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Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress" - Term Papers

Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress"

The consensus was that the poem's speaker is attempting to persuade "His Coy Mistress" to have sex with him. The speaker seems frustrated, impatient, and to feel a sense of urgency in pursuing this goal.
Some students argued that the speaker's words are mostly empty rhetoric--that he doesn't necessarily believe in the truth of what he is saying, but that he using various verbal strategies (different in each of the poem's three sections) to attempt to win her over. This view held particularly with respect to the first section, the ideas of which some saw as being so exaggerated that the speaker must have been expressing them sarcastically. The speaker's arguments become more graphic and ...

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not only sex, but also to develop the spiritual aspects of their relationship--the two go together. In this view, his high-flown speech (especially in the first section) expresses the extremeness of his commitment to her. From this perspective, the speaker's final proposal about the lovers' taking control of their own fate (taking that control away from time) could be meant sincerely.
Throughout the class discussions, it became clear that this poem offers a particular view of gender relations: Women are silent objects of men's desires, and men use their education and verbal skill to attempt to "conquer" (some people even said "acquire") women sexually. Even in the view that the poem promotes the couple's spirituality, the speaker must "win over" his "mistress" so that she accepts a relationship with him on his terms. Obviously this view is not the only possible one on gender relations. As the semester progresses, we'll compare this poem's portrayal of gender relations to those in ...

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Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress". (2008, August 16). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Andrew-Marvell-To-His-Coy-Mistress/88380

"Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress"." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 16 Aug. 2008. Web. 11 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Andrew-Marvell-To-His-Coy-Mistress/88380>

"Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress"." Essayworld.com. August 16, 2008. Accessed January 11, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Andrew-Marvell-To-His-Coy-Mistress/88380.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 8/16/2008 03:24:57 AM
Category: Poetry & Poets
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 376
Pages: 2

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