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Analysis and Summary Notes for the poem To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell
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Analysis and Summary Notes for the poem To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell
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To His Coy MistressCoy:
- Making a preference of shyness or modesty which is intended to be alluring.
- Reluctant to give details about something regarded as sensitive.
- 17th century meaning: to stroke or caress.
3 sections
1. Thesis: the ‘ideal state’ – “had we”
2. Antithesis: the reality – “but at”
3. Synthesis: the conclusion – “now therefore”
Andrew Marvel
- Metaphysical poet + an associate of Donne.
- Born in Yorkshire, son of a CofE clergyman, both parents died by 1640, educated at
Cambridge.
- Lived during Oliver Cromwell’s time in power.
- Disappeared for 6 years.
- Mysterious man – ambiguous. Don’t know whether he was a royalist or supporter of
Cromwell.
- Satirical works were seen as controversial and dangerous to be published until
after his death.
- Imprisoned for offensive work but escaped punishment.
Carpe Diem poetry
- Famous example of carpe diem poetry, urges to make the most of today.
- Clashes with the puritanical ideals of the time, which emphasised importance if
denying personal pleasures to prepare oneself for God.
- Lived in a time of upheaval and uncertainty, much of his poetry deals with ideas of
existence and truth.
- Death is inevitable.
Metaphysical poetry – with a twist
- Developed in 1590s and early 1600s.
- Marked by its philosophical intensity, but also playfulness and use of irony, and
metaphors.
- Rhetorical technique drawn from the tradition of Petrarchan love sonnets in Italian,
French, and English.
- This poem combines several styles of love poetry.
Structure and form
- Dramatic monologue
- Silent listener (mistress) is addresses but we do not hear her voice
- Sense that we are listening in on an intimate conversation.
- Central figures, no personal info. Generic figure, stand in for all lovers.
- Speaker is anonymous and we are given no information.
- Form is not fixed or inherited.
- Written in iambic tetrameter.
- The regular sing-song rhythm creates a comedic tone.
- Almost heroic – comes close to taking himself seriously but backs off.
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