To His Coy Mistress” is an interesting poem as it elicits very different responses from students who read it from varying lenses–some view this poem as being very romantic and others find it offensive in it’s objectification along with all of the varying perspectives in between. It’s important to note that this poem is a parody with overly exaggerated points (Marvell was criticizing poets of his time), but the imagery created and the sheer cleverness overall is something that I find quite impressive. It is a satiric poem with the speaker putting the moves on his mistress. This was written at a time before “Netflix and chill,” but the speaker’s intentions are the same.
Many people refer to this poem as a carpe diem poem (meaning “seize the day”). To boil it down, the speaker says, “Hey! I cherish you, and if time was on our side, I would be happy to relish you slowly. I would happily spend years adoring each aspect of you, but time isn’t on our side. Wouldn’t you rather give your virginity over to me than have it die with you?” Of course the language he uses is much more descriptive and the connotations he makes provoke intense imagery, and some aspects of that imagery may seem rather macabre and others rather carnal.
What are some lines in this poem that stood out to you and why? Is it the language Marvell uses? Is it the imagery he uses? Is it something else? Be specific in your responses.
