Summary of To His Coy Mistress (Marvell )

Unit-12 Love
Flax-Golden Tales

To His Coy Mistress
– Four Levels of Interactions

Andrew Marvell , England (1621 – 1678)

For : BA / BBS First Year (Business English )

Literal Comprehension:
“ To His Coy Mistress ” is a beautiful love poem composed by Andrew Marvell , an English poet , tries to woo his coy mistress to participate in the lust game in the prime of youth and beauty . The poet has a shy beloved and she doesn ’t become ready to fulfill the poet ’s desire . So, the poet says that if they had enough time, he would spend hundreds of years to admire her youth and beauty . He would admire her eyes and forehead for one hundred years. He would gaze and praise her each breasts for two hundred years each . He would spend 30, 000 years to see and admire the rest parts of her body and finally, he would touch her heart. He says that she is so much praise - worthy.

But the poet finds the winged chagrins not always hurrying near . Her youth and beauty doesn ’t always remain the same . One day she will reach her beauty marble grave . There she ’ll not hear the poet ’s love song. Worms will try to destroy her long preserved virginity . No one will embraces her shyness and participate to enjoy like two birds of love. He also suggests her to swallow all the sweetness of youth being both of them a ball. He also tells her the bitter reality that the sun also sets after rising.

Interpretation:
The poet may be trying to show the importance of romantic love at the prime of youth and beauty . He says that life is brief and death is inevitable . Do , he suggests us to fulfill our desire and enjoy life fully when we are young . He says that if we miss the enjoyment of youth , our life will be absurd after death. That is why , he also tells her beloved to enjoy life fully to surpass time and death .

Critical thinking:
This poem is beautiful , romantic and appealing . The poet persuades his beloved to involve into romantic and productive love game . However , some ideas of the poet are questionable. Should we be so lusty ? Why doesn ’t the beloved refuse the sex appeal ? Is love limited only in youth ? So, I am fully convinced.

Assimilation :
This poem impressed me a lot. After reading this poem , I came to realize that time is limited and we are headings towards the grave . Also I understood that I have also determined to enjoy much in the prime of youth .