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To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell and Our Love Now by Martyn

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To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell and Our Love Now by Martyn
Lowery both see men trying to use methods of persuasion to get what they want. How successful are they?

I have recently studied ‘To His Coy Mistress’ by Andrew Marvell, written in the 17th Century and ‘Our Love Now’ by Martyn Lowery, written in the 19th century. Attitudes to love have changed a lot since the 17th Century. When ‘To His Coy Mistress’ was written, men were in charge of the relationship. It would take a lot longer for this relationship to progress than it would today. The man would court the woman for months before anything progressed. He would write her letters and poems, and then eventually, if he loved her, he would ask her to marry him. They …show more content…

but she says ‘There is always a scar..’ implying the wound in their relationship is too deep to mend fully. In this poem it seems like she has the final word. It is a modern poem about love.

Marvell uses different methods of persuasions. He bombards her as the poem is very long and has no stanzas, so she has to keep reading and listening to his arguments. He has also divided the poem into three sections. The first section is about him romancing and flattering her.
He shows his love for her by using time, place and exaggeration. ‘Had we but world enough, and time / This coyness, lady, were no crime.’ shows Marvell using time. He is telling the woman that if they had all the time in the world her shyness would not matter. ‘They by the
Indian Ganges’ side / Should’st rubies find: I by the tide / Of Humber would complain.’ This shows Marvell using place and distance to persuade her. He tells her that she could sit by the Indian Ganges, and he would sit by the Humber in England and wish for her. He then goes on to say, that if she wishes; she can keep him at arms length, and that his feelings will wait until she is ready. This makes her feel that he is not pressuring her in to anything she does not want to do. Marvell uses a lot of exaggeration, for example ‘I would / Love you ten years before the flood..’ He is referring to the bible, making him seem religious and that he supports the religious beliefs of sex after marriage,

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