1. International Indexed & Referred Research Journal, November, 2012, ISSN 0974- 2832, RNI- RAJBIL- 2009/29954; VoL IV * ISSUE- 46
Research Paper- English
Andrew Marvell - as a poet of Love with reference
to. "To his Coy Mistress".
* Dr.Kuldeep K. Mohadikar November ,2012
* Asst. Prof. Shri Shivaji Arts and Commerce College Amravati.
A B S T R A C T
This research paper deals with Andrew marvell as a Love Poet. The Petrarchan approach which was popular among
Elizabethan poets, was used to exalt the beloved and to shower glowing and eloquent praises on her beauty and charm.
The Intensity and Passion depicted in Marvell's poems is as intense as in any Elizabethan love-poem. As a love-poem "
To his Coy Mistress" is unique.
Introduction:- Marvell in his love-poems adopts the Petrarchan tra-
Andrew Marvell is very sensitive, intelligent dition while dealing with treatment of love, like his
metaphysical poet but from the multi-dimensions of his technique and style of expression is wholly unconven-
personality he is most popular as a poet of love. Marvell's tional. The Petrarchan approach which was popular
love poems constitute an important division of his lyric among Elizabethan poets, was used to exalt the be-
poetry, the other two important divisions being poems loved and to shower glowing and eloquent praises on
dealing with the theme of religion and those dealing her beauty and charm. The Petrarchan lover was al-
with nature. In the opinion of the Critics, Marvell's love ways sighing and weeping over the indifference of his
poetry has, with the exception of " To his Coy Mis- beloved and over the disappointment he felt as a con-
tress", little passion as Cowley's, while it is as full of sequence of her attitude. The Petrarchan elements can
conceits. " To his Coy Mistress" is Masterpiece as a be seen in at least three poems, namely " The Fair
love-poem. Singer", " To His Coy Coy Mistress" and " The unfor-
Main Text:- tunate lover". In the first of these poems, the lover
This paper deals with Marvell as a poet of love. praises the beauty of his mistress's eyes and voice in
Marvell was a friend of Milton and like Milton; he also extravagant terms and speaks of her complete controll
has theories of the true relation of the sexes which over his mind and heart. In " To his Coy Mistress", the
interfered with the spontaneous expression of feeling. lover speaks of the beauty of his mistress's limbs in
But " To his Coy Mistress" is a poem where passion is hyperbolic term, asserting that he needs hundreds and
allowed to take its most natural path. Although even thousands of years to be able to praise them accurately.
one feels that the poet is expressing the passion of the " An hundred years should go to praise
human race than his own individual feeling and pas- Thine eyes, and on thy forehead Gaze
sion as it is in Marvell is heightened by wit, the effect Two hundred to adore each Breast
is striking. As a love-poem " To his Coy Mistress" is but thirty thousand to the rest."
unique. It could not be the most popular of Marvell's This is probably the best-known love-poem of Andrew
poems, but for sheer power it ranks higher than his Marvell. It is a love-poem in which the speaker offers
other verses. He begins with hyperbolical protesta- a strong plea for the beloved to soften towards him and
tions to his mistress of the slow and solemn state with to relax her rigid attitude to grant him sexual favours.
which their wooing should be conducted as if only time The lover, who may be the poet himself, builds up a
and space were their servants and not their masters. really strong case and supports it with arguments which
Each beauty also of face and feature should have it's no sensible woman can reject. So Marvell truly fol-
special and age long praise as : lowed Petrarchan tradition in his love-poems.
" But at my back I always hear The Intensity and Passion depicted in
Time's winged Chariot hurrying near, Marvell's poems is as intense as in any Elizabethan
Any yonder all before us lie love-poem. In " The Fair Singer", the lover says that
Deserts of vast eternity. both beauties of his mistress have joined themselves
The grave's a fine and private place in fatal harmony to bring about his death and that with
But none I think do there embrace". her eyes she binds his heart and with her voice she
captivates his mind. He speaks of the "Curled trammels
SHODH, SAMIKSHA AUR MULYANKAN 5

2. International Indexed & Referred Research Journal, November, 2012, ISSN 0974- 2832, RNI- RAJBIL- 2009/29954; VoL IV * ISSUE- 46
of her hair" in which his soul has got entangled. If a fact of mortality, which is realized in phrases half gen-
lover can speak about his feelings, we cannot say that eral and suggestive, half particular and Concrete. The
he is a cold kind of lover. In the poem " To his Coy lover resolves the antithesis between love and death
Mistress", the passion is equally ardent. In the final with the earnestness to use and conquer time.
