Both of the poems have threatening yet persuasive overtones. The poems use persuasive language and narrative parts to, not only persuade their ‘loves’, but to scare them into sexual relationships. This is shown in “To His Coy Mistress” where Marvell’s writes ‘..I always hear…time’s winged chariot hurrying near’. The phrase ‘winged chariot’ creates an image of a god who has control of the world and who brings the day and the night. It also creates the image of a bird that connotes flying and freedom and the idea of soaring into bliss. Both poems use time as an theme to help strengthen their case that time will not wait for them (the women) forever and that they will soon lose their beauty and die.
Sex is also a main theme running throughout the poem, as both men want to consummate their love with their partners. Both poems speak of virginity as illustrated in “The Flea”, ‘…nor loss of maidenhead’. Virginity and sex would have been a significant part of courtly love as it says in the bible that one should not have sex before marriage so the women in these poems would be dubious about whether to follow these men and lose their honour or to stay chaste and pure. The word ‘maidenhead’ demonstrates the formal language of the time where virginity was seen has something pure and almost childlike by using the word ‘maiden’. These poems are written from the perspective of the man where he is dominant and it is his ideas of courtly love, which would be different to the ideas of a woman. The fact that the poems are written by men is apparent, as sex is a main theme of both of the poems. Donne and Marvell also mock the lady’s honour in both of these poems, which shows a complete disrespect for the idea of courtly love.
However, the idea of marriage is only apparent in The Flea where Donne writes, ‘Our marriage bed, and marriage temple’, whereas Marvell’s, “To His Coy Mistress”, is only alluding to marriage. This could show that Donne is more serous in his affections than Marvell or he could be using it as a way of getting his love to trust him when she is not sure. Donne also uses temptations of money and royalty to persuade his lover. Colours of royalty such as purple are used to create the impression of luxury and power. The theme of love runs through both poems but it seems that in “To His Coy Mistress”, his lover does not return his feelings for her but, in The Flea, his lover returns his affections but does not want to enter into a physical relationship with him.
Blood and death also feature in both of these poems. Examples of this are ‘purpled thy nail in blood of innocence’ from “The Flea” and ‘Nor in thy marble vault sound’, in “To His Coy Mistress”. ‘Marble vault’, suggests a lavish but echoic and demisable place, abandoned by all and left. Vault also implies a secrete hole or a place buried deep in the ground. Blood and death are again used a persuasive techniques but using these images in a love poem can also been seen as unique as the subjects of love poetry are usually flowers, hearts and kisses. Both poems also say that they will be killed by their love if they do not have sex. However, in The Flea, we also read references to murder where Donne accuses his love of committing three sins of not only killing the flea but killing her self and her lover. This is illustrated in ‘And sacrilege, three sins in killing three’.
In “The Flea”, Donne’s love is much more assertive than Marvell’s love who seems to be silent and passive. This is shown when Donne’s love kills the flea whilst Marvell’s lady seems just to sit back. A line which shows this is ‘Cruel and sudden, hast thou since’ where Donne’s love is squashing the ‘love’ by killing it. ‘Cruel and sudden’ suggest a violent death and the words are short and sharp to create the effect of malice and murder. This perhaps shows a woman who knows her own mind and what she wants in life.
Structure is an important part of a poem. The structure in both poems is similar as both poems are spilt into two parts. In “The Flea”, the first part in whimsical, following no particular pattern and trying to persuade his love. In the second part, Donne’s language becomes absurd and he implies that the killing of the flea would also mean killing herself and him. In the last part Donne reserves the argument and says that she (his lover) will lose no more honour is she sleeps with him than already lost when she killed the flea. In the bible it says that not only murder is a sin but suicide is the most grim sin. In the poem, Donne is saying is she kills the flea then she is killing herself because her blood is in the flea. In contrast Marvell tries to persuade his lover in a different way. In the first part Marvell uses flattery and long phrases and words such as ‘long loves day’. This phase also uses alliteration to create a romantic feel. In the second part it is a warning to his lover and what will happen. In the last part it is what the couple should do. In both poems, words such as ‘but’ are used to mark the change in pace or tone. After each stanza, the pace changes. In “To His Coy Mistress”, the poem speeds up, which creates an effect of time and pace, which are key themes in the poem.
In both poems, the rhyme scheme is similar both poems use rhyming couplets to make the poem flow. An example of this is ‘Now lets us sport us while we may, And now like amorous birds of prey’, from “To His Coy Mistress”. ‘Amorous’, shows a feeling of impatience and insistent which reflect the poets feelings to ravish his mistress. Also, in “To his Coy Mistress”, the rhyming couplets are in logical order, like an argument. The couplets connotes a pair, him and her, an there is a suggestion that is she says yes they will work together in perfect harmony.
