‘To His Coy Mistress’ was written by Andrew Marvell (1621-1678). The poem is a metaphysical poem, which was mostly used in the seventeenth century and was classed as a highly intellectual type of poetry and mainly expressed the complexities of love and life; just as this poem is. In brief the poem is about seizing every opportunity in life and not caring about the past or future. In other words ‘seize the day’. The poem also explores the nature of seduction.…
The feelings about women in the Victorian period were very disheartening. Women were seen as objects and viewed as less than human. These views were upheld by men who perpetuated a women's place in society as a pretty thing to look at and nothing more. When a man was tired of her or felt like he could not possess her completely he could kill her as the only way to ensure that she is his forever. The following poems (all written by men), are an insight into the minds of men during the 19th century. "Porphyria's Lover, "My Last Duchess," and "The Leper" are all poems where men kill their object of affection for not being able to fully have…
Time’s versatile affect on life is seen through the use of successive contrasts such as “quench and ripen” and “kiss and kill”. The anticipation of the future is personified in the line “Tomorrow begs him, breathless for his lack” referring to those who cannot wait for another day, presumably in excitement. Yet the oxymoron “beauty dead” reminds us of the decomposing effects of time and that life must ultimately end no matter how much we wish it would stop to prevent beauty and youth from fading.…
Porphyria’s Lover and Adam and Eve are both poems regarding the expectations and disappointments of man. Although both poems are about expectations of a man regarding a woman, both narrators take a different perspective. Both narrators portray animal-like behavior. The difference between the two narrators is one is carefree and the other feels guilty. Both narrators have extreme reactions and both are internalized.…
“Love is blind, and lovers cannot see what petty follies they themselves commit” (Shakespeare). Even Shakespeare, having mastered the art of romance with classically timeless literature, claims that love is blind in that those that are in its grasp cannot see fault within each other. A simple concept, it can have two very distinct meanings, because love is also blinding and makes those previously mentioned, blinded souls, go to astounding lengths for one another. But, how far are they willing to go? Could it be infatuation? When does love, in fact, become sinful? All are questions that plague the minds of two very fragile women, characters of novels that are timeless depictions of romance themselves in their bitter-sweet ways. Myrtle Wilson of the novel, The Great Gatsby, and Curley’s Wife of the novel, Of Mice and Men, both exhibit symptoms and behaviors during the course of the stories, which classify them as having Histrionic personality disorder.…
The collection of texts presented in this essay depicts an underlying theme of love. The texts have been examined and explored in order to note the similarities or differences in various categories. To compare two texts by the length of their stanza would be to diminish the value of its words; indeed a comparison of texts must come from the connotation.…
In the poem “Love is Not All: It Is Not Meat nor Drink” the title to Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem, there is a clear sign of bitterness in the poem that impedes and becomes a barrier towards the idea of love. However, Millay in this stanza has used several poetic methods by showing us that love is not significant in anyone's life. As we progress on with the poem, Millay indicates that although love is not as significant for one's survival, she would not at any time in her life wish to live without it. This poem focus is her personal thought that questions the transitory nature of love, its depth, and importance. When it comes to the structure of this poem, Millay utilizes the Iambic pentameter in the initial seven verses.…
During the Romantic Era, many cultural problems existed within society’s belief towards women and the impoverished. The negative aspects of Romantic England included the men’s superiority over the women and the poor conditions of the commoners. These problems were part of England’s culture in the years 1800 to 1850 which had a profound effect on the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley.…
The word ‘love’ possesses such complexity and magnitude that people commonly have a hard time defining it effectively without oversimplifying. In fact, the Oxford Dictionary defines ‘love’ simply as “a strong feeling of affection.” Given the true intensity of feeling, the impact love can have on a person is unpredictable and as a result, jealousy is often thought to be synonymous with being in love. The poems “Porphyria’s Lover” and “The Laboratory” by Robert Browning, although significantly different, essentially share the theme of love and jealousy. In both poems, readers are introduced to the darker side of romance through male and female speakers so overwhelmed with emotion, they turn to murder as a means of expression. Through the use…
For this assessment, you will write a comparison piece. Compare one of the common themes below that can be traced through The Odyssey and one other work read in this path: “To His Coy Mistress” or Much Ado About Nothing. If you would like to include all three works in your comparison, you may do so. Be sure that your response includes the following:…
Both Marvell and Herrick used metaphors in their writing. In To His Coy Mistress, Marvell writes, "Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness lady were no crime,"(414). This is a metaphor saying that if they had all the time in the world to spend together that he would not be so worried about getting married right away. Herrick says in To the Virgins to Make Much of Time, "And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying,"(416). This means that whatever man likes a girl today, tomorrow may like somebody else. Both Marvell and Herrick's poems are in the form of an argument, they are trying to convince the young women in the poems to forget their morals and live life like it should be lived. Both poets also used personification in their writing. Marvell personifies youth by comparing it to a drop of dew, "Now therefore, while the youthful hew sit on thy skin like morning dew, " (415). Here he is saying that like dew youth does not stay around forever. In Herrick's poem he gives the sun life-like qualities in the line, "The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, The higher he's a-getting, The sooner will his race be run, And nearer he's to setting."(416). Herrick is saying that if these girls don't live life now that they will miss their prime and will not have any fun while they live. Both Carpe Diem poets feel that young girls are not taking advantage of their youth and they are going to miss the best part of life.…
In this poem, the evening has set upon the urban neighborhood as the speaker embarks on a walk. He see a crowd of people and hears a lover singing to his beloved and his song portrays that his love will never cease. The clocks, however, showcase a contradictory attitude through the use of their diction by insinuating that love will end because the lovers’ lives will as well. Throughout the poem, the lovers remain naively optimistic while the clocks take a cynical point of view toward love and time. The author of this poem demonstrates device usage such as metaphors, personification, and symbolism in effort to reveal the idea that one should live each day as if were his/her last.…
The poetry of Ovid exemplified in The Art of Love is one of the only examples of the contemporary social behavior exhibited during the time of Rome. Ovid writes about social activities, proper style, women, and how to obtain them. Through Ovid’s perspective, there are three different ways to consider a woman. These three views include relating a woman to a game, a beautiful treasure, and as a means to assert social status. Comparatively, Andreas Capellanus writes in a way that makes women seem respected, worthy and as something to a man would willingly devote his life to. Both men have a clear fascination with women and their relationship to men. However, their distinct writing styles cause distinct perceptions of women in society.…
Time has an important role in both “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and “To His Coy Mistress”. Both speakers use time in a way which best makes them feel comfortable with. "The Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock," by T.S. Eliot, is considered a dramatic monologue. Some call the poem the "first Modernist poem". Andrew Marvell, an English poet, politician, and satirist. Marvell is commonly known as a "Metaphysical Poet". His poems are famous for surprising the reader with the use of language to explore questions about love, sex, the earth, the universe, and the divine. Time holds a huge fascination for poets in Marvell’s era they believe "Life is short, so live it to the fullest," a carpe diem mindset.…
The 1300s were a time riddled with plague, struggle, and despair, during which time literature was beginning to experience a renaissance. Emerging from this renaissance were works such as The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, and The Decameron by Boccaccio. These collections of stories shared common themes and devices, which exemplified the mindset of the time period. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” from Chaucer, and “Federigo’s Falcon,” from Boccaccio, both deal with themes of love and sacrifice, and allegorically state that love leads to the surrendering of something important. Chaucer states that the sacrifice of power is important in a relationship, whereas Boccaccio states that love can make people blindly sacrifice the things they cherish.…