Compare 'To His Coy Mistress' by Andrew Marvell with 'To His Mistress Going to Bed' by John Donne

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M.Jaberansari 10C                                     ENGLISH                                      Mr. Nigel Cropper

Coursework

Compare ‘To His Coy Mistress’ by Andrew Marvell with ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’ by John Donne

‘To His Coy Mistress’ and ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’ are both poems about men seducing women. They centre on sex rather than love or romance. Sixteenth and seventeenth century attitudes to love and relationships were much stricter going as far as wealthy people asking their perspective lovers to marry them via love poem or letter. Though this has changed from the sixteenth and seventeenth century to today, little else has. It is still most common for a man to initiate a relationship, and men are still perceived as the most sex obsessed. However, even though we are led to believe that their attitudes were more conservative, the attitudes conveyed in these poems are very raw and primitive in the way that they make sex the ultimate. The men are desperate begging the women for sex. So we could say that these men were hypocritical for wanting their women pure for marriage but willing to have sex with them pre-marriage!

        

These poems are both themed on love, sex, romance and seduction. However, the attitudes towards their relationships and lovers are completely unlike. Andrew Marvell uses all forms of persuasion both negative and positive to get her into bed with him. On the other hand John Donne doesn’t seem to have to persuade his lover to sleep with him at all; it seems that she is already willing. Andrew Marvell appears to be incredibly desperate, but, in an unrelated way quite self-assured. Marvell says, “Had we had but world enough, and time, this coyness, lady, were be no crime”. This suggests that he is confident that she wants to have sex with him but she is just playing hard to get, enjoying the chase! He seems to think that his lover is naïve because he uses false flattery and promises her all that she wants, tells her everything that she wants to hear. He tells her “Two hundred to adore each breast: But thirty thousand to the rest”. This is an example of both, he is saying that this is what she is worth and this is the value she will have so long a she sleeps with him. He begins trying to persuade her with luxurious imagery (like the Indian Ganges and rubies).

He then progresses on to scare tactics, telling her that she soon will be dead so she must make the most of it whilst she still can! Although he doesn’t use those specific words he makes his meaning pretty obvious with phrases like, “the graves a fine and private place, But none, I think do there embrace”. However in ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’ there is no persuasion, just description. This couple seem to already be established and John Donne’s lover does not require persuasion, as said earlier she is willing. Whereas in Andrew Marvell’s poem he uses false flattery telling her all she wants to hear. Donne is genuine he loves his mistress and thinks of sex as a part of their relationship. When he does flatter her, its less flattery, more complements, his words are more realistic, he says things like “off with that girdle, like heavens zone glistering, But a far fairer world encompassing”. You get the feeling that he really believes it, he’s really sincere, and although what he’s saying isn’t realistic, it is realistic that he believes this of his lover. The main difference is that “To his Mistress Going to Bed” is more romantic, even though some don’t agree.

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The language used in these poems is archaic English. However there is more prominent use of Archaic English in ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’, using it in nearly every line. Seeing as it was written in the sixteenth century it is obvious why they would use Archaic English. At a first glance, even though ‘To His Coy Mistress’ is a much more sinister poem, because of the use of  graphic, sexually explicit imagery ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’ seems a much harsher poem. Both Marvell and Donne’s poems are written in rhyming couplets, this is a style ...

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