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TO HIS COY MISTRESS
BY ANDREW MARVELL
We all have the choice either to take advantage of time or allow time to take advantage of us. This is the idea presented in To His Coy Mistress, a poem by Andrew Marvell. In this poem, the opportunity of living life to the fullest or choosing to squander your time is supplied through symbolism. Symbolism is conveying impressions by suggestion rather than by direct statements. Using symbolism to express ideas makes it possible to visualize situations presented, and in this case it makes time seem almost visible.
Time is symbolized through a lover attempting to lure a woman into engaging in sexual relations with him. The idea that time is running out is asserted throughout the poem, as time is the lover’s excuse for wanting this sort of relationship so urgently. The very first line, “Had we but world enough, and time” brings out the focus of time directly. It is then reinforced through hyperbole in the following phrases such as “A 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.“ These lines symbolize the lack of time the lover has to show his mistress the adoration she is worthy of, “For, Lady, you deserve this state.” Marvell then continues on to symbolize the lack of time using other literary devices.
Running out of time is shown in several descriptive ways. For example, the personification and allusion of “Time’s winged chariot hurrying near” is a symbol of the passing of days. The lover feels they should commence before Apollo in his chariot brings the sun of their final days out of the sky. The imagery of “Deserts of vast eternity” and “…in thy marble vault…” symbolize inevitable death. “Let us sport us while we may” is another line that emphasizes how the opportunity to take full advantage of life will not last forever. However, while time constrains what people are able to achieve, the pressure of a limit on time ultimately serves as motivation into action.
The lover feels compelled to act immediately in convincing his mistress to make love to him. “Rather at once our time devour” shows the urgency of it all. “Now therefore, while the youthful hue / Sits on thy skin like morning dew,” represents also the need for immediate action while she is still young and it is still early. In lines 45 – 46, “Thus we cannot make our sun / Stand still, yet we will make him run,” the sun symbolizes time and making it “run” illustrates using that time wisely and to its full capacity before “…your quaint honor turn to dust / And into ashes all my lust.” The lover is not afraid of death however (“The grave’s a fine and private place”), he is afraid of not fulfilling life to its utmost potential.
Time can be taken advantage of, or it can take advantage of you, the choice is yours. “And tear our pleasures with rough strife / Thorough the iron gates of life” is clearly a motivational statement. It is meant to encourage living life to the fullest. Through the symbolism of a lover entreating his mistress we see just how precious our moments are. The symbolism of the poem conveys an urgency to act now before the opportunity to live our lives to their maximum capacity runs out.
Word Count: 586
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