Mini Essay: To His Coy Mistress

In Andrew Marvell’s poem, To His Coy Mistress, the speaker uses the idea of time fleeting in order to mask his sexual passion for the woman. The poem is written in the style of an argument; the speaker’s main goal is to convince his mistress that she needs to seize the moment and allow her emotions to take control. Even though the speaker appears to have the young woman’s interests at heart when he warns her that once her beauty fades due to old age no man will want her, what he really wants is to have sex with her. And through this poem, the reader can see that he will go to great lengths in order to have her. Hyperbole is used frequently in Marvell’s poem. The speaker loves to exaggerate his feelings for her to further his argument: “An 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” (Lines 13-16). The speaker objectifies the woman by commenting solely on her appearance and not her personality. He is physically attracted to her and wants nothing more than a passionate fling than a long-term relationship. He does not once mention the possibility of getting married at all in the poem. In the last stanza, the mood shifts to a more serious and passionate tone. Sexual and violent imagery is used to tempt and persuade the woman into complying to his demands: “Now let us sport us while we may, And now, like amorous birds of prey, Rather at once our time devour, Than languish in his slow-chapt power.” (Lines 37-38). The phrase “amorous birds of prey” connotes that their love for each other is wild, passionate and even volatile. He suggests that they take advantage of the time they have together before time takes advantage of them. From his compelling argument, the speaker demonstrates that his lust for the mistress is strong and unyielding; however, the reader is left wondering whether or not the woman is tempted into surrendering her virginity to him.