Meaning of to his coy mistress. To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell 2023-01-02

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"To His Coy Mistress" is a poem written by Andrew Marvell in the 17th century. The poem is a seduction poem in which the speaker, a man, tries to convince a woman to sleep with him. The speaker uses flattery and persuasion to try to win the woman over, using arguments based on the passage of time and the fleeting nature of life.

The poem begins with the speaker addressing the woman as his "coy mistress," implying that she is hesitant or reserved in her affections towards him. The speaker then goes on to praise her beauty and express his love for her, saying that if he had the time, he would "love [her] ten years before the flood" and "woo [her] with my verse." However, the speaker recognizes that time is fleeting and that they do not have the luxury of waiting. He argues that they should seize the moment and enjoy each other's company while they can, because "tomorrow" may never come.

The speaker goes on to use the metaphor of a "vegetable love" to argue that a love that is not acted upon is like a plant that withers and dies. He urges the woman to "be not coy," and to "forsake" her "cruel" and "stubborn" ways. The speaker's persuasive language and flattery are meant to convince the woman to give in to his advances.

Overall, "To His Coy Mistress" is a poem that grapples with the theme of the passage of time and the importance of seizing the moment. The speaker uses flattery and persuasion to try to win the affections of his mistress, arguing that they should enjoy each other's company while they can because life is short and uncertain. The poem is a classic example of the genre of seduction poetry, and its themes and language continue to be relevant and relatable to readers today.

To His Coy Mistress Summary

meaning of to his coy mistress

There in the grave, worms will attack her long-preserved virginity. Hyperbole—two hundred years to praise each breast—is meant to showcase to the beloved how ridiculous she is being in holding out on him. What is an example of a synecdoche? Early uses of the word imply actual shyness, quietness, and reserve. He says he would have consumed a hundred years in praising her eyes and gazing at her forehead. Love you ten years before the flood, And you should, if you please, refuse Till the conversion of the Jews.

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Language

meaning of to his coy mistress

Examples of figures of speech used in the poem include metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, oxymoron and alliteration. Thus, we see, the speaker tries to make his lady realize that things like beauty and virginity are of no use after death. The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material. What do the last two lines of To His Coy Mistress mean? At the same time, his lust for her beauty too will turn into ashes. In part 1 lines 1-20 , the speaker says in hypothetical conjecture that if he had enough time, he would praise his beloved mistress forever.


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To His Coy Mistress Summary & Analysis

meaning of to his coy mistress

The poem is written in rhymed couplets of iambic tetrameter and is divided into three stanzas, indicated by indentations. Much debate occurs over the meaning of this term. He talks about the sun now, instead of time. Marvell's precision adds to the absurdity of his notion. An iamb is a disyllabic metrical foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one.

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Andrew Marvel To His Coy Mistress Meaning

meaning of to his coy mistress

All the first section seems to be in his fantasy world and sounds very unrealistic. Is playing coy flirting? Some of the context that Marvell incorporated in his poem was the man who was the speaker, who was trying to persuade a shy women to make love to him. To His Coy Mistress — Explanation Lines 1—4 Had we but world enough and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime. Advertisements In the next line, the speaker expresses how much he would love his beloved if they had enough time. Andrew Marvell, an English poet, politician, and satirist. If they had enough time, his beloved would sit beside the river Ganga in India and collect some valuable stones like rubies. He also suggests that they tear through "the iron gates of life," a metaphor in which life is compared to a walled area through which they must burst.


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Analysis of Andrew Marvell's poem "To His Coy Mistress".

meaning of to his coy mistress

This metaphorical expression refers to the relentless an inevitable march of time. Answer and Explanation: Examples of irony in To His Coy Mistress are in the parts where the poet basically tells the mistress that if they wait as long as she would like to wait to get together, they will be waiting until they are dead. You can Carpe Omnia—Seize it all! Advertisements He also says that the other world after death is waiting for us at a distance yonder. I am your fate. Language First stanza In the first stanza there are humorously exaggerated references to traditional romantic ideas.

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What is the purpose of "To His Coy Mistress"?

meaning of to his coy mistress

Where as 'To His Coy Mistress' is a poem where the man is trying to convince the woman to sleep with him and exploring the idea of living and enjoying your life whilst your young. See This Answer Now Time is personified in the poem—meaning it is given human attributes such as the ability to drive a chariot or to purposely pursue us to our deaths. Thus the worms are shown to have the power of seducing a woman. What does Carpe omnia mean? Moreover, he is talking about love. He goes further to say that once she is dead and in her tomb that she will never again be able to hear how much he loves her. Alliteration: "Time's winged chariot hurrying near" 4. In these first lines, there are ten couplets, and mimics a traditional format — in this case, the poem itself, although written in the form of a love poem, does not aspire to such lofty heights; the gentleman wishes only for his lady to give in to his sexual advances, and so the use of the traditional love The man begins by explaining, to his lady, how he would go about worshipping her if he had the time.

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Critical Appreciation of “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell

meaning of to his coy mistress

Finally, the arguments end in a conclusion. Marvell's poem "To His Coy Mistress" is a poem about seduction. Time waits for no one. Allusion: Marvell makes references to the Bible and the myth of Hercules in the poem, through the allusions in lines 32-34 and 35-36, respectively. A metaphor is an expression.


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What is the meaning of the poem To His Coy Mistress?

meaning of to his coy mistress

Gone are the fanciful ethereal images of far off exotic countries and infinite time, instead we have the honest and sobering images of mortality and contemporary life. But the poet mentions the name of some places. The fallacy in his statement, of course, is that space and time are both always finite. Eliot, is considered a dramatic monologue. I love the fact that we see the poem through the eyes of this man. Each line carries profound meaning. It is this abrupt change of imagery and metaphors which the writer uses to confront and confuse his audience in order to persuade her into submitting to him.

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What figurative language does Andrew Marvell use in "To His Coy Mistress"?

meaning of to his coy mistress

However, the world will no longer contain the possibility of love between himself and his mistress. If they had enough time at their disposal, he would have started loving her ten years before the great flood while she could refuse to satisfy his desire until the Day of Judgment. Hyperbole: Hyperbole is a device used to exaggerate a statement for the sake of emphasis. Like most other metaphysical poems, this also deals with love, beauty, Sexuality etc. Dickerson, Time, 8 Mar.

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