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John Donne- The Flea
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This is a comprehensive analysis of John Donne's poem 'The Flea.' It provides information on the context, form and structure and language and imagery of the poem.
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THE FLEAFORM AND STRUCTURE
- The poem is made up of 3 stanzas which are used to describe an unfolding scenario
- The 3 stanzas follow a logical, dialectical structure. Throughout the stanzas there is a
development of an argument with a clear progression of thought and ideas. This dialectical
structure is a feature of much 17th Century verse and metaphysical verse.
- The poem has a regular rhyme scheme- it is made up of rhyming couplets and a rhyming
triplet. The regularity of the rhyme scheme gives the poem a degree of levity and sets the
light-hearted, ironic tone of the poem
- Most of the lines are iambic tetrameter however the rhythm is not always regular
- The tone of the poem is highly ironic, dramatic and absurdly amusing.
LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY
Subject of the Poem
- The poem uses the conceit of a flea, which has sucked blood from the male speaker and his
female lover, to serve as an extended metaphor for the relationship between them. The
speaker tries to convince a woman to have sex with him, arguing that if their blood mingling
in the flea is innocent, then sexual mingling would also be innocent. His argument hinges on
the belief that blood mixes during sexual intercourse.
- The speaker is presented as audacious, irreverent, lecherous and almost disrespectful to the
female subject
- In Verse 1, the poet explains the concept of their blood mingling in the fly, to show how
innocuous such mingling can be
- In Verse 2, just as the woman is about to kill the fly, the speaker stops her; telling her that
their sacred union is in this fly
- In Verse 3, the woman kills the fly to show her contempt for him. Although the speaker
feigns outrage, this is what he wanted her to do. He tells her that killing the flea did not
really impugn his beloved’s honour and despite the high-minded and sacred ideals she has
invoked in refusing to sleep with him, doing so would not impugn her honour either.
- Throughout the poem, the poet subverts the Petrarchan and traditional love poetry. While
Petrarchan poetry aimed to flatter and compliment a lover, Donne’s poetry (and other
metaphysical poetry) argues and appeal’s to their intellect
Context
- The flea analogy was not a unique idea of Donne’s; rather it was an idea that was used in
comic poetry
- Flies were a common feature of an age where there was no public health or plumbing
system
- Flies are disease carrying insects with unattractive associations. However, Donne uses them
as a subject of love (subversion of traditional love)
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