I Do Count The Clock Analysis
In the opening line, the speaker meditates on death and his mortality through the use of clock imagery. The speaker actively engages in counting; “I do count the clock”, which emphasises the process of time passing. In the early modern period, clocks served as a reminder of the brevity of earthly life, and were often inscribed with Latin mottos emphasising the passing of time in relation to death. This use of clock imagery throughout the Renaissance period signals a cultural preoccupation with time in relation to death, and the temporal process of degeneration and decay. This is synonymous with the literal physical decay of bodies in death. By situating death in the realm of the physical and natural world, it may cease to be fearful. Furthermore,