Essay/Term paper: Marvell's "to his coy mistress": the essence of time

Essay, term paper, research paper:  College Essays

Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress": The Essence of Time


The male species has a very creative mind. The creative mind becomes
particularly active when the case involves the female species. In Andrew
Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress," the author shows how his creative mind is put
to use. Marvell, uses time in an attempt to manipulate his coy mistress.
Time is depicted in three different manners. First, Marvell uses "ideal
time." In ideal time, he tells how many years he would spend loving her if they
were given the opportunity. He explains to his mistress that if time allowed,
he would spend hundreds of years just to admire her physical being. Next, he
implicates "real time," to persuade her to become accessible to him. In real
time, Marvell gives examples of her aging and how she will go to the grave with
her pride if she doesn't give in. Finally, the use of "optimum time" plays on
her emotions of how sweet the opportunity to make love to her would be.
Marvell tells his mistress that the act would be almost animalistic and intense.
Throughout the poem, he uses the phases of time in an attempt to frighten her
into having sex with him.
All three stanza's in the poem represent a different time frame. The
first gives his mistress a feeling of unconditional love. He leads her to
believe he would give all he has to her as long as time will permit. During
the second stanza, Marvell plays on her fear of getting old. He warns her that
her beauty isn't everlasting and that she will end up unhappy alone if she
doesn't give in. Marvell's use of optimum time, the best time, show's his
emotions. He appears to become aggravated. This seems to be his ace in the
hole. In my opinion, he uses what he believes to be the dearest thing to her,
the situation of right here, right now.
This entire poem can be compared to a drunks last resort, the famous
"line" used to pick up women. Marvell's thought out plan to sway his
mistress portrays the male's ability to come up with what appeals to the
female nature. The essence of time plays on the emotions in trying to scare
the Hell out of his Coy Mistress.