Compare how two poets have presented different attitudes to love and relationships
Compare how two poets have presented different attitudes to love and relationships
In this essay I will compare the attitudes to love and relationships presented in two different poems: 'The Beggar Woman,' by William King, and 'To His Coy Mistress,' by Andrew Marvel. In 'The Beggar Woman,' a man of the upper class goes astray from his hunting party to pursue a beggar woman, who has a child, "Bobby," strapped to her back. Before the man can satisfy his lust, the woman ties the baby to his back and leaves him when given the opportunity. 'To His Coy Mistress' is a poem written to seduce a woman to be 'satisfied' before she goes to the grave; the poet's argument is that life is short, so she should live it while she can, but the poem also seems a little threatening, as if the woman has no choice in the matter.
In 'The Beggar Woman,' the man is representative of the male upper class of the 17th century, who doesn't care about love and commitment, just about having a bit of fun, despite the consequences that the woman would have to suffer. The man's confidence is shown throughout the poem; he describes woman as "game," just an object that he can use for his own pleasure. The woman appears compliant, and "trots behind" whereas he "ambles before," and the man's confidence blinds him, making him oblivious to the woman's plans. She appears concerned for him: "chiefly for your sake, / discovered by the hideous noise 'twould make." When the man offers to take the baby, it is clear that he is getting desperate, as he implies that he is doing her a favour by saying that he does not want to "disoblige" them.
There is a clear turning point in the poem, where the woman takes control, with the line: "Might well, sir! Oh Lord! if tied to you!" The exclamations show her excitement that she has taken him in, and in the next section of the poem, separated with an indent, the pace of the poem picks up; this is done with powerful verbs such as, "throws...toss...winds" and "binds." The final section shows the man bewildered at what has happened, - "the gentleman had scarce got time to know" - but the woman remains polite to him; she is taking ...
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There is a clear turning point in the poem, where the woman takes control, with the line: "Might well, sir! Oh Lord! if tied to you!" The exclamations show her excitement that she has taken him in, and in the next section of the poem, separated with an indent, the pace of the poem picks up; this is done with powerful verbs such as, "throws...toss...winds" and "binds." The final section shows the man bewildered at what has happened, - "the gentleman had scarce got time to know" - but the woman remains polite to him; she is taking revenge on him because another man took advantage of her before, and left her with child. She has the last word, and concludes with the moral of the story: "But, ere you get another, 'ten't amiss, / To try a year or two how you'll keep this." This means that the next time his lust gets the better of him, he should remember the child that she left him with.
'To His Coy Mistress' is different, in that you hear nothing from the woman. Since it is a poem written to seduce the woman, it is the man talking to the woman, and so he is in control throughout the poem. There is truth in what he says about "Time's winged chariot drawing near," but he says it in a threatening way, describing how "worms shall try / That long preserved virginity." He describes how her honour would mean nothing when she is dead, and how his passion would have burned out with, "and your quaint honour turn to dust; / and into ashes all my lust." This tells the reader the reason why the lady is being "coy," and also tells you that the man only wants to sleep with her; this makes the man writing the poem similar to the man in 'Beggar Woman:' they are both fuelled by their lust, and are willing to use threats to get what they want.
The tone of 'The Beggar Woman' is slightly humorous, with euphemisms such as, "retire a little way into the woods" and "sitting...'s not my usual trade," both referring to sex. Metaphors are also used, such as when the man says "I'll the knot untie" - he intends it to mean the knot that holds the baby to its mother's back, but it also refers to the bond between mother and child. When the mother ties the baby to "her generous friend," the poet compares the way he is strapped to his back "like a cross," which has a biblical association with Jesus bearing the Cross. The poet uses an iambic pentameter, which gives the poem the impression of everyday speech, making it seem more dramatic, and rhyming couplets links the key rhyming words together, and is a typical feature of narrative poetry. Indents are used to separate the poem into four different sections: the beginning, which sets the scene; the section where the man appears to be in control, and the woman meek; the turning point of the poem, where the woman takes charge and the final section, where the woman has the last word and gives you the moral of the story.
'To His Coy Mistress' also uses indents to separate the poem into different section: in the first, he praises her beauty, and how he could love her for all eternity if they had the time; in the second he shocks the reader with horrifying images of what would happen to her body in death and the final section says how he thinks it should be, and give you the moral. The poet also uses rhyming couplets, and uses words that suggest unity, heat and passion to try and win the lady over, such as "one ball" and "sun." This is meant to be interpreted as the man and woman making love, as these ideas suggest togetherness. Like 'Beggar Woman,' there is a biblical reference in, "Till the conversion of the Jews," which means forever, as it is not very likely that it will happen. In the first section, long vowel sounds and alliteration are used, and this gives it a leisurely rhythm to echo its meaning, which is that he could wait for eternity if he had the time. Unlike 'Beggar Woman,' a fixed pattern of stresses sets the pace for the poem, but there is a change in these stresses on line 24, "Deserts of vast eternity," and this puts emphasis on the desolation that faces them as time passes. Metaphors are also used, such as "the iron gates of life," especially with references to time, with "time's winged chariot" and "his slow-chapped power."
'To His Coy Mistress' is an argumentative poem, where the poet is using his intellectual powers to win over the lady, whereas in 'Beggar Woman,' the man uses his physical superiority to seduce the woman.
In conclusion, I think that the two poems use similar structure and language devices, and both show that the men of the times they were written in were lustful, although they are different in the fact that 'Beggar Woman' is a protest against this, with the woman having a strong part in the poem, and 'To His Coy Mistress' is a seduction poem, with no point of view from the woman, except from what the man tells us, which is that her honour is at risk. They both show the insensitivity of upper class men of the time.