Stanza poet presents fierce passion when he suggests In some of his love-poems, Marvell shows the
that : Elizabethan influence by following the Petrarchan tra-
" Let us roll our Strength, and all dition. In these poems he shows tendency to Swell on
Our Sweetness, up into one Ball : charms of the beloved in the extravagant terms, as was
And tear our pleasures with the case with Elizabethan love-poets who followed the
rough strife. Pertrarchan mode of love-making. In these poems by
Through the iron gates of Life" Marvell, we have the same sighs and tears and the same
Poet expresses in the above lines that they should exaltation of the beauties of the beloved as we find in
enjoy the pleasure of love-making with all their energy the Elizabethan love-lyrics. In "The Unfortunate lover",
and vigour and they should even become fierce in we are told that the tyrant god of love used " all his
extracting the maximum pleasure from their love- winged artillery", and the lover found himself between
making.The Poem " To His Coy Mistress" has this "the flames and the Waves. The lover was forced to live
intellectual quality though the passion strikes through in storms and wars. He was torn into flames and ragged
logic and reasoning. This Poem follows Syllogistic with wounds. He was a lover dressed in his own blood.
Pattern in its construction. Syllogism has three stages " To His Coy Mistress" is another poem in which the
: "if", "but", 'therefore". This poem begins with if, we Petrarchan hyperbole and Elizabethan Conceits com-
are told in the opening lines what the effect would be bine with a metaphysical Condensation of Style which
if the lovers had enough space and time with them. The is almost epigrammatic. The lover here needs a hundred
second stanza deals with second stage i.e. But, " But years to praise his mistress's eyes and to gaze on her
at my back I always hear..."). The rest of the lines tells forehead. He needs two hundred years to adore each
us why the lovers cannot spend their time and the of her breasts and he needs thirty thousand years to
space, as per their wish. The third stage begins with praise the remaining parts of her body. The passion of
first line of the third stanza. Their are many conceits in the Elizabethan lyric is also to be found in this poem and
this poem and all are popular except the conceit in the it finds a notable expression in the closing six lines
closing eight lines which may create Problem. where the lover suggests that he and she should roll all
Marvell's best poems were written in the early their strength and tear their pleasures with rough strife
1650's. " The Definition of love" and "To His Coy through the iron gates of life. The passion is certainly
Mistress" are among the great metaphysical poems of Elizabethan in its intensity, the conceit employed to
love, but the latter also follows classical tradition and express the passion is thoroughly metaphysical. As for
both have perfect Symmetry and Swift. They are not the condensed Style, its becomes epigrammatic in such
more simple but they are under perfect control. The lines as these :
essence of both poems is paradox, yet every idea and " The grave's a fine and private place, But none, I think,
word is an integral part of the pattern. The very title, " do there embrace."
The Definition of love is paradoxical and the infinity of Conclusion:-
frustrated love is rendered in terms of the exact sci- It is to be concluded that poems of love are not
ences of astronomy and geometry "To His Coy Mis- numerous in Marvell's work, but among several which
tress" is the period's finest variation on the theme of are graceful or slightly ironical, denouncing women's
Carpe diem. A series of Witty particular, hyperbolical tricks, artifices and Coquetry and few hold us by their
fancies about unlimited space and time lead to the grim passion.
R E F E R E N C E
1) A History of English Literature by Legouis and Cazamian.
2) Andew Marvell: an evaluation of his poetry: Rama Brothers,2004 published by Educational Publishers, New Delhi,2004.
3) To his Coy Mistress".page no.107, Rama Brothers,2004 published by Educational Publishers, New Delhi,2004.
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