Both of these poems were written in the 17th Century in a time where young women obeyed their fathers and did not have the right to choose their husbands. At marriage they were supposed to be virgins and this was tested by the ceremony of 'bedding' the couple with guests present. This was evidence to prove that the newly wed woman was a virgin. Fleas were a popular subject for jocose and amatory poetry in all countries at the Renaissance. People did not know how disease was spread.The flea is a very interesting deep and emotional love poem.
Donne uses similes and metaphors to get a picture of what is going on. 'The Flea' does not develop along the similar trail of lust to love: the reader can easily see the ways, in which Donne attempts to lure his mistress into bed, 'And in this Flea our two bloods mingled be. ' He compares the taking of the blood from both to be similar to the bond formed by having sexual intercourse.John Donne uses the most unlikely analogy in his choice of the flea, which is one of the most unromantic and disgusting things he could write about to describe the love between him and the woman.
He uses the fact is she kills the flea she breaks the bond between him and her. 'Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare; Though use make thee apt to kill mee; Let not to this, selfe murder added bee; Mee it suck'd first, and now sucks thee; And in this flea, our two bloods mingled bee.These show that Donne is confident that he can seduce the woman by the fact that he has her in his grasp by saying that the flea is like their wedding ring and destroying it would be like destroying them. The poem is based on the fact that they are now bonded in a way more than sex. The poem could be seen as a metaphor.
He could be comparing himself to the flea and just like a flea he wont settle for just one person, he will jump from one person to another which suggest he cares more about sex than love.On the other hand in 'To His Coy Mistress' is a poem about a man trying to show his passion for the woman he loves. The poet Andrew Marvell uses similes and metaphors to describe his passion for his mistress and uses a three-step approach. 'Had we but World enough, and time' he says and with this line he tries to say that if he had enough time he would plan out how their relationship would go. He places her by 'The Indian Ganges' and himself by the 'Humber'. This comparison is to show the difference between him and her, that she is higher than him flatter her, and to show the gap between them is huge.
He is trying to make her come out of her shell and not be so shy. 'I would have you ten years before the flood:' this image gives the picture of how extreme his eternal love is and to what extent it goes. He tries to persuade her and make her understand his deep and passionate feelings. He is also trying to say he wants to spend an eternity examining her various features with, 'An hundred years should go to praise Thine Eyes, and on thy Forehead Gaze.
' 'Two hundred to adore each Breast: But thirty thousand to the rest.The second phase starts with a slight negative tone of 'But', so far he has been going on about what he would do if but now it's time to face reality and those things aren't really going to happen. ' Times winged Chariot hurrying near:' makes him realise that they don't actually have all the time in the world and they and are soon going to age and they will soon die. 'Then worms shall try that long preserv'ed Virginity' Here he says that if she doesn't lose her virginity to him the precious virginity that she has been trying to keep will be taken by worthless worms instead of him.Then here is where the third phase starts so far he has said 'what he would do if we had the time', then he said 'we don't really have the time' now he is saying lets just do it' Now let us sport us while we may; And now, like am'rous birds of prey, Rather once our time devour, Than languish in his slow-chapt pow'r. After the remark about the worms he gets frustrated and says these few lines meaning, lets have sex now while we can and as time goes on without having sex he becomes more passionate but more violent.
Let us roll all our strength, and all Our sweetness, up into one ball And tear our pleasures with rough strife Through the Iron gates of Life Here his saying he wants to roll their love for each other up into a ball (in other words sex) Then he says their love would be so strong that it could crash through the gates of life. This would mean that their love would have to be very powerful seeing as iron is meant to be strong and gates are meant to keep people out. In all Marvell is just trying to seduce a woman who is shy about it and doesn't seem in any rush to have sex with him.
