ANDREW MARVELL POEM 'TO HIS COY MISTRESS '

 ASSIGNMENT : Andrew marvell poem 'To His Coy Mistress'

Paper No : 101 literature of the Elizabethan and Restoration period 

Topic: Andrew marvell poem  'To His Coy Mistress '

Name : Sangita Kantariya 

Roll No : 20

Enrollment No : 4069206420210015

Semester : 01

Year : 2021-22 

Submitted by : S.B.  Gardi 

     Department of English, MKBU 

ANDREW MARVELL 

Andrew marvell was an English metaphysical poet, satirist and political who sat in the House of commons  at various times between 1659 and 1678.  During the Commonwealth period he was a colleague and friend of John milton.  His poems range from the love -song "TO His Coy Mistress ," TO evocation of an aristocratic country house and garden in "Upon Appleton House " and "The Garden," The political address "An Horation ode Upon Cromwell Return from lreland,"  and the later personal and political satires "Flecknoe " and "The character of Holland." 

EARLY LIFE 

Marvell was the son of a church of England clergyman also  named Andrew marvell.  A secondary school in the city, the Andrew Marvell Business and Enterprise college, is named after him. At the age of 13, Marvell attended  Trinity college, Cambridge  and eventually received a BA degree.   Afterwards, from the middle of 1642 onwards, Marvell probably travelled in continental Europe.  It is not known exactly where his travels took him except that Milton later reported that Marvell had mastered four languages, including French,  ltalian and Spanish. 

FIRST POEMS 

Marvell first poems, which were written in Latin and Greek and published when he was still at Cambridge, lamented a visitation of the plague and celebrated the birth of a child to king  Charles 1 and queen Henrietta Maria.  Probably the best - known poem he wrote at this time is  "TO His Coy Mistress."

"TO His Coy Mistress," Marvell most celebrated poem, combines an old poetic conceit with Marvell typically vibrant imagery and easy command of rhyming couplet.  Other works incorporate topical satire and religions themes.

'To His Coy Mistress ' as metaphysical poetry 

A group of poet emerged in the second half of 16th century.  Whose poetry is identify as the 'metaphysical poetry.' 

What is metaphysical poetry 

The metaphysical poetry General features/ characteristics 

A group of poet emerged in the second half of 16th century.  Whose poetry is identify as the 'metaphysical poetry.' It was Dr. Samuel Johnson a classicist of the poetry of donne and his school.  As the metaphysical poetry Johnson use this life of Abraham Cowley in his biographical work with the title 'Lives of the most Eminent English poets (1779-81).'  Dr. Johnson want to criticize the poetry of donne and his followers by used the term "metaphysical poetry." But  with passing off time the same term become the term of a appraisal for there poetry. Dr. Johnson has pass one remarkable comment start that poetry of metaphysical poet stood a trial of their finger but failed in trial of the ears.  What  Dr. Johnson says  that there is not musical and Rhymes in there poetry. 

The metaphysical poetry that John  Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, Andrew marvel, made a conscientious attempt to differ from others  and particularly from the previous poets so that there poetry me be noticed by the readers.  One critic's Helen c. White  mentions that,  

"It was a demand of time for the metaphysical poets to differ from the poets of previous age. Had they continued writing poetry in the same manner, just like the former poets they would have been rejected by the readers. " 

Due, to new learning and reformation of the Elizabethan age the  intellectual of the reader had gone upward and so metaphysical poet to be intellectual in the written of their poetry. 

The best was for the metaphysical to differ form the previous poets and to be intellectual in the writing of their poetry was to use far factual images and concepts their tried  to avoid use images from those fields which where thickly associated with the theme of their poetry. 

