A detailed analysis of sexual persuasion with a close discussion of the methods used in texts of seduction.

Authors Avatar

Kate Parkin

A detailed analysis of sexual persuasion with a close discussion of the methods used in texts of seduction. With reference to “To His Coy Mistress” Marvell (1646), Act 2 Scene 3 King Richard III, Shakespeare (1594); and The Personal Adverts in “The Sunday Times” Newspaper (2003).

The dictionary defines seduction as, “the act of seducing, to entice, to allure or to induce to have sexual intercourse”. Many written modes have been used to suggest this, such as songs and poems, although paralinguistic features such as tone of voice and overall body language must be considered an asset in this act. I will be studying poetry, speeches and personal adverts, to explore high quality and poor techniques in the act of seduction.

The first text under consideration is Marvell’s paradoxical and ironic Metaphysical poem called “To His Coy mistress” written circa 1646. Marvell was a puritan, but although the poem does give testimony to this it also endorses a view of sex that in his time would have been considered immoral; that sex is not something we should take seriously and sex before marriage is something to be celebrated. So it might be suggested that Marvell takes on the persona of a dashing cavalier poet and wooer. The poem starts abruptly in mid conversation. This creates an immediate colloquial dramatic monologue. The striking opening is reinforced by the elliptical syntax, “Had we” instead of “If only we had” which gives a sense of urgency; and an unusual noun adjective inversion “World enough and time”. This inversion also places a strong stress on the noun, “world”, which gives a sense of longing for infinite time and space in which to woo.

The graphology of the poem is very structured. It uses a three verse format, and the language of argument gives a clinical, detached effect. Marvell uses recurring logical hinge words that signal different stages in the argument, for example “but” and “now therefore” endorse the structured and detached feeling. The first stanza is the thesis, and shows his opponent’s (the mistress’) view, of protracted courting: “An age at least to every part”. The next verse is the antithesis, the contradicting view that his mistress’s wish is impossible because time is too short: “Time’s winged chariot hurrying near”. His synthesis, the third verse, is to cram the depth of feeling in the first verse into the short time of the second.  

The diction is predominantly flattering and pleasant showing love and seduction to be the main theme of this poem: “An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes”. Marvell uses alliteration in the first stanza to emphasise this flattery, and to make his words sound more alluring. “Long”/”Loves” and “Thirty”/”Thousand”. However in the second stanza, the antithesis, the lexis abruptly changes to disturbing images of death and destruction. This sudden change in vocabulary emphasises the idea that the mistress’ view, the thesis, is a fantasy. The metaphor “My vegetable love should grow Vaster than empires, and more slow” is phallic, and contradictory. The word “vegetable”, is not glamorous or exciting, and so it could be seen to be an attempt at honesty (his love is humdrum and ordinary). However, this is opposed by the next phrase, “Vaster than empires”. This line is very egotistical, as he seems to be suggesting his love is the best, biggest of its kind, thus decreasing the effect of the sincerity mentioned previously.

Marvell’s approach to the mistress is a very interesting factor in this poem. She is not given a name and has no say, her view is taken on but only to be criticised. This could suggest the attitudes of men to women in the seventeenth century; it may also show the speaker’s fear of the mistress. When he portrays himself by the tide of Humber irritably complaining, it sounds more like a criticism made by the mistress than a true reflection of how he sees himself. He takes on the criticism without a thought which seems to suggest that the woman is really in control of their relationship. However, if the line, “I by the tide of Humber would complain” was read in a self deprecating tone it could be seen as humorous, contradicting my previous point, thus showing the importance of paralinguistic features. He uses hyperbole as he describes her lounging by the Ganges side simply acquiring rubies, “Thou by the Indian Ganges side shoulds’t Rubbies find”. He, however, is by the side of the Humber in a miserable mood, “I by the tide of Humber would complain” this ironic use of juxtaposition also comes across humorously. 

Join now!

There are continuous insults made about the mistress; he describes her chastity as being a crime, and describes her “quaint honour”, which when we hear that the word “quaint” was pronounced “cunt” becomes provocatively insulting. These vicious remarks about the mistress suggest he knows she has the power in the relationship and he dislikes it. Marvell describes his mistress’ chastity as a crime that she is performing against him. This is intended to give the woman a sense of guilt and turn himself into a victim, thus persuading her what she is doing (remaining coy) is immoral and hurtful to ...

This is a preview of the whole essay