Regardless of the status or life a person lives, this poem reminds us that we are not able to carry that along with us in the afterlife. Returning to the same lines “I am sick, I must die. Lord, have mercy on us!” reaffirms that death is coming and will happen no matter how hard we try to fight it. It seems as if in this poem, the speaker is trying to capture the idea that death does not play favorites and that each person will meet the same fate, death. However, the way in which the author phrases each stanza, the reader is left with a feeling of acceptance about death, rather than fear. In the fourth stanza, the speaker talks about the Earth holding her gates open and crying out for someone to come. This can be perceived as Earth welcoming the next person into the gates of Heaven and to resolve people’s fears of what comes after you die. The way in which Nashe mentions so many different types of people makes the reader feel like death is not as grim and unhappy as it is normally mentioned. Although the title brings about the plague epidemic, the actual plague is only brought up in one line and is gone again. This could be symbolic of the way in which a plague comes through, wiping out entire populations in certain areas, then is gone again. It becomes a distant memory that is just a period in time, but only a brief period. Also, the plague is commonly referred to as an epidemic. Another way of looking at it is that death, itself, is an epidemic. It spares no one. Finally, the poem closes with the idea of welcoming destiny. Part of the last stanza reads:
“Heaven is our heritage,
Earth but a player’s stage;
Mount we unto the sky.”
These three lines seem to help capture the main idea of the entire poem, in that death is not to be feared to put off. We are all going to experience it one day, and our time on Earth is nothing more than God’s play that we are all acting out.

Each stanza is broken down into a “a-a-b-b-c-c-d” rhyme scheme. This consistency throughout the poem makes the flow run smoothly. It also seems to be another reminder that, like the returning of the rhyme scheme, death will too return. Repeating the same pattern removes any attempt at individuality. This removal of being an individual is critical to the message in the poem. Death sees no single person; it seems nothing but the same destiny for all. There is no need for the author to break the repetition. If that would have happened, it would have meant that somewhere, there is someone different. Someone that might not die, or that might not have the same destiny as everyone else does. For this, the repeating “a-a-b-b-c-c-d” pattern reassures everyone that we are not alone and are all going to the same place, regardless of where we are in the world right now.

Nashe also chose to use fairly simple language. Although the poem was written between 1567-1601, the words used are easy for everyone to understand. This, once again, goes back to the idea that the poem has a message intended for everyone. It is not meant to single out people by education or class, but rather to be appealing for all types of people. The choices of words are simple and easy to understand. This is much like the idea that death is simple and easy to understand. It is going to happen, regardless of the barriers put up or position in society. The common words give off Nashe’s idea that dying is common and intended for everyone.

Each line of the poem is very short and to the point. They do not leave much room for interpretation or argument. They tell a story, an exact story that cannot be changed. This is very similar to the overall theme that death is finite. With each line being so short and concise, it is almost like each line is a life. It is short and meaningless, but when put together with other lives (or lines), a broader picture is painted. They come together to tell an overall story or to span the overall time of Earth. The lines are the lives of young, fair Queens, of brave Hector. The lines are the small pieces that construct the poem as a whole. Individually, they have no meaning or thought, but when put together, they give the reader a whole new outlook on life, and death.