W;t

I recently reread the play W;t by Margaret Edson. I had initially read this as a freshman in college for one of my introduction to the humanities courses (I had taken a course called "visions of mortality" - which probably lead to my current fascination with death and dying). I was really struck by this 1999 Pulitzer Prize winner and the film version starring Emma Thompson. I do not read a lot of plays, and I'm not sure I even know how to read a play, but I can say that this short, easy read works a number on the emotions and strikes at the core of end-of-life care and oncology. It describes a professor of English with terminal cancer and her interactions with the oncologists and nurses as she undergoes chemotherapy. The play ties in the Holy Sonnets of John Donne, including Holy Sonnet X (below) which addresses death directly. The language of the play reflects the clinical encounters patients often have, and the self-reflection of the main character reveals the rich internal dialogue that presumably patients have as well. Overall, it is one of the best reads for understanding the patient perspective of cancer and I recommend it to everyone in medicine.

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Holy Sonnet X
John Donne

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

For those, whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy picture[s] be,

Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.

Thou'rt slave to Fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,

And poppy, or charms can make us sleep as well,

And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally,

And Death shall be no more, Death, thou shalt die.

Image from Wikipedia, shown under Fair Use.