What is the theme of the poem to his Coy Mistress?
T he main themes in “To His Coy Mistress” are the brevity of youth and carpe diem. The brevity of youth: The poem’s speaker emphasizes that the age of youth, passion, and beauty is short.
What is Marvell’s to his Coy Mistress about?
Andrew Marvell’s famous metaphysical love poem “To His Coy Mistress” begins with the speaker talking to his shy ladylove (coy mistress). He opines that if they had plenty of time and space in this world to live, then her shyness would not be considered a crime.
What is the Coy Mistress response to the gentleman?
The unnamed “Coy Mistress” refuses to sleep with the gentleman in question, and his response is to tell her that, had he enough time, he could spend entire centuries admiring her beauty and her innocence.
How does the speaker begin his argument to his Coy Mistress?
In “To His Coy Mistress,” the speaker begins his argument to his mistress for the immediate consummation of their relationship by imagining an alternative reality. His mistress is being coy, and he demonstrates his appreciation for a long, slow courtship in which To walk, and pass [their] long love’s day.
What are principal themes of Andrew Marvell's poetry?
This permanence of soul was revived during the Renaissance period. Marvell's poems represent the main theme of body and inner soul clash e.g. “The Garden” and “The Definition of Love”.
What is the tone of To His Coy Mistress?
Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress, is an example of carpe diem poem that starts of as lusty and yearning. By introducing the concept of death, the overall tone of the poem changes, creating a sense of urgency and melancholy.
What is the subject matter of the poem To His Coy Mistress?
The speaker of the poem is trying to convince his mistress that they should seize the day and not hold back from expressing their feelings for each other, and so should sleep together. The fact that this is something he is proposing tells us the couple are not married.
What is the conclusion of To His Coy Mistress?
directly and develops a convincing psychological stance that argues one should capitalize on life's opportunities. The speaker concludes in a riotous charge to live and to love to the fullest.
What is the meaning of "to his coy mistress"?
Word Count: 291. “To His Coy Mistress” is a sublime example of a carpe diem poem, a Latin phrase meaning “seize the day.”. This poem is to the genre what the lion is to the animal kingdom or the oak to the vegetable kingdom: the top. Robert Herrick’s “Gather Ye Rosebuds” is superbly lyrical but lacks this poem’s depth.
What is the final couplet of the poem?
In the final couplet of the poem is its final reversal: Time no longer controls lovers, but they gain dominion over time—not as fully as a god such as Zeus perhaps, to make it stand still, but time speeds through its course at the command of lovers.
What does the speaker of the poem "The Age of Youth" mean?
The speaker argues that, in light of mortality, his mistress should submit to their shared passion.
What is the speaker's main objective in Carpe Diem?
Carpe Diem. In the poem, the speaker’s main objective is to persuade his lover to “seize the day” and give up her coy attitudes. The speaker says that he would court her slowly if there were time, but the couple does not have that luxury, because life is short. The speaker conveys his urgency through unusual and slightly morbid images ...
What does "to walk and pass their long love's day" mean?
He would gladly pass “an age at least ” admiring every part of her body and finally her heart, for this is what she deserves.
How can the speaker and his mistress win a victory over the relentless passing of time?
Love is how the speaker and his mistress can win a victory over the relentless passing of time because every second spent well is a moment they win back from their villainous pursuer. Time as the Enemy: Time is personified throughout the poem as a villain who seeks to send the speaker and his mistress to the grave.
What is the theme of Carpe Diem?
Live for the Moment: The concept of carpe diem runs throughout the poem, and the speaker's arguments towards his beloved reflect this. Love functions as a thematic counterpoint to the death imagery associated with the passing of time. The first stanza sees the speaker detailing all of the ways that he would adore his mistress if given the time. His argument is also framed in terms of love. The speaker claims that it is not haste or impatience that drive him; rather, it’s the desire to spend as much time as possible in consummate bliss with his mistress. Love is how the speaker and his mistress can win a victory over the relentless passing of time because every second spent well is a moment they win back from their villainous pursuer.
What is the first stanza of the poem about?
The first stanza details the adoration the speaker has for his lady and the time he would devote to courting her properly if it were available to him. He makes his love clear through the ways he would dote upon her if given the time. However, the urgency of the speaker’s desires offers a different reading.
What does the "but" at the beginning of the second stanza mean?
