Comparing The Flea and To His Coy Mistress Essay

Throughout the centuries, men have strived to perfect the art of seduction, attempting to convince and invite females to sleep with them. In Marvell's To His Coy Mistress and Donne's The Flea, the speakers, propose a sinful offer, so cunningly backed up with argument and presented to each female when the generous request has been declined. The persuasions used by each are completely different but are structured entirely for one purpose.

In The Flea, Donne is trying to persuade his love to engage in premarital sex with him. When she responds with disgust, he uses a flea as an example to persuade her otherwise. He tells her that the flea that just bit him and her is the same as them having sex because their blood is now joined. He tells her they might as well, and she kills the flea in hopes of killing his argument. He then uses her action to his advantage by telling her that she is no less noble for having killed the flea than she would be for sleeping with him. Donne uses very unlikely symbolism by using a flea to symbolize love. He uses the flea to suggest sex but never mentions anything erotic.

To Coy His Mistress is much more convincing. It is also known to perhaps be the best known of the centurys carpe diem (seize the day) poets. Marvells argument to get the woman in bed with him is that there isn't enough time left in the world. The woman should partake in indulgence before it is too late. But at my back I always hear/ Times winged Chariot hurrying near (lines 21-22). He also states the unpleasureable thought of the worms enjoying her virginity instead of him. He suggests that if she continues to waste time she will die a virgin. Then Worms shall try/ that long preserv'd Virginity (lines 27-28). Marvell's argument has a nicer, refined style to it, while Donne's argument revolves around a metaphorical flea. It suck'd me first and now sucks thee/And in this flea our two bloods mingled be(lines 3-4). The speaker focuses on the same argument with the flea. It is very unconvincing or enticing. The speaker in To His Coy Mistress seems to change his tone of persuasion rapidly from stanza to stanza. At first he is sweet, coming across as a gentleman and overstating how many ages he would spent on a single part of her anatomy. A hundred years should go to praise/Thine Eyes..../Two hundred to adore each breast (lines14-15). Then he dramatically changes to say that the worms will take her in her grave and that she will lose her beauty and die. His argument is much more creative and passionate.