Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress

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Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress

Andrew Marvell writes an elaborate poem that not only speaks to his coy mistress but also to the reader. He suggests to his coy mistress that time is inevitably ticking and that he (the speaker) wishes for her to act upon his wish and have a sexual relationship. Marvell simultaneously suggest to the reader that he/she must act upon their desires, to hesitate no longer and ³seize the moment?before time expires. Marvell uses a dramatic sense of imagery and exaggeration in order to relay his message to the reader and to his coy mistress. The very first two lines of the poem suggest that it would be fine for him and his mistress to have a slow and absorbing relationship but there simply isn¹t enough time. He uses exaggerations such as ³Love you ten years before the Flood?and ³An hundred years should go to praise? ³Two hundred to adore each breast; But thirty thousand to the rest.? These exaggerations imply that the speaker would wait many many years until his coy mistress was ready, but there isn¹t enough time. The reader can also visualize the deep love the speaker contains for his coy mistress through the imagery. For example, the speaker suggests that his vegetable love should grow, and vegetables only get larger and more ripe as they grow, analogous to his love, but vegetables grow very slow. His love is so great that it would grow ³vaster than empires, and more slow? meaning that if there was enough time, his love for her would be i...

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