The “but” at the beginning of the second stanza implies that the romantic suggestions put forward in the first stanza are unrealistic. The second stanza moves into an argument for why drawn-out courtships are not practical because time is catching up to the speaker and his mistress with every passing moment.
What is the speaker's argument about love?
His argument is also framed in terms of love. The speaker claims that it is not haste or impatience that drive him; rather , it’s the desire to spend as much time as possible in consummate bliss with his mistress. Love is how the speaker and his mistress can win a victory over the relentless passing of time because every second spent well is ...
Lines 33-37
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Personification
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Metaphor
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Simile
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Alliteration
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Assonance
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Consonance
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What is the theme of To His Coy Mistress?
The main theme of the poem “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell is the concept of carpe diem. A sub-theme is that of physical love connected with the passage of time.
What is the theme of Carpe Diem?
The main theme of the poem is carpe diem, which means “seize the day”. As you have seen, the young man is the embodiment of this saying. He wishes he could enjoy the short time he has on Earth and leave aside the constrictions and rules imposed by society.
What is the theme of To His Coy Mistress?
‘To His Coy Mistress’ by Andrew Marvell hovers around several themes. The major theme of the poem is carpe diem. Carpe diem is a Latin phrase that means “seize the day!”. Andrew Marvell loved this theme and wrote many poems based on it. In this poem, the poet says that waiting for the right moment to make love, is nothing but the wastage of time. The poetic persona and his beloved should indulge in physical love before their bodies start to become old. The main idea of the poem is, enjoying the moment by forgetting about the future. There is nothing in the future. So, the gentleman in the poem implores his lady love to seize the moment and make love as they have never done before.
What is the meaning of "to his coy mistress"?
‘To His Coy Mistress’ by Andrew Marvell is a poem that dates back to the Restoration period. At that time, the bounds and restraints of the Catholic ideals were beginning to fall apart. The restoration of Charles II made Protestant religion strong in England. The Whigs or the Parliamentarians tried to make it the official religion of England. Hence, the poetry of that period reflected the political and religious scenario. Marvell’s poems are the specimens of the sentiment of Restoration England. His speaker reflects Protestant enthusiasm. It is the reason the poet was fond of the theme of “carpe diem”.
What is the iambic foot in To His Coy Mistress?
‘To His Coy Mistress’ by Andrew Marvell is written in iambic tetrameter, where the lines consist of four iambic feet. This is not the more commonly used iambic pentameter, which has five iambic feet. An iamb is an unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed syllable. It is also interesting to note that ‘To His Coy Mistress’ itself is written much like a poetic thesis, with the problem at the forefront, followed by the current predicament, and ending with the solution, all from the point of view of the lovelorn gentleman who is trying to get his beloved’s affection.
What does the poet think of the coyness of the lady?
Here, the poet thinks the coyness of the lady might kill the amorous spirit of his persona. In “long love’s day”, there is an alliteration as well as a personification. Here, the poet innovatively personifies love. The poetic persona uses several hyperboles while wooing his lady love.
What is the significance of the Indian Ganges in the poem?
The reference to the “Indian Ganges”, reflects the English mindset of expansion and celebration of national glory. Marvell also tries to capture it in his poem.
What is Marvell's theme?
Marvell’s poems are the specimens of the sentiment of Restoration England. His speaker reflects Protestant enthusiasm. It is the reason the poet was fond of the theme of “carpe diem”. In the Restoration period, England also flourished in her trade and commerce. It reached its pinnacle in the Victorian era.
Does To His Coy Mistress denigrate or mock the lady's appearance?
Above all, To His Coy Mistress does not denigrate or mock the lady’s appearance (such as in Shakespeare’s ‘My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun’) as this was not the use of metaphysical poetry.
In Short
In Andrew Marvell’s metaphysical poem “To His Coy Mistress”, the speaker addresses his ladylove who is shy and not responsive to his call for love.
Into details
Andrew Marvell was a metaphysical poet writing in the interregnum period. “To His Coy Mistress” is one of his famous metaphysical poems. He wrote this poem during the English Interregnum (1649-60).
Symbols
It’s a very powerful symbol used in the poem “To His Coy Mistress”. Time and mortality are the prime concern of this poem. It means mortals can’t escape from the destroying power of time. Death will come in its swift way. We can do nothing to defeat time. So, when we get the opportunity, we should use it.
Literary Devices
An end-stopped line is a line of verse that ends with a punctuation. Many lines in the poem “To His Coy Mistress” are end-stopped lines. For examples –
