In the second part of the poem the tone and the pace change. It goes from being romantic, exaggerated and carefree to being much graver. Whereas the first section was slow, the second part is much faster to give an impression of time flowing away from them. The second section talks about what it will be like when they are dead. Marvell describes life after death as ‘deserts of vast eternity’ that means that there is noting to look forward to after death, so they should make the most of their time on earth. In this section Marvell tries to frighten his girlfriend as opposed to flatter her as he did at first. ‘Then worms shall try/ that long preserved virginity’ is a horrifying image used by Marvell to persuade her to sleep with him: if she doesn’t give him her virginity then the worms will take it after she is dead. Marvell also says that ‘your quaint honour turn to dust/ and into ashes all my lust’ which means that her virginity and his desire for her will mean nothing after they are dead. Despite these gloomy forebodings Marvell finishes this section with a joke, ‘the grave’s a fine and private place/ but none I think do there embrace’, which helps to lighten the mood a little.
The third section acts as a conclusion to Marvell’s argument; it describes what they should do now. While it is not as serious as the second section, it is not as light-hearted as the first. Marvell refers to sex as ‘sport’ in order to persuade his girlfriend that it is only a game, and that no harm can some of it. Marvell mentions twice that they should make the most of their time together ‘rather at once our time devour/ than languish in his slow-chapped power’, meaning that they should do something with heir time rather than wasting it; and ‘thus though we cannot make our sun/ stand still, yet we will make him run’, meaning that as they cannot time they should rush through it instead.
In this poem, only the voice of Marvell is heard. Marvell assumes that his girlfriend wants to have sex with him, but is just being shy, ‘while thy willing soul transpire/ at every pore with instant fires’. This means that her soul breathes passion. When Marvell refers to her honour as being ‘quaint’ he hints that she is being silly. We never hear the girlfriends’ point of view or find out if there are reasons for her reluctance to sleep with him, as the poem is written as a one-sided argument. The poem is based on the philosophy ‘carpe diem’ which is a Latin phrase meaning ‘seize the day’. Marvell writes that they should seize the day and enjoy it while they can, as they never know what tomorrow might bring.
The second poem is ‘The Beggar Woman’. William king wrote it in the same period as ‘To His Coy Mistress’. ‘The Beggar Woman’, is about a gentleman who wishes to sleep with a beggar woman. However the woman manages to outwit the man and warns him that he should think of the consequences for the women before he seeks casual sex in future.
The poem is written in a narrative style, and so resembles a story. It uses rhyming couplets and iambic pentameter, a very traditional style of poetry. The tone of the poem is quick, light-hearted and comic. The man in this poem is shown to be foolish and arrogant in his attitude towards women. This is shown when the poet says, ‘he himself had other game in view’. This shows that the man thinks of sex as being nothing but a game, and that he considers women to be animals of no consequence, whom it doesn’t matter hurting, like the game which he would hunt. When he first speaks to the beggar woman, he doesn’t bother trying to flatter her but gets straight to the point, ‘ What if we two should/ retire a little way into the wood’. Here, he speaks confidently as though he is sure that he will get what he ants. Whilst walking into woods that man does not bother to get down off his horse, ‘He ambles on before’. The use of the word ambles suggests that the man is very casual in his dealings with the woman and also that he thinks he should be the one leading the way. When the poet later says, ‘then thinks the squire, I have the matter sure’, this shows that the man is very confident he will get what he wants. This arrogance is repeated when he says ‘I should be loth/ to come so far and disoblige you both’, which reveals the man’s misconception that any woman would hate to not sleep with him. His second misconception that no woman be cleverer than him is shown when he is slow to realise that she has tricked him, ‘The gentleman had scarce got time to know/ what she was doing’.
In contrast to the man, the beggar woman in the poem in intelligent, and the poet’s sympathies lie with her. At first she panders to the man’s expectations in order to gain his trust and then be able to trick him. ‘She needed not much courtship to be kind’, means that she agreed to the man’s request instantly, having seen her opportunity. ‘She trots behind’ gives the impression that the woman is like a little dog following the man about, as this is what he would expect of her. The writer’s sympathies are shown to lie with the woman as he refers to her as a ‘gentle dame’, a kind and affectionate description. He also makes her seem like a caring mother by giving her baby a name, ‘Little Bobby’, which makes it seem more personal than if it had just been referred to as a baby. Throughout the poem the woman makes it seem as though she is thinking of the man when in fact she is just trying to further her own plans. She suggests a place where the two of them can go ‘I know an unfrequented place/…meanwhile your horse may find some grass’, which makes it seem as though she is thinking about his needs. The woman shows her intelligence when she manages to persuade the man to take the baby on his back, but makes sure that it is he who actually suggests the idea. Throughout this argument, she still makes it seem as though she is putting his integrity first, as he is more important than her, ‘I’d not have us, but chiefly for your sake/ discovered’.
At the end of the poem, the woman says to the man, ‘ere you get another, ten’t amiss/ try a year or two how you keep this.’ The message that king is trying to put across in the poem is that before men seek out casual sex, they should consider the possibility that the woman may become pregnant, and cast out from her family, left to struggle bringing up a child on the streets.
While these two poems deal with similar subject, the way in which they are written and the messages are very different. ‘To His Coy Mistress’ is written in three sections, which form the basis for a clearly set out logical argument. ‘The Beggar Woman’ on the other hand is split into any perceptible sections. It is written in a narrative style, as though were a story as opposed to an argument.
Marvell’s poem is written in a semi-serious tone. There are some parts that are grave, but in others Marvell jokes and exaggerates jovially. This is in common with ‘The Beggar Woman’, which is moderately comic. However behind the joking exterior there is a serious element to this poem as well: that women may suffer because of men’s inconsiderate attitude between the two: King describes a very real social problem causing harm to women, whereas Marvell uses a serious tone to try and make his own desires seem more important.
The two poems are written in different persons, which gives a different viewpoint in each. In ‘To His Coy Mistress’ the only point of view heard is that of Marvell himself. His girlfriend’s voice Is never heard, and the only thing known about her is that she doesn’t want to sleep with Marvell; her reasons for this are unknown. ‘The Beggar Woman’ however is written from third person point of view. In this way, both the man and the woman are presented, although the poet mainly sympathises as thoughtless and lascivious. While Marvell wants sex, he is also in love with the woman he wants to sleep with, so it is seen as less immoral.
Marvell is presenting the message that sex is nothing mare than a game, and so there is nothing wrong with sex before marriage. He does not mention that possible consequences, however King’s message is that men should think of the potential costs for women before mindlessly seeking sex.
In conclusion, the main similarities between these two poems are the themes of women and sex, which they discuss. The main differences are the poet’s attitudes towards sex and women. While Marvell believes that is nothing wrong with sex before marriage, King is vigorously opposed to it. The poet’s also present their message in different ways: as a one-sided argument and as a comical narrative with a moral.
