In the second part of his argument, however, Marvell changes the tone to one of urgency as the speaker frightens the Coy Mistress and threatens that his lust will be ‘into ashes’ (L.30) in death. He incorporates death imagery with time in a rather sinister way, as he implies that death is looming. We also get the impression he has inverted the previous idea that their love is timeless – now he is saying she should lose her virginity to him before death.
In the final stage of his argument, the imagery of time creates a tone of finality, that the Coy Mistress should now succumb to the speaker’s seduction, as their love is consummated; together in ‘one ball’ (L.42) This metaphor indicates that they should now come together in love. The attitudes to love conveyed by the idea of time are that love cannot wait, that they should seize the day (Carpe Diem).
Both poets use the idea of innocence in their arguments. John Donne implies that the lover in ‘The Flea’ has committed sacrilege when she ‘purpled [her] nail’ (L.20) by killing the flea. This imagery has religious connotations in that it links the innocent blood of the flea with the innocent blood of Jesus Christ. It also reinforces the fact that she has sinned, associating sin with guilt as a seduction technique. Yet interestingly he turns the idea upside down – rather than her feeling guitly about sleeping with him, he says she should feel guitly for not sleeping with him. This idea is significant as religion held great importance in the Renaissance.
In contrast, Marvell implies that the Coy Mistress is innocent, that she has a ‘youthful hue’ (L.33) about her. However, he suggests that her youthfulness will last no longer than the ‘morning dew’ (L.34), i.e. they should seize the day while they are both young and willing. This presents the attitude that the speaker does not wish her to remain chaste; he would rather take her virginity, therefore he seems to use her innocence to his advantage.
Marvell’s reference to the Coy Mistress being suited to the ‘Indian Ganges’ side’ (L.5) is used as flattery. The exotic imagery contrasts particularly to where the speaker believes he should be, i.e. by the ‘tide of Humber’ (L.7) This suggests firstly that the Indian Ganges’ was considered most exotic in the 17th century, as England was beginning its era of great exploration and the discovery of the exotic east. Therefore, it would be a suitable place for her to be. The comparison to the Humber seems to be in modesty, but with a touch of humour. Secondly, this suggests that love bestows itself on the unworthiest candidates – he does not deserve such a beautiful, exotic lady, but it could also be interpreted as a metaphor for their sexual distance, making him seem somewhat inferior.
The absence of any exotic imagery, or indeed any flattery of the lover at all in ‘The Flea’ is significant as it shows that the speaker is so confident in his argument, he does not need to flatter the lover. This is arrogance, in a way, as the speaker believes that as the flea already has ‘one blood made of two’ (L.8), she will have to surrender. He uses logic rather than flattering imagery that presents love as something that is necessary; they must consummate their love as part of the relationship.
Both poets employ certain poetic devices for persuasive effect. In ‘To His Coy Mistress’, Marvell uses hyperbole, especially in the thesis section, for example that he needs ‘an age’ (L.17) to cherish every part of her. By using exaggeration the speaker flatters the Coy Mistress. This presents the attitude that love is appreciative and generous, yet it also implies that the speaker will go to any lengths to persuade her, as this flattery is unrealistic and could be insincere. The use of exaggeration is also significant because it mocks the conventional love poetry of that time.
John Donne does not use this technique as such, as the whole poem uses an extended metaphor, creating a more logical argument. But Donne does use other persuasive devices, such as alliteration to create a ‘hissing’ effect, using repeated ‘s’ sounds are used to describe how the flea ‘suck’d’ (L.3) their bloods. The sibilant sounds create an almost forceful tone of persuasion. They also shows that his love is wanton, he has an urgency to be with the lover.
The caesura in ‘To His Coy Mistress’ acts as a pause in the speaker’s argument to emphasise his ‘echoing song’ (L.27) The point he seems to be trying to make is that in death, there is only silence, and that the Coy Mistress will no more be subject to such wooing and flattery. The caesura presents the attitude that love can be stopped and started, especially as this breaks the fluid motion of the poem.
Similarly, in ‘The Flea’, there is a caesura: ‘and this, alas!’ (L.9) This shows the speaker’s regret that the lover will not yield to his desire. This breaks the rhythm of the poem, having the persuasive effect of guilt.
Both poems use iambic tetrameter in their rhythm, although ‘The Flea’ alternates between this and iambic pentameter, owing to the speaker’s changing arguments. The fact that the poet has used repetition of iambic pentameter in the last lines of every stanza to conclude each argument shows his complacency that the lover will submit to his seduction. It suggests love can be demanding and insisting.
