In Ozymandias the subject of the passing of time is different to
Coy Mistress
Compare the ways in which the poems you have studied deal with the
passing of time.
All the three poems deal with the subject of the passing of time in
different ways. In “ His Coy Mistress” Marvell uses time to say let us
form a sexual relationship together by saying “Had we but world
enough, and time, This coyness, Lady, were no crime” which means if we
had all the time in the world we could do whatever we wanted to do.
But we don’t have all the time so let us form the relationship now.
In “Ozymandias” the subject of the passing of time is different to
“Coy Mistress” because the poet is saying no tyranny can beat time.
This is symbolised by the statue in the poem. The reason it is
different is because it’s not saying marry me of have a relationship
it is shown by the statue.
In “ To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time is similar to “Coy Mistress”
because the poet is speaking to the women by saying “Then be not coy,
but use your time, And while ye may go marry” which means don’t be shy
use your time and whilst your are young go and marry. “To the Virgin”
and “Coy Mistress” are different to “Ozymandias” because Ozymandias is
about a time defeating human power and the other two poems are about
love or human desire beating time.
In “Coy Mistress, the poem has a soft touch. Marvell shows his
intelligence by referring to exotic places for instance the Indian
Ganges in his poem. He also uses biblical references like 'before the
flood', which is supposed to represent the idea of Noah's Ark and how
a big storm came causing a flood and animals dying. These hyperboles
also include phrases like 'an hundred years,' 'two hundred,' and
'thirty thousand,' so that he can exaggerate his feelings and
emotions.
Metaphors used like 'winged chariot' which means to describe time,
death hurrying near. 'Vegetable love' helps to expand the meaning and
clarify his feeling and emotions that he has for his mistress. The
idea of 'vegetable love' denotes the meaning about the ancient
division of souls that they were vegetative, sensitive and rational.
All the poems that I am studying were written in the era of
metaphysical poetry (1590 - 1670). The idea of this style was that of
exploring ideas through intricate and startling images. The themes of
metaphysical poems are usually that of religion, love or wordplay.
Metaphysical poems tend to have underlying themes, often written with
James Dickey illustrates the pleasures and guilt that comes with an affair. The rush one gets with the fear of getting caught (Dickey 351). The narrator in the poem seems to have no problem with the affair because he clearly states he will call again if he can, proving that he is barely fazed by not remaining faithful. It is clear that both the narrator and the mistress are pressed for time in this sick lust affair they are having. Both equally nervous about being caught by a significant other or someone, but they don’t seem to care enough to end their relationship. In this case, there seems to be no act of fidelity because the narrator says he’ll see her next week (Dickey
...l love, like Marvell in “His Coy Mistress,” is still used to get women in bed. It makes them feel secure in a relationship, which in turn makes them more likely to have sex with their partner. Building up the relationship, like Donne in “A Valediction: forbidden Mourning,” will also make a woman feel secure in a relationship in modern times by establishing dependability; it also romanticizes the relationship. If a woman feels she is being swept off her feet by Prince Charming, she will be more likely to get in bed. Allaying a woman’s fears will also convince her to consent to sex, much like in Donne’s first stanza of “The Flea.” He reassures his woman that sex is not a big deal. These days sex really has become quite inconsequential and men do not have difficulty pointing that out to a woman they are trying to sleep with. Generally, many of the basic ideas expressed in 17th century poetry are similar to those presented today in relationships. Making excuses, finding arguments, allaying fears, and professing true love are all still utilized to speed along the occurrence of sexual relations.
She then moves on to be a gracious host to all of these men, again showing success in her womanly duties. Later that night one of the visitors, Sextus Tarquinis, comes into her room, and forces himself upon her, telling her that if she does not comply he will make it look like she had an affair with one of the servants (Livy, 101). She yields to him because she does not want it to seem as if she had an affair and is not able to explain what occurred.... ... middle of paper ...
Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress” is another attempting at seducing an unwilling woman. “Had we but world enough and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime” (Marvell 1-2). Its emphases by Dr. Michael William that in the first two lines of the first stanza Marvell played a game with irony and specified
Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias" portrays the past power of authority symbolized by the once great world power of Egypt. William Butler Yeats' "The Second Coming" portrays the past power religion once had over the world, gradually lost ever since the end of Shelley's era of Romanticism. "Ozymandias" was written in a time when human rule coupled with religious guidance, but was slowly easing away from that old tradition as they entered the highly progressive era of the Victorians. In his poem, Shelley was comparing the formally powerful Egyptian pharaoh's "antique" and prideful form of rule with the unsuccessful future the "traveller" met in the desert with the ruins of the king's "shattered visage" (Longman, Shelley, p. 1710, l. 1 & 4). In a sense, Shelley was also saying that human rulership was just as easily able to fail as the once great and powerful world rule of Egypt once did, for ages. Yeats also is alluding to this idea, but imposing his view on another type of rule once great for hundreds of years of its rulership, that of Christianity or religion in general. In "The Second Coming" he envisions the "falcon" of humanity drifting away and ignoring "the falconer," Christian religions (Longman, Yeats, p. 2329, l. 2). "The falcon cannot hear the falconer;/ Things fall apart" says Yeats, depicting how human reliance on religion has become cold and disinterested in its lead anymore due to human progress of science, thus their loss of reliance and trustworthiness of religion's claims.
