My Mistress Tone

‘To His Coy Mistress’ was written by Andrew Marvell (1621-1678). The poem is a metaphysical poem, which was mostly used in the seventeenth century and was classed as a highly intellectual type of poetry and mainly expressed the complexities of love and life; just as this poem is. In brief the poem is about seizing every opportunity in life and not caring about the past or future. In other words ‘seize the day’. The poem also explores the nature of seduction.

At initial glimpse of the poem’s title, one might easily misperceive the objective of the lyric as a whole and immediately assume the worst due to the evolution of terminology over time. When Marvell uses the lexeme ‘mistress’, he is referring to the term ‘lover’. In modern day terminology, ‘mistress’ could be interpreted as ‘an individual with whom an affair is occurring’.

Not just does this represent the inferiority of women to men, it likewise expresses that ladies are seen as a commodity to be given, transported and purchased. Moreover, it highlights the characterisation of Desdemona and how submissive she is. This accentuates that Shakespeare was a man who saw ladies simply the same as a man. His emphasis on gender equality permits viewers to get a look at how ladies are dealt within society and how men ought to treat ladies. He underscores that gender equality should be valued in society.

In both poems there is the recurrent theme of irony. In “To His Coy Mistress” the poem’s entire first section is ironic in the sense that the speaker knows he isn’t being genuine. The speaker uses words to his advantage and we can take little of what he says to be truthful. In Line 1, “Had we but world enough, and time”. The first section of the poem is a series of hyperbolic statements meant to impress and flatter the reader but the

This was the only woman in Europe who truly had power. Aside from queen Elizabeth, Shakespeare was in a time where men ruled and women followed. Women cleaned, took care of the kids, and obeyed their husbands. The women of this time were groomed. They learned from a young age that boys had more privileges and they were to do whatever the men deemed them worthy of doing. The women were rarely educated and knew nothing other than what they were taught by the men. The women’s sole purpose was to get approval from first their father and then eventually a husband once (once approved by her father). For them, there was little reason or opportunity to do anything beyond domestic tasks. When not performing these tasks, their role was to sit doll-like, looking prim and

“To my Dear and Loving Husband” written by Anne Bradstreet, is the story of a woman admiring love for her husband. On the other hand, “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” written by William Shakespeare, is the story of the love a man feels for an imperfect woman. Although the two poems are about love, they interpret it in different ways through rhythmic structure, and emotional expression. “To my Dear and Loving Husband” has an impeccable rhythmic alignment. It starts with repeating “if ever” three times in the first three lines.

In the age of Shakespeare women were considered completely and entirely inferior to men and were not to be trusted, they were known to have an evil and wicked nature and they could not help themselves. Within Elizabethan society women were only considered a little more than property and were used to make alliances, and such was their duty to shut up, obey, and keep their honor and nothing at all was more important than the sexual purity of an unmarried women, it was the symbol of the family’s honor and value. With the creation of the play Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare indirectly criticized the “inferiority” of women by using the play to show that men and women are not so different, he reveals the unfair treatment of women and an he becomes

She has proved to be one of the most important characters in the play. William Shakespeare did a good job of thinking ahead showing that women can have power and be strategic as well. This can be shown by women in power roles in todays world such as politics. However in some ways women in these roles can impact our society and make the world a worse place. Powerful women in these roles are often overlooked being able to do whatever they please.

There is a similar theme running through both of the poems, in which both mistresses are refusing to partake in sexual intercourse with both of the poets. The way in which both poets present their argument is quite

The main male character that view her as a victim is Hamlet, because he communicates to her as a sexual object. For instinct, Hamlet speaks of her beauty as a way of being a whore, "Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once" (3.1.113-117). Hamlet reveals his love as whore because she is beautiful, and he believes beauty is power that is used for sex.

As I read To His Coy Mistress; by Andrew Marvell, I ponder on the meaning of the poem. When I first read the poem I came to understand it to be about a man deeply in love with a women and he wanted nothing more to let her know of his love before he died. Now after reading A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, by Wilfred Guerin, Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reesman, and John R. Willingham, I now see two different meanings of the poem. As I still believe my first impressions to be true in my way, I have also come to understand a different meaning in the poem as well.

The dark lady is a devious jealous woman; she torments Shakespeare and toys with his emotions because he is falling in love with someone else. Realizing this, she began to pursuit the other person, hoping that Shakespeare would not find out. In doing so she fell in love with him as well. And came to a conclusion that she will be emotionally satisfied if Shakespeare still shows affection toward her.

Love is difficult to define, difficult to measure, and difficult to understand. Love is what great writers write about, great singers sing about, and great philosophers ponder. Love is a powerful emotion, for which there is no wrong definition, for it suits each and every person differently. Whether love is between family, friends, or lovers, it is an overwhelming emotion that can be experienced in many different ways.

‘To His Coy Mistress’ Is a love poem by Andrew Marvel. The poem is ‘carpe diem’ which translates to seize the day, this means the poem does not take its time its blunt and straight to the point. The poem contains a thesis, antithesis and synthesis, the main argument points of the poem. The poem is split into three stanza’s which are used to persuade the woman to give up her virginity before her beauty dies. It is a conventional poem for its time in the 17th century.

Shakespeare and the members of the Elizabethan era would be appalled at the freedoms women experience today.  The docility of Elizabethan women is almost a forgotten way of life. What we see throughout Shakespeare’s plays is an insight into the female character as perceived by Elizabethan culture.  Shakespeare’s female characters reflect the Elizabethan era’s image of women; they were to be virtuous and obedient and those that were not were portrayed as undesirable and even evil.