By Andrew Marvell Thus, though we cannot make our sun Stand still, yet we will make him run.

TABLE OF CONTENT  About the author About the author  Title Title  Structure Structure  “To his coy mistress” analysis “To his coy mistress” analysis

ABOUT THE AUTHOR  Born on March 31, 1621, Marvell grew up in the Yorkshire town of Hull, England.  He was a lecturer at Holy Trinity Church and master of the Charterhouse.  At age twelve Marvell began his studies at Trinity College, Cambridge. Four years later, two of Marvell’s poems, one in Latin and one in Greek, were published in an anthology of Cambridge poets.  In 1641 his father drowned in the Hull estuary and Marvell abandoned his studies.  Marvell held office in Cromwell’s government and represented Hull to Parliament during the Restoration.  Marvell died on August 16, 1678.

TITLE  Reading the title, the intelligent reader understands the poem is dedicated to the speaking voice’s lover.  It will be an invitation or an exhortation to do something instead his lover’s coyness.  The intelligent reader could also be interested in discover why the speaking voice calls his lover “coy mistress” and in what the lady’s coyness consists of.  He may advance an hypothesis: since the term mistress implies a close love relationship, the lady may be coy to have physical relation with her beloved. “To his coy mistress”

STRUCTURE  The poem is divided into two parts.  The first section starts at line number one and ends at line number twenty.  It is dedicated to the way of loving of the beloved if the speaking voice and his mistress had enough world and time.  The second section goes from the line number twenty-one to the line forty-six.  The speaking voice makes a list of the reasons why is better they “devour their time”.  The second part is strictly connected to the first line of the poem, because of the topic of the time. So that the reader understands the structure of the poem is an argumentative one. Also the reader will find logical connectors such as “but”; “and”; “now”; “thus”.

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS” ANALYSIS  The speaking voice gives to the lover, his point of view about her coyness: if they had enough world and time, his lady’s coyness wouldn’t be a crime.  The idea of the elapsing of time is reinforced by the repetition of the sounds “d” and “t” which beats time.  The writer’s choice to subvert the syntactical order of the period, puts the first line in a “key position” from the point of view of significance: from it depends the whole poem. Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime.

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS” ANALYSIS  The speaking voice says they would think which way to walk, they would sit down and pass their long love’s day.  He makes an implicit invitation to “consume” their love physically speaking.  The repetition of the sound “w” conveys the idea of a close and strong relationship.  The repetition of the sound “l” (long love) communicates the lifetime of their love. We would sit down, and think which way To walk, and pass our long love's day.

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS” ANALYSIS  The speaking voice continues his exhortation making references to the religious code.  If it were possible, he would love the lady ten years before the flood (referring to Noah, a part belonging to the Genesis in the Bible) so he would love her since ever.  Then she would refuse him till the conversion of the Jews.  The repetition of the pronoun “you/thou” from the line number five to the line number nine, reveals that the speaking voice is obsessed from the lady. Thou by the Indian Ganges' side Should'st rubies find: I by the tide Of Humber would complain, I would Love you ten years before the flood, And you should, if you please, refuse Till the conversion of the Jews.

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS” ANALYSIS My vegetable love should grow Vaster than empires, and more slow ; An hundred years should go to praise Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze ; Two hundred to adore each breast, But thirty thousand to the rest ; An age at least to every part, And the last age should show your heart ;  The speaking voice’s love, would be a “vegetable” one and should grown slowly.  If they had different places and time, his love would be stronger and deeper because of the absence of the necessity of an immediate physical approach with his mistress.  He would spend many years praising every part of her before “see her heart”.  The intelligent reader may advance two hypothesis: the speaking voice would wait for a long time before obtain his mistress’ love or he would attend to any intercourse.

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS” ANALYSIS  The first part ends with an affirmation: the mistress deserves such “waiting” and the speaking voice admits he wouldn’t love her at lower rate.  The rhyme between “state” and “rate” strengthen such a merit. For, lady, you deserve this state, Nor would I love at lower rate.

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS” ANALYSIS But at my back I always hear Time's winged chariot hurrying near ; And yonder all before us lie Deserts of vast eternity. Thy beauty shall no more be found, Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound My echoing song: then worms shall try That long-preserved virginity,  In the lines from twenty-one to twenty for, “deserts of vast eternity are near” represent death, because of the passing of the time.  The use of the rhyme between “hear” and “near” sticks into the reader’s mind the images of time and death.  When the mistress will be old, she will lose her beauty and when she dies, her “preserved virginity” will be “tried by worms” so her honour will become dust as the speaking voice’s lust.

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS” ANALYSIS  When the speaking voice makes the explicit reference to his lady’s virginity he also makes an allusion to her sexual part.  The rhyme between “dust” and “lust” reinforces the idea of the sexual passion of the speaking voice: as the lady’s “virginity”, therefore “honour”, “turn to dust”; his lust turns into “ashes”. And you quaint honor turn to dust, And into ashes all my lust : The grave's a fine and private place, But none, I think, do there embrace.

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS” ANALYSIS  The reader, reading the lines number thirty-three and thirty-four, is able to imagine how the mistress will be like: she is young and she has a candid complexion.  Her skin may be a synonym of pureness in contrast with sexual passion of the speaking voice.  The rhyme between “hue” and “dew” helps the reader to fix into his mind the mistress’s image. Now, therefore, while the youthful hue Sits on thy skin like morning dew,

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS” ANALYSIS  Mistress’ soul is “willing” so the speaking voice is not the only one who feels love even from the point of view of passion.  Her willing soul is visible. It “transpires at every pore with instant fires”. And while thy willing soul transpires At every pore with instant fires,

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS” ANALYSIS Now let us sport us while we may, And now, like amorous birds of prey, Rather at once our time devour, Than languish in his slow-chapt power. Let us roll all our strength and all Our sweetness up into one ball, And tear our pleasures with rough strife Thorough the iron gates of life  The speaking voice through an accumulation of images, invites his mistress to have an intercourse with him.  He exhorts her to “devour their time like amorous bird of prey”; to “roll all their strength and all their sweetness up into one ball”, nearly melt one each other. Their passion will be a “rough strife”, thorough the gates of life”.

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS” ANALYSIS Thus, though we cannot make our sun Stand still, yet we will make him run.  The poem’s message is held in the final couplet.  They cannot stop the cycling movement of the sun which means the cycle of life, in opposition of their finish.  They can only enjoying pleasures of their life, love and passion.

THE END Francesca Cisilino Asia Grando 4ALS /2015