Montaigne's Essay on Death: Themes and Rhetorical Analysis

Introduction: Montaigne and His Philosophical Context

Michel de Montaigne was a French writer who lived during the Renaissance. His most famous work is the book Essais, the title of which can be translated as "attempts." He is widely credited with having introduced the essay as a literary genre. Under these circumstances, one could state that the essay is nothing more than an attempt to reach knowledge. Montaigne's essays played an influential role in the development of various currents of thinking and influenced philosophers such as Nietzsche, Emerson, Rousseau, and Descartes. The themes he addressed in his writings varied from the social and religious challenges of his contemporary society to issues of self-discovery and self-development, the nature of the universe, and that of the soul.

One of the statements that rendered him controversial was that the main subject of his writings was himself. While that was unusual for the times, it is worth noting that he was actually trying to provide a personal view of the world—at a moment when the individual, endowed with reason, was beginning to be considered a legitimate measure of all things. In writing about himself, he was doing nothing more than writing about humanity.

In his view, the role of the philosopher was to question everything and to seek answers through reason. Doubt was the starting point for philosophical reflection. The writer's purpose was to find the truth, and once he succeeded, he also found peace and harmony as a human being—itself an important goal. In his opinion, there is no science that can provide humanity with absolute truth.

As far as the value of his writings is concerned, it can be stated that he was decisively ahead of his time. For example, he had nothing in common with the medieval conception of the spheres, according to which the sky was a region of the universe where gods and angels resided.

Death, Freedom, and Destiny

The main theme of the essay under analysis is death. Since death is such a central matter for the individual, the philosopher takes into consideration all the implications of the relationship between death and the self. According to Montaigne, the attitude an individual holds toward death reveals something important about his character and even about the manner in which he confronts the most challenging aspects of life.

This approach to analyzing human beings in terms of their positioning regarding life and death is a profound one. Its complexity is all the more appreciable when we consider that a theme such as death leads philosophical questioning toward other subjects such as freedom and belief in God.

The initiative of the writer becomes even more comprehensible when we take into account the social and cultural climate in which he lived. The Renaissance was a revolutionary period. Man was discovering the universe and himself. Newly acquired knowledge imposed changes on life perspectives, and people were eager to understand more about themselves, humanity, and the cosmos.

The first claim that Montaigne makes in the essay is that human beings have great difficulty believing in their own death. Everyone knows that we are not immortal and that one day we will cease to exist, independently of our will. It is a proven fact. Yet the philosopher observes that people experience great difficulty in accepting that their own lives have an implacable end. Knowledge of one's own death remains superficial precisely because of the implications that come with accepting one's mortal nature.

On the one hand, death makes the individual realize how limited his freedom is. On the other hand, it forces him to understand how limited the power of his will is. We may wish to live forever, but we are unable to do so. Death thus becomes proof of an unchangeable destiny—and from this perspective it can even be considered a supporting factor for the existence of a superior entity.

Another theme raised in the essay is the idea of destiny. If death is something we cannot escape, one might conclude that this is how things have been arranged by some presumable superior entity. Death has been planned for us by someone else, and we can do nothing but follow that plan. Naturally, this raises doubts regarding a large number of other things in life—things that may also have been planned for us and from which we cannot escape.

And if we are living out what someone else decided for us a priori, then we are not truly free. Freedom is not the only issue at stake, either. We may also assume that we are ignorant, given how limited our understanding of what happens to us—and why—truly is. Montaigne's reflections mirror the philosophical questions of his time. Society was undeniably developing, but one could reasonably ask where that development was leading and what happiness really means.