Fear no more - William Shakespeare

FEAR NO MORE

William Shakespeare was an English poet,  playwright,  novelist, and actor.  His poem 'Fear no more' is taken from his own play 'Cymbeline'.  The theme of the poem is death.  It is a death poem having a universal appeal.  The poem is written for the consolation of death.  Two facts about life, death, and nothing is permanent are delivered in the poem. The poem shows death as a positive journey ending earthly worries and concerns. It is a moral-giving poem.

The poem is written in simple language.  It has a complex metaphor to depict the struggle one undergoes during his/ her lifetime.  ' Fear no more and 'come to dust' is repeated in all three stanzas of the poem showing 'repetition'.

Fear no more the heat o' the sun; 

Nor the furious winter's rages, 

Thou thy worldly task hast done, 

Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages; 

Golden lads and girls all must, 

As chimney sweepers come to dust. 

Consoling to beloved ones of the dead. the poet explains he (dead) is safe from all earthly issues.  He no longer has to suffer the discomforts of hot and cold.  He is now free from the heat of the summer sun and the furious winter rages. He is free from the worldly task of working all day taking wages off work and returning home.  He did the same completing, all his motives of birth paying for his sins, and being paid for his virtues he is back in his new home; heaven. Death is the ultimate end of life, Whether you are rich or poor,  young or old, whatever class you belong everyone 'comes to dust'. Death knows no age, culture,  gender, or class.

Fear no more the frown of the great, 

Thou art past the tyrant's stroke: 

Care no more to clothe and eat; 

To thee the reed is as the oak: 

The sceptre, learning, physic, must 

All follow this, and come to dust.

The dead person is now free from the anger of his superiors and released from the cruel ruler's strokes.  Now he is free to have his own rules for himself.  He got liberty from the tension of the clothes to cover himself and to fill his empty belly. He's free from greed to fulfill his necessities. Death is impartial. Death comes to reed and also to oak.  Here 'reed' stands for the weak person and 'oak' stands for the strong.  Death is unbiased whether one is a specter (ghost), learner (scholar), or physic (doctor) no one can escape the bitter end of life whoever you are at the end you are the dust.

Fear no more the lightning-flash, 

Nor the all-dread thunder-stone; 

Fear not slander, censure rash; 

Thou hast finished joy and moan; 

All lovers young, all lovers must 

Consign to thee, and come to dust. 

The last stanza has exclamatory lines for us on the evil that troubles humanity  Dead is free from social life,  free from society and its rules. No more to deal with the ups and downs of human emotions. He's free from all his dreadful fears and shocks.  He is unburdened by the slander and criticism of society.  Death is the time for peace. Leaving troubles, worries, and concerns everyone comes to dust. 

Death, the path to heaven is peace. Leaving behind concerns and earthly worries. The poem brings the ultimate truth of human life to us.