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Critical analysis of his coy mistress by andrew marvell
Reflection on persuasion
Reflection on persuasion
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“To His Coy Mistress” written by Andrew Marvell appears to be a description of a young
man striving to seduce his mistress, however Marvell carefully uses a persona to examine the
theme of time and maintains the objections it creates and the conditions it demands on us. Time
is made convincing through the impressions of carpe diem, beauty and death. The persona
accentuates the ideas these impressions create in order to affirm the idea that time flies so we
must “seize the day”.
In the premise of the poem Marvell actualizes a picturesque scene where the young man
can concentrate on each day admiring his mistress, he strives for avoidance from time by asking
“[h]ad we but world enough, and time”(1) establishing a scheme that is non existing. From the
beginning, time is present and the shortness of life is pondered. If only longevity was not so brief
they would be together every moment of the day: this is indicated through the applied pronoun
“we” (3) within the first stanza of the poem. He is confirming to his mistress how much he
adores and cares for her and he would envelop their life together. He feels that this is the
appropriate time for the both of them to take advantage of life and is in no way being out-of-
line with her.
Marvell goes on to state: “ This coyness, lady, were no crime” (2). By emphasizing this it
insinuates the mistress’s rejection as an actual “crime” (2). He believes that the mistress holding
onto her virginity has no purpose and with each passing day it will lose value if the time is not
seized. Time is of the essence, so the young man frequently keeps showing his admiration for the
mistress hoping to urge her to take advantage of the ti...
... middle of paper ...
... it and being accosted by it. Marvel alludes
that the “sun” (5) will have to keep up with them in their lustful venture. Closing with the vision
of the “sun” (5) grants us to see time in its shape, it cannot aid in its passing and they can
become one in it.
To conclude, Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress” completely examines the
concepts of carpe diem, beauty and death. Through these concepts he maintains how compelling
time really is. Marvell proposes that at any occasion you should seize the heat of the moment
because there is no point in waiting and wasting an excellent moment as time does fly.
Works Cited
Marvell, Andrew. “To His Coy Mistress”. Literature and the Writing Process. Ed.
Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day, Robert Funk, and Linda S.
Coleman. 9 th ed. Boston: Longman- Pearson, 2011. 570-71. Print.
that they can spend more time together because she missed him when he was at work and he missed her when he was away from home.
“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Rober Herrick and Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress” have many similarities and differences. The tone of the speakers, the audience each poem is directed to, and the theme make up some of the literary elements that help fit this description.
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