The rhyming couplets echo the union of lovers. In the Flea, the last three lines of every stanza rhyme together. This is to symbolise the relationship between mistress, Donne and the flea.
The language and devices used in the poems changes the effect that the poem has on the reader. In both poems, there are many language devices used to the effect of love and romance on the reader.
Metaphors are used in both poems to create images about love.
An example of a metaphor from “To His Coy Mistress”, ‘My vegetable love will grow’. In this passage the vegetable is a metaphor for patient love because vegetables take a long time to grow. Vegetables also store all of the vitamins necessary for life, which could suggest that love stores all the happiness for life. Vegetables also have to be eaten quickly or they will go bad which suggests that their love must be consummated quickly or they will find themselves out of love with each other. Another meaning for the vegetable could be of an erect penis, the symbol of manhood and the producer of a new life. However, a difference in language is that in “The Flea”, Donne uses conceit to create a different image. Donne has taken a poetic image or a metaphor and liken it to something else that it seemingly very different. This creates the effect of opposites. Donne also uses hyperbolic metaphors. A line that shows this is ‘This flea is you and I’. This creates the image of a ‘being’ that is part of them, like a baby who is part of him and part of her. It shows being together as one. Hyperbolic metaphors are used for effect (rather than deceiving anyone). No one imagines that a hyperbolic statement be taken seriously, they are overstatements.
Caesuras are used to create an affect. They are a pause between phrases to create an affect on the reader and to make him/her think about what they are reading. Caesuras are used in both poems. An example from “To His Coy Mistress” is ‘Should’st rubies find: by the tide’. This helps to distinguish between Marvell and his lover. It illustrates the mind of the poet and it could also illustrate the space between spectator and lover.
In “To His Coy Mistress” and “The Flea”, the authors are both metaphysical poets where they use abstract images to explore emotions. An example of this in “To His Coy Mistress” is ‘my vegetable love’. In the poems, long phrases and words are used to create a romantic effect such a ‘long loves day’ in “To His Coy Mistress”. Other devices are also used to create a romantic image including alliteration and repetition, which also helps to make a point clear. An example of this is in “The Flea”, ‘a sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead’, which is saying that having intercourse will not bring shame on the family or on the maiden’s honour. Sibilance, is used in “To His Coy Mistress”. This helps to stress a point. An example of this is ‘stand still’, which is also most a command to the mistress uses short word to stress that time will not wait forever.
Other devices used in the poems are similies. It brings out the 'likeness' between two things. An example of this from “To His Coy Mistress” is ‘sits on thy skin like morning dew’. This gives the image of being fresh and moist but after a while, the dew will fade and it will be dry, therefore, her beauty will soon be gone and she needs to make the most of it while she can. Personification is also used to create an effect. An example of this in “To His Coy Mistress” is ‘time’s winged chariot hurrying near’. This shows the idea of time driving on and at some point, overtaking you. It carries the message that you cannot be coy and put things off forever or time will catch up with you and you will die a virgin.
The main difference in language between two poems is that “To His Coy Mistress” uses landscape imagery. This is where the poet describes a scene or a place and it creates an image in the reader’s mind. In “To His Coy Mistress”, Marvell describes the Indian Ganges and vast empires. This makes him seem educated and ‘India’, creates a romantic image of beautiful sunsets and riding on elephants in the jungles. ‘Vast empires’, creates the image of strength and power and of a ruler or king who could conquer anything. It also could mean huge areas of unconquered and undiscovered land that are just waiting to be explored. Whereas, in “The Flea”, Donne bases his whole poem on the idea of the flea. In “The Flea”, Donne uses direct language to show that sex is not an important part of the relationship. An example of this is ‘mark but this flea’, where Donne is saying ‘take not and be aware’.
“The Flea” and “To His Coy Mistress” are poems that mock and shame the idea of courtly love. In the poems, the men want nothing but to have sex with their ‘loves’. Many different language devices and techniques are used to persuasive their would be lovers. In “To His Coy Mistress”, the message is that while you are young and beautiful make the most of it because tomorrow could be your last. The structure of the poem is such that the mistress will find it hard to refuse Marvell. In “The Flea”, Donne presents his poem as one half of a debate between a man and a woman and he wants to get his lover to have sex with him without being ashamed. A reader, however, could find that both of these poems are indecent and think that the recipients of them would not be impressed. The poets could have written happier and jollier poetry to try a win their maids.
