Andrew Marvell’s Poem, “To His Coy Mistress”

Andrew Marvell, well known for his satirical and critical views in parliament, is also considered as one of the most prominent poets of the seventeenth century. One of his most reputed poems, “To His Coy Mistress”, is a well-written piece that is both poignant and thought provoking. The appropriate use of various poetic and language devices help this poem to be highly effective. This includes the use of imagery such as similes and metaphors, the use of rhyme, as well as structure and rhythm, which come together to help convey the theme and mood of the poem.

“To His Coy Mistress” tells of a young man’s desire for his shy, modest lover. The man loves this woman and claims that given time, he would happily wait forever before sleeping with her. However, he can hear “Time’s winged chariot” behind him, and knows that life is too short for them to move as slowly as she would like. Therefore, he wants to make the most of their time on earth before the “youthful hue” of their skin fades. The central message that Marvell conveys in this poem is that time will not wait for anybody. A person cannot make the “sun stand still”, they ca