FREE ESSAY ON HERRICK VS. MARVELL

HERRICK VS. MARVELL

Corretta Sanders
Poetry Essay
Englis 1302
Instructor Mize
Herrick vs. Marvell
"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Rober Herrick and Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy
Mistress" have many similarities and differences. The tone of the speakers, the audience
each poem is directed to, and the theme make up some of the literary elements that help
fit this description.
The tone of "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" and "To His Coy Mistress" are
different. In Herrick's poem, his tone is relaxed. For instance when he writes, "Gather
ye rosebuds while ye may, /Old times is still a-flying," his word choice has a very
relaxed and casual tone. His attitude reflects the relaxed tone in his poem. In Marvell's
poem, his tone is serious. Marvell's purpose is to persuade his mistress to have sex with
him. He tries to lure her in when saying, "Had we but World enough, and Time." He starts
out very seriously, in attempt to convince his mistress. The relaxed tone of "To the
Virgins, to Make Much of Time" and serious tone of "To His Coy Mistress" point out the
difference in the way the writers feel about their characters.
Both poems are directed to two different audiences. In "To the Virgins, to Make Much of
Time" Herrick is speaking to all virgins. He never addresses anybody personally. In "To
His Coy Mistress" Marvell is addressing his mistress personally. He wrote the poem for
his mistress to convince her to become intimate with him. The difference makes a change
because now Herrick's poem affects the reader (depending on if she is female) since it
refers to all virgins. However, Marvell's poem does not since he is referring to one
particular individual.
The them of "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" and "To His Coy Mistress" is carpe
diem. The carpe diem them states, "life is brief, so let us seize the day." In "To the
Virgins, to Make Much of Time" Herrick simply states:
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And, while ye may, go marry;
For, having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
Herrick is telling all of the your virgins to go out and have sex in their prime because
if they do not, they will regret not having sex when they had the chance to. In "To His
Coy Mistress" the theme of carpe diem is apparent. "Now therefore, while the youthful
hew/.../Now let us sport us while we may." Marvell is telling his mistress that they need
to have sex while they can because if she waits any longer, they will not be able to be
intimate. Both Herrick and Marvell use the theme of carpe diem in their poetry.
By using different literary techniques, a poet can give his/her piece an edge. Robert
Herrick and Andrew Marvel use different techniques to make their poems unique. Tone,
audience, and theme are some literary elements used in "To the Virgins, to Make Much of
Time" and "To His Coy Mistress." The differences and similarities between the two poems
point out that the poet's have their own unique style, however, sometimes they can be
similar as well.