In contrast, ‘To His Coy Mistress’ uses only iambic tetrameter, to keep the argument at a flowing pace. This is significant as it shows that the Coy Mistress cannot possibly counter the speaker, as his argument is simply relentless; i.e. when he insists they cannot make time ‘stand still’ (L.46) It is difficult to argue against the quick pace. This is an unconventional presentation of 17th century love.
It is interesting to explore how both poems are structured, as it reveals certain attitudes to love. For example, the speaker in ‘The Flea’ changes his arguments to match the lover’s reactions. In the first stanza he is persuasive, but in the second he seems almost desperate as she has rejected his argument. He accuses her of ‘three sins’ (L.18) by this one action. In the third he changes his argument yet again. The rapid change suggests that love is a like an argument to won, a game, that whatever the lady does the speaker has to counter with a new tactic.
In contrast, ‘To His Coy Mistress’ is structured in a more consistent way. In the thesis section, the speaker uses time as his first argument, as their love is ‘slow’ (L.12) and timeless. He then contradicts this in the antithesis section as he warns the Coy Mistress that in reality, death will be upon them soon, ‘hurrying near’ (L.22) The synthesis, or summary seems to be logical – they do not have all the time in the world, so they should enjoy what time they have. This structure, and the way the Coy Mistress is silent throughout, indicates that men were more dominant in the role of seduction during the 17th century.
Both women addressed in the poems are very different, which can be seen by the structure and tone. The Coy Mistress is silent while she is flattered, then threatened with unconventional and even grotesque imagery, such as that of ‘worms’ (L.27) This implies that the relationship is one-sided, yet it may not be a true reflection of typical love at the time.
It is evident that the lover in ‘The Flea’ reacts between each stanza. She is addressed in a way that suggests she is to succumb unquestionably to his seduction, which is why, perhaps, the tone does not change to one of urgency until the second stanza where she is ‘apt to kill’ (L.16) their love within the flea, so perhaps the speaker has now realised that she is bold enough to reject his argument.
The dramatic voice of the poems is linked to the imagined audience to a certain extent, as the different tones in the poems convey attitudes to love. In ‘The Flea’, the dramatic voice changes according to the arguments of the speaker. In the first stanza it is persuasive, and in a way, confident, such as the way he expects the lover to accept that losing her virginity is neither ‘a sin, nor shame’ (L6), which ironically, she does not. The second stanza seems to have a tone of urgency, such as the way he seems to cry: ‘O stay’ (L.10), where the speaker is yearning for her not to kill the flea, and his argument.
There also seems to be a change in structure and language because of this – the speaker begins to use biblical imagery, for example, accusing her of ‘sacrilege’ (L.18) that suggests that using guilt to seduce her is not against his morals. In the final stanza, the tone changes yet again to one of logic and reason as he tries to convince her that neither of them are ‘weaker now’ (L.24), after her killing the flea. The attitudes to love conveyed by the dramatic voice seem to be that love is inconstant, and fickle. It comes across that he will use any technique to seduce her.
The dramatic voice in ‘To His Coy Mistress’ also changes in each section. The way the speaker is first flattering suggests that he wants to gain her trust so that he then can frighten her and she will be convinced of his second argument, that none ‘do there embrace’ (L.32) in death. The tone also seems empathetic as he is almost pleading for the Coy Mistress, as he is also apprehensive about the nearness of death. This shows that love is versatile, and can be flattering, or threatening.
In conclusion, I think that each poem provides a valuable insight into 17th century attitudes to love. Through their use of imagery, themes and language they reveal what love and seduction may have been like in many relationships at the time. However, I do not think they are particularly serious or reverent poems. They do incorporate humour in their arguments, such as the speaker in ‘To His Coy Mistress’ being suited to the ‘tide of Humber’ (L.7) They also seem to be mocking conventional love poetry at times, for example the use of phallic imagery in ‘To His Coy Mistress’.
The way that the speakers in the poems seduce their lovers does actually show how similar love over 300 years ago is to today. For example, both speakers seem to use whatever ploys they can to seduce their lovers, and in ‘The Flea’ especially, the speaker’s argument changes to suit the lover’s actions. This is significant as it shows that although he appears dominant in the relationship, he is still completely reliant on the lover. This indicates that typical relations between men and women were that men had the power over women in a sense, yet here this woman’s permission is essential.
The fact that Marvell uses time imagery is relevant to love in the 21st century as his issue that time is always ‘hurrying near’ (L.22) seems to give Carpe Diem a great significance. It seems that his strong confidence can have great influence on not only the lady that he is wooing but also the world. The passion expressed and the underlying message translates into the modern cliché that life is simply ‘too short’ to suppress true love.
¹ Note: This point was researched on the Internet.
