At first glance, To His Coy Mistress appears to be a formal, lyric love letter. Early in the poem the speaker (the man addressing the maiden) expresses his plan of what he would do with her if they “Had world enough, and time” (435). He brings up time in order to emphasize the amount of attention he would give to her if only he had the means. Obviously he does not have all the time in the world, so he attempts to replace action with words and begins by adoring her body. Once again the speaker brings up the v

Questions as to the true nature of the speaker are raised as the tone changes again in the last paragraph of the poem. Rebounding back to his old wooing ways he recycles the flowery language he used in the first paragraph. However, for the first time in the poem the speaker addresses an aspect of the mistress which is not physical. There seems to be a sense of truth to his words when he says, “while the youthful hue sits on they skin like morning dew, and while thy willing soul transpires at every pore with instant fires” (436). Through these lines, the speaker acknowledges that the mistress has a soul which is the most unique and beautiful part of being human. Yet, when he discusses her soul he only mentions it in relation to her skin. He devalues her by implying her soul is only skin deep when saying “while thy willing soul transpires” as if her soul could seep out through her pores (436). Despite the speaker’s attempt to make the mistress more than a one dimensional being, he insults her further by devaluing her soul.

The speaker spends time softening the maiden through flattery, and then tries to convince her to lose her virginity. After exhausting the subject of her beauty, there is a tonal shift from a troubadour-esque wooing into a troubling threat. He warns her that one day, “they beauty shall no more be found” and if she does not act soon, she will die in a marble vault where only worms will take her virginity (435, 436)

Some topics in this essay:
Romeo Juliet, Coy Mistress, , poem speaker, Andrew Marvell’s, coy mistress, romeo juliet, passionate love, thy willing soul, attempt win, human body, love letter, paragraph poem, lose virginity, getting bed,