Compare and contrast the presentation of seduction in Marvells" To his Coy Mistress" and Donnes "To his mistress going to bed".

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The poems To His Coy Mistress (1650-1652) and To His Mistress Going To Bed (1635) which was written by Andrew Marvell and John Donne respectively, was written about a man trying to seduce a woman. In To his coy mistress, the speaker uses flattery, he compliments her natural beauty and body. The speaker compares her to valuable objects in order to make the lady feel special. The speaker also uses the age factor as a method of seduction as the life expectancy in the 1700’s was only 35 years. Similarly, in To his mistress going to bed, he uses flattery and words to make her feel special. Furthermore, both poems try to seduce the lady by not giving her time to think. However, he also uses differents methods to seduce the lady such as, showing empathy towards her and putting forward his male dominance. The speaker of To His Coy Mistress wants to sleep with the lady for passion and love whereas the speaker of To His Mistress Going To Bed wants to sleep with the lady in means of spiritual bonding. In the poem To His Coy Mistress, Marvell uses flattery and compliments to seduce his mistress. Firstly, the speaker refers to his mistress as a ‘ lady’ which, in the 1600s was a respectful term for women of his society. This shows that the speaker recognizes her status. This word is flanked by commas and this is caesura. The caesura causes the reader to pause, this emphasizes the word ‘ lady’ and is a mark of respect. Another interpretation of the word ‘ lady’ is that it could have been spoken in a sarcastic tone. The speaker thinks that her lady qualities are put on. This links to the word ‘ coy’ from the title which means performance. The reader starts to sense that the speaker does not truly love the lady but he would just want to have intercourse with her. Furthermore, the speaker associates the lady to images of the ‘ Ganges’ and ‘ rubies’. India suggest exoticism. The fact that the river Ganges is holy implies that the man thinks the woman is deserving of worship. ‘Rubies’ are precious red stones and it associates her with images of beauty and wealth. By associating the lady to rubies, this would make the lady feel important as rubies are valuable and rare. Similarly, the speaker
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mentions how he would love the lady ‘ ten years before the flood’ till ‘ the conversion of the jews’. In the book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible, the flood was supposed to happen 4000 years ago at the start of time. In contrast, the conversion of the jews is yet to happen but will possibly take place the day before Armageddon. The hyperbole could imply that the speaker would love the lady for a long time. Because these are religious phrases, the lady would think that the man is moral and trustworthy unlike other men ...

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