
Seduction has been the game most played through out the centuries, as males 
attempt to convince and invite females into their beds. In Marvell's To His Coy 
Mistress and Donne's The Flea, the speakers, propose a peccadilloes offer, which is so 
cunningly backed up by a liberalistic argument and is presented to each female when 
the generous request has been declined. These arguments are designed to induce thoughts of a 
carnal nature. The persuasions used by each are completely different but are structured entirely 
for one purpose. To corner or trick the maiden into saying Yes. Though both arguements are 
supurb, Marvell's has a nicer, refined style to it. 
In To His Coy Mistress and The Flea, there is an exemplification of just how 
crafty men can be during the hunt. The speakers, in both poems, makes a modest but 
declinable offer for sex to their maiden of choice. And, upon rejection, each male begins a 
fluent yet rhetoric arguments on why the maiden should accept his simple offer of 
passion. For Marvell, the argument was that there wasn't enough time left in the world, 
and that the maiden should partake in indulgence before it is too late. But at my back I 
always hear/ Times winged Charriot hurrying near(lines 21-22). He also states the 
unpleasuarble thought of the worms enjoying her verginity instead of him. Suggesting 
that if she continues to waste time she will die a virgin. then Worms shall try/ that long 
preserv'd Virginity:(lines 27-28). Whereas Donne's argument revolves around a 
metaphorical flea. Which as claimed by the speaker, represents his union with the 
maiden in matrimony, since the flea has taken blood from them both.It suck'd me first 
and now sucks thee/And in this flea our two bloods mingled be(lines 3-4). And, since 
their bloods have already mingled together, intercourse with him wouldn't be a sin and no 
honor would be lost if she yields to him.Though know'st that this cannot be said/A sin 
nor shame nor loss of maidenhood: (lines 5-6)
Though however similar the gist of the poems might be, the art of seduction used 
by each speaker is quite different. The speaker in To His Coy Mistress seems to change 
his tone of persuasion rapidly from stanza to stanza. At first he is sweet, comming across 
as a gentleman and overstating how many ages he would spent on a single part of her 
anatomy A hundred years should go to praise/Thine Eyes..../Two hundred to adore each 
breast (lines14-15). Then he dramatically changes to say that the worms will take her in 
her grave and that she will loose her beauty and die. In The Flea, the speaker tries to convince 
the maiden that they are one, since the flea has sucked both their blood and if she were to kill 
the flea, she would commit three sins by taking three lives, refering to his, hers, and the 
flea.And sacrilege three sins in killing three(line18). This speaker is however quick on his feet 
and very slick. The maiden kills the flea, proving his convivtions to be false. He responds 
however, by telling her that she suffers from false fears, because if she looses her 
virginity to him, she still has her honor. Just so much honor when thou yield'st to 
me/Will waste as this fleas death took life from thee(lines 26-27). 
These two unique poems containing their differences but over all more 
similarities are entertaining pieces for any reader to view and listen to the cunning speaker 
attempting to get his maiden.
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