Comparing the Attitudes Towards Love and Relationships in The Beggar Woman by William King and To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell

Comparing the Attitudes Towards Love and Relationships in The Beggar Woman by William King and To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell

In this essay I will be comparing two poems, The Beggar Woman and To

His Coy Mistress. I will be looking at how the themes of love and

relationships are dealt with. I will also be looking at the historical

context of the poems.

Firstly in The Beggar Woman, written around 1663 to 1712, by William

King. The story within the poem is about a gentleman who, whilst he is

out hunting, wants to do another kind of ‘sport’, i.e. looking for a

woman to have sex with. He found a woman who was a beggar. He asked

her if she wanted to have sex in the woods, and, to his delight, she

said yes. They go deep into the woods but she says she is unable to

‘do it’ with her baby on her back. So desperately, the gentleman ties

the baby to his back. Without him realising, she then runs off leaving

the baby with him shouting “goodbye,” and telling him not to be angry.

He then suggests that before he tries to ‘make babies’ again, he

should get used to taking care of that one.

To His Coy Mistress was written at about 1621 to 1678, by Andrew

Marvell. This poem is written more like a speech. A man is talking to

a woman, saying how much he wants to have sex with her. He keeps

talking about what little time they have got and what will happen if

they don’t have sex. He describes what they could do if they had more

time – “We would sit down, and think which way

To walk, and pass our love’s long day.”

In the poem, The Beggar Woman, the ‘gentleman’s attitude to the woman

is that he only wants to have sex and then just leave her. He ...

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completely opposite, for example, that you should enjoy yourself but

that there are bad things like dying happening. It then goes on to say

that because of both things you should live life to the full.

Each poem could also be said to be giving out a message. However,

these messages contradict each other. In The Beggar Woman, William

King is saying that not many people have time for romance or love.

Andrew Marvel, in To His Coy Mistress, says everyone should have time

for love and romance but it is only there for entertainment value.

Of he two poems, I prefer The Beggar Woman because it uses simpler

language that is easier to understand. It is more like a story, which

makes it easier to follow. To His Coy Mistress is more difficult

because it uses more abstract concepts and ideas which do not make up

a story.