Free Essays on To His Coy Mistress

At first glance, Andrew Marvell’s poem â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† is a fairly typical carpe diem poem, in which the speaker tells his beloved that they should â€Å"seize the day† and have sex now instead of waiting until they are married (Meyer 728). In today’s world, the speaker’s speech may seem sexist in its attitude toward women and irresponsible in its attitude toward the coy mistress; however the speaker does not explain how he would seize the day if the woman became pregnant. Still, if we look beyond the limited perspective of the speaker himself, we can see that Marvell is making a statement. He implies how all of us, regardless of gender or involvement in relationships, should savor the pleasures of the moment. The mistress would like to postpone sex, at least until she and the speaker are married; however, the speaker wants to consummate their physical relationship now. Each viewpoint has its reasons, and certainly the woman in the poem would stand to lose sensibly from premarital sex. Marvell, however, is not suggesting that unrestrained lust is preferable to moral or ethical restraint; sex is only the subject matter, not the theme of the poem. In my opinion, Marvell’s actual point here is that we should savor the unique experiences of each present moment. To convey this theme, the poet uses irregularities of rhyme, rhythm, and meter to undermine the mathematically neat but artificial patterns of the poem. Although the rhyme scheme of the poem follows a simple couplet pattern (AA, BB, and so on), two couplets use irregular rhyme, not only to vary the monotonous pattern but also to reinforce the poem’s theme (Meyer 878). Lines 23 and 24 use the approximate rhyme â€Å"lie/eternity† while lines 27 and 28 repeat this irregularity with â€Å"try/virginity.†(Meyer 835). The first couplet suggests that the future that lies before us is in no way desirable: â€Å"deserts of vast eternity† imply a threatening rather... Free Essays on To His Coy Mistress Free Essays on To His Coy Mistress At first glance, Andrew Marvell’s poem â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† is a fairly typical carpe diem poem, in which the speaker tells his beloved that they should â€Å"seize the day† and have sex now instead of waiting until they are married (Meyer 728). In today’s world, the speaker’s speech may seem sexist in its attitude toward women and irresponsible in its attitude toward the coy mistress; however the speaker does not explain how he would seize the day if the woman became pregnant. Still, if we look beyond the limited perspective of the speaker himself, we can see that Marvell is making a statement. He implies how all of us, regardless of gender or involvement in relationships, should savor the pleasures of the moment. The mistress would like to postpone sex, at least until she and the speaker are married; however, the speaker wants to consummate their physical relationship now. Each viewpoint has its reasons, and certainly the woman in the poem would stand to lose sensibly from premarital sex. Marvell, however, is not suggesting that unrestrained lust is preferable to moral or ethical restraint; sex is only the subject matter, not the theme of the poem. In my opinion, Marvell’s actual point here is that we should savor the unique experiences of each present moment. To convey this theme, the poet uses irregularities of rhyme, rhythm, and meter to undermine the mathematically neat but artificial patterns of the poem. Although the rhyme scheme of the poem follows a simple couplet pattern (AA, BB, and so on), two couplets use irregular rhyme, not only to vary the monotonous pattern but also to reinforce the poem’s theme (Meyer 878). Lines 23 and 24 use the approximate rhyme â€Å"lie/eternity† while lines 27 and 28 repeat this irregularity with â€Å"try/virginity.†(Meyer 835). The first couplet suggests that the future that lies before us is in no way desirable: â€Å"deserts of vast eternity† imply a threatening rather... Free Essays on To His Coy Mistress To His Coy Mistress Before paraphrasing the poem itself, I must first start with the title. The speaker is telling of his unending love to his â€Å"coy mistress.