The Flea

“The Flea” by John Donne John Donne's “The Flea” exhibits his metaphysical ability; his aptitude for turning even the least likely images into elaborate symbols of love and romance. This poem uses the image of a flea that has just bitten the speaker and his beloved to sketch an amusing conflict over whether the two will engage in premarital sex. The speaker tells his beloved to look at the flea before them, and to note "…

…she would lose no more honor than she lost when she killed the flea. Donne uses his talent at using something like a flea and turning that into a “marriage bed and marriage temple” where their blood mingles as one. He is able to produce a wonderful seduction poem that tells a whole story of a man begging to make love to his lover in such a way that one normally would not think of.