Download To His Coy Mistress* Andrew Marvell

“TO HIS COY MISTRESS”
ANDREW MARVELL
MH DAON
CHARACTERISTIC RENAISSANCE “SEDUCTION” POEM
FORM OF POEM
• PART 1 – DESIGNED TO MAKE HER LAUGH “HAD”
• PART 2 – DESIGNED TO MAKE HER AFRAID
• PART 3 – DESIGNED TO MAKE HER WILLING
“BUT”
“NOW”
SYLLOGISM
• LOGIC – AN ARGUMENT THE CONCLUSION OF WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY TWO PREMISES,
OF WHICH ONE (MAJOR PREMISE) CONTAINS THE TERM (MAJOR TERM) THAT IS THE PREDICATE
OF THE CONCLUSION,
AND THE OTHER (MINOR PREMISE) CONTAINS THE TERM (MINOR TERM) THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF
THE CONCLUSION.
SYLLOGISM CONT’D
• IS A FORM OF DEDUCTIVE REASONING
• IS DECEPTIVE ARGUMENT
THE NARRATOR’S ASSUMPTION
• IF HE HAS “PROVED” HIS POINT IT IS ONLY “REASONABLE”
ILLOGICAL USE OF REASON
• QUESTION OF HIS MISTRESS’S COYNESS REMAINS UNRESOLVED.
A MAJOR RENAISSANCE THEME IN POETRY
• CAN ONE LURE A WOMAN INTO THE BEDROOM CHAMBERS WITH A CONVINCING
ARGUMENT?