† But at the time this poem was written, in the late 17th century, a mistress was not the lover of a married man. Instead, it refers to a woman who is loved and courted. Coy is defined as shy and modest. The speaker is telling his coy mistress that if there were enough time in the world, her shyness would be no crime because time would not be a factor. They could sit down and pass the days just loving each other. He (the speaker) would sit by the river Indian Ganges, and write love songs about her. He would love her for eternity, and she could always refuse him, because without time as a factor, there would be no rush. His love for her would grow slowly, slower than empires grow. He would praise her eyes for a hundred years, and praise each breast for two hundred years. He would spend thirty thousand years praising the rest o f her body; he would dedicate an entire age to each part of her. Saving the best for last, he would spend an age talking of her heart. He loves her so much that she deserves all this praise, and he cannot imagine loving her any less than he does; he cannot imagine giving her any less praise than she deserves. But this is not possible, because he knows that time is short; our lives are short indeed compared to the time it would take him to properly praise her. Because life is so short, because â€Å"Time’s winged chariot hurr[ies] near† (line 22) she would be dead long before he got done praising her. She would no longer be beautiful, and she would not hear his songs of love, because she would be dead, buried underground. Before he could take her virginity, the worms would eat her. Her honor would turn to dust as she decomposes, just as his lust would turn to ash, because they will both be dead. There is humor in the statement â€Å"Th... Free Essays on To His Coy Mistress Poetry Essay â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† a poem written by Andrew Marvell is one of the most famous carpe diem poems ever written. Carpe diem means to seize the day. Marvell’s poem is about a young man trying to persuade his mistress to have sex with him. The young man is using a tripartite form of an argument, using figurative language to try and persuade his mistress to have sex with him. The young man’s argument is divided into three stanzas of the poem. In the first stanza, the young man is using figurative language to let his mistress know how much he would love her if he had a lot of time. Next, in the second stanza the young man is using figurative language to tell his mistress that time is running out and what will happen when it does. Lastly, in the third stanza the young man uses figurative language to tell his mistress now would be a good time to have sex. The figurative language used in each stanza, comes together to form the carpe diem theme. In the first stanza of the poem the young man says,† Had we but world enough and time this coyness, lady, were no crime†(1-2). He is stating that if the two had all the time in the world that he would not mind his mistress acting reluctant. The young man is saying if they had the time,† My vegetable love should grow vaster than empires, and more slow.†(11-12). The young man is stating that his flourishing love for his mistress would grow larger than empires but a lot slower, if they had the time. If he had,† World enough and time†(1), â€Å" An hundred years should go to thine eyes, on thy forehead gaze, two hundred to adore each breast, but thirty thousand to the rest. An age at least to every part†(13-17). The young man is letting his mistress know he would spend countless years on each part of her body, if they had the time. The young man is pointing out what he would do if he had a lot of time, by using figurative language. This part of the argument i... Free Essays on To His Coy Mistress Love spans horizons, but empires span centuries. In Andrew Marvell’s â€Å"To His Coy Mistress†, the speaker uses the fourteenth century poetic mode of patriarchal convention to emphasis the themes of insult and irrationality. The themes are communicated through various forms of figurative language, different types of poetic form, and subconscious propaganda that is emitted from the carpe diem tradition. Further observations into the speaker’s method of courtship reveals attributes of manipulative behavior. Love spans horizons, but empires span centuries. In Andrew Marvell’s â€Å"To His Coy Mistress†, the speaker uses the fourteenth century poetic mode of patriarchal convention to emphasis the themes of insult and irrationality. The themes are communicated through various forms of figurative language, different types of poetic form, and subconscious propaganda that is emitted from the carpe diem tradition. Further observations into the speaker’s method of courtship reveals attributes of manipulative behavior. The speaker’s verbal artistry is a compelling drama that envisions no shame, showing how can a man fill a woman’s heart with empty promises and concepts and still walk proudly â€Å"through the iron gates of life† (line 44). The speaker’s intentions are obvious to the reader; sex today and love tomorrow. Various forms of figurative language such as allegories, similes, symbolism, and metaphors represent the intentions of the speaker. Allegorical images of walking by â€Å"the Indian Ganges’ side† (5) while waiting â€Å"two hundred years to adore each breast† (15) are logically impossible considering the time period’s difficulty with travel and health. The use of simile contradicts the speakers own concept of forever lasting love when he offers his lady to act â€Å"like amorous birds of prey† (38) and act upon primal instincts, which is suggestive of participating in savage lust. What...