Religion
The main theme of this, and all the rest of the Holy Sonnets, is religion. The speaker of the poem is a desperate individual who feels the need to connect with God and religion. The first part of the poem is concerned with the Judgement day, describing the events connected to it like angels blowing the trumpets and the souls of the dead rising. The second part is concerned with religion on a more personal note, with the elements of sin and repentance.
Despair and confliction
The poem’s underlying theme is that of despair. It describes a conflicted and despairing individual who is clearly troubled by life, by his own deeds and sins. The first part of the poem and calling for the Judgement day shows an outburst of bravery self-assurance, while the second part shows the conflict of an individual who might not feel ready for Judgement Day just yet because he is troubled by sins for which he has not repented yet.
Death
Death is also an underlying theme of the poem in connection to the religion. The speaker calls for the souls of the dead to rise and return to their bodies, which is a known religious belief in connection to religion and Judgement day. He tells them that they will meet God and never feel the woe of death again. The second part reveals the speaker’s fear of the finality of death, after which would be too late to repent for his sins.