In order to experience either love or their fame Christianity the bought their imagies for differnt field just like, biological,  architecture, agricultural, geometry, geography, and even political science.  This give unique identity to their poetry a number example can be given about how they brought images form distant remot fields the first example is of John Donne made use of a biological image  _  The flea  for the expression love in has poem  the title of poem is 'The Flea.' George Herbert made use of an image form the fields of mechanical engineering for the expression of faith in Christianity the example is a poem with title 'The Pulley ' is an image of mechanical engineering but in this poem that image is used state that recentness also pulley which gives a consciousness contact between the creator the  creation.  Andrew marvell made use of geometry images for the expression of love the example is "TO His Coy Mistress "  in brief all the metaphysical poet made extensive  uses of far factual images in their poetry. 

To His Coy Mistress 

"TO His Coy Mistress " is a poem by the English poet Andrew marvell.  Most likely written in the 1650s in the midst of the English interregnum, the poem was not published  until the 1680, after Marvel's death. "TO His Coy Mistress " is a Carpe diem poem : following the example of Roman poets like Horace, it urges a young woman to enjoy the pleasures of life before death claims her.   Indeed, the poem is an attempt to seduce the titular "Coy Mistress."  In the process, however, the speaker dwells with grotesque intensity on death itself.  Death seems to take over the poem,  displacing the speaker erotic energy and filling the poem with dread.

"To His Coy Mistress " THEMES 

Love and Death

"TO His Coy Mistress " is a love poem : it celebrates beauty, youth, and sexual pleasure.  However, the speaker of the poem is haunted by mortality.  Though he imagines a luxuriously slow love that takes thousands of years to reach consummation, he knows such a thing is impossible: he will die before it can be accomplished.  Death cannot be delayed or defeated; the only response to death, according to the speaker, is to enjoy as much pleasure as possible before it comes. He urges the woman he loves not to wait, to enjoy the pleasure of life without restraint.  The poem draws a contrast between two kinds of love : the full , rich love that would be possible if everyone lived forever, and the rushed, panicked love that mortal beings are forced to enjoy. 

The first stanza of the poem poses a question and explores a hypothetical world : what would  love be like if humans had infinite time to love?  In response, the speaker imagines a world  of unlimited pleasure. 

The speaker has no question about  whether his Mistress deserves this long courtship, but he does have qualms about its viability.  He is, he notes at the start of stanza 2, always  conscious of the passage of time  - and thus of the fact that both he and his Mistress will eventually die. Stanza 2 diverges from the beautiful dream of  stanza 1, reflecting Instead on the pressing, inescapable threat of death. 

In the final stanza of the poem, the speaker finally announced his core argument: since  death is coming  - and since it will strip away the pleasure of the flesh  his Mistress should agree to have sex with him soon. What's more, he imagines that their erotic "sport" will offer compensation for the pain and sufferings of life.

The Rush of  Time 

The main theme of  'To His Coy Mistress'  is The transients  of life, expressed thought a sense of time pursuing us and propelling us in to the grave before we have achieved fulfillment.  Marvell tempo and language become more and more urgent as the poem proceeds. The poet is prepared to fight rather more vigorously than his Elizabethan predecessors, however.  Sometimes can be won back from time, but it has to be seized by sheer will power. 

 Symbolism in the To His Coy Mistress poem 

The author uses the symbol of time and the passing of time in many instances to represent the fact that time is wasting away and that they need to 'seize the day' so to speak.  Several objects and phrases point to this : "A 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 ; An age at least to every part." These lines symbolize the lack of time the lover has to show his Mistress the love she is worthy of , then later,  'winged chariot hurrying near' is a symbol of the passing of days.

"TO His Coy Mistress " is a metaphysical poem in which the speaker attempt to persuade his resistant lover that they should have sexual intercourse.  He explained that if they had all the time in the world, he would have no problem with their relationship moving this slowly.  "To His Coy Mistress " is a love poem : it celebrates beauty, youth, and sexual pleasure.  However, the speaker of the poem is haunted by mortality.  Marvell ends with another reference to Apollo, concluding, " Thus, though we cannot make our sun stand still, yet we will make him run." They cannot stop time, but they use it in a way that will leave them victorian.   Betsey, Catherine. 

Thank you