Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress"

Now And Then Time is a major factor in any carpe diem poem in order to give emphasis to its meaning “seize the day”. Marvell’s concept of time changes constantly in his poem To His Coy Mistress, but this is to be expected in any poem that tries to convince by creating a utopia followed by the harsh realities of the real world that opposes it. There are three stanzas in the poem, each …

…joy at all. Time then moves into the present tense, providing the intensity of now, the only time lovers can fully express their love for each other. Marvell makes the ideal scene of eternity more tangible so that when that timelessness is swept away, the alternative seems all the more frightening. It is this fear that Marvell creates within us to take advantage of what is open to us and “seize the day”. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**