Comparing Tone in To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time and To His Coy Mistress
Percy Bysshe Shelley died before seeing how influential and glorified his work would become. Shelley lived during the late 18th and early 19th century, during the industrial revolution. Seeing the evolving world, Shelley wrote for nothing more than to deliver urgent messages concerning humanity, humanity’s future, and who the powers at be should be. Shelley didn’t see the glory he deserved during his lifetime because his radical views of anti-tyranny were expressed in his poetry, driving them to underground distribution, but after his death he inspired countless other literary artists including including Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, and Upton Sinclair and became regarded as a major romantic poet. Shelley exchanged his ideas with a group of visionary
In the poem “To His Coy Mistress”, the speaker is trying to seduce his wife. In the assumption the mistress is his wife; she is being bashful towards losing her virginity. The speaker, which is the mistress’s husband, develops a carefully constructed argument where the speaker seeks to persuade his lady to surrender her virginity to him.
“Ozymandias” is a great poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley. In this sonnet of fourteen lines, the poet explores many different issues and good interpretations. Nature can create or destroy everything with the same strength. As we saw that Ozymandias work was first created with such a great power and then later nature destroyed it too. His poem as per my opinion creates a theme of nature’s power using natural words and how it can bring down Ozymandias work and it shows the imagery of the power of King.
The poem, “Ozymandias,” written by Percy Bysshe Shelley, is a short yet striking sonnet of a king who prides himself as a powerful and aristocratic leader. The speaker tells a story of a traveler who he met in an antique land. The traveler tells a story about witnessing an old statue in the middle of a lonely desert. The poet characterizes King Ozymandias through a deserted ancient artifact in Egypt. The statue is broken, but it still holds significant meaning which is portrayed through the king’s face. Through the description of the ancient artifact, the reader understands the king was a powerful and harsh leader. King Ozymandias is compared with his desert surrounding which is bare and empty, to convey the message that he is no longer mighty
There is a similar theme running through both of the poems, in which both mistresses are refusing to partake in sexual intercourse with both of the poets. The way in which both poets present their argument is quite different as Marvell is writing from a perspective from which he is depicting his mistress as being 'coy', and essentially, mean, in refusing him sex, and Donne is comparing the blood lost by a flea bite to the blood that would be united during sex. Marvell immediately makes clear his thoughts in the poem when he says, "Had we but world enough, and time/ This coyness, Lady were no crime", he is conveying the 'carpe diem' idea that there is not enough time for her to be 'coy' and refuse him sexual intercourse and he justifies this thought when he suggests when she is dead, in ?thy marble vault?, and ?worms shall try that long preserved virginity?. He is using the idea of worms crawling all over and in her corpse as a way of saying that the worms are going to take her virginity if she waits until death. Donne justifies his bid for her virginity in a much longer and more methodical way, he uses the idea of the flea taking her blood and mixing it with his, ?It suck?d me first, and now sucks thee?, and then...
Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress is a sieze the moment kind of poem in which an anonomyous young man tries to woo the hand of his mistress. This kind of poem gives the reader the idea that time is not only precious, but scarce. The speaker uses many smooth tatics to persuade the young girl, starting with compliments and ending with a more forceful, morbid appraoch. "To His Coy Mistress" is not only witty but imgagistic, full of wordplay, and percieved differently by both males and females.
In Andrew Marvell's poem "To His Coy Mistress," he's arguing for affection. The object of the speaker's desire wants to wait and take the relationship slow, while the speaker pushes for instant gratification. This persuasive poem makes the point that time waits for no one and it's foolish for two lovers to postpone a physical relationship.
In the case of To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvall, a not-so-gentle gentleman is trying to woo a “coy” young lady with claims of love. This poem is strewn with hyperbole to the point that it becomes exactly the opposite of love. When there is such over exaggerated praise, it starts to lose the real meaning of the message. If you take a look at lines 13-18, you can see the obvious amplification:
...th of the commodity of virginity was held in such high regard that talk of sex was relegated to that which took place for a price by a whore .