To His Coy Mistress- by Andrew Marvell (1621-1678).
Analysis of figures of Speech and Poetic Devices.
To begin, the title of the poem suggests that it is written by a man to his coy (shy) mistress. The poem is a metaphysical poem expressed in a romantic form, so it could be easily categorized as a love poem. The title addresses who the poem is from and who it is being addressed to. It has connotations of lust with the word "mistress." The theme of "To His Coy Mistress" is sexual desires not shared by both individuals and the man's proposal to love. In essence, the mistress is unresponsive to the speaker's adoration and does not share his concern of time. .
In summary, the poem is written to a woman who is slow to respond to the speaker's sexual advances. The speaker describes in the first stanza how, if given infinite time, he could spend centuries admiring each part of her body; even if she did not comply. In the second stanza he remembers how short life is and the dangers of waiting too long to obtain something. He says that "her long preserved virginity, and her quaint honor will turn to dust" and his own lust will turn to ashes. In the last stanza the speaker urges his coy mistress to promptly comply so that they can make use of the little time they have together.
The dominant and effective figures of speech include, Metaphor, Hyperbole (Exaggeration), Sarcasm, Simile, and Pathetic Fallacy. The metaphors used in "To His Coy Mistress" include line 11 "My vegetable love." Marvell is using this metaphor to express how slowly their love will grow over time. In Line 22 "Time's winged chariot," is a metaphor used to describe the power, speed, and the inevitability of time. A winged chariot is assumed to move quickly, so here the character unveils his natural attitude of being hasty and concerned about time. Line 35-36 "soul transpires/ at every pore with instant fires.
