To his coy Mistress

As well as Romeo and Juliet, poems can also convey the views of women in different ways. Firstly, the poem “To his coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell, is a well-structured poem with each line containing eight syllables and rhyming couplets. This illustrates the idea that the narrator has prepared this beforehand. As the girl is his “mistress”, he may be reciting a monologue which he uses on a regular basis to woo women into bed and has had mistresses before who were coy and reserved. In the time in which this poem was written (1600s) losing one’s virginity as a girl was frowned upon particularly if it was out of wedlock, therefore the women being wary about having sex with this man is understandable. In addition the fast pace poem connotes the idea that one must fit as much as they can into a lifetime as it is short which then adds to the meaning of the poem of “seizing the day”.

Dark imagery is used o persuade the mistress to change her mind as the idea of “worms shall try/That long-preserved virginity” is disgusting. Suggesting that the narrator will say anything to persuade the women, even speaking to a woman about disturbing things, which was unheard of at the time. This line is located in stanza two, which portrays the problem that all humans face, which was after the ideal immortal, youthful life. The final stanza proposes a solution to the dilemma and this way in which the narrator constructs his beliefs is persuasive as there seems to be only one solution that should be taken now with the spirit of “carpe diem”. Another, persuasive technique that Marvell uses is over statement by saying that he would understand if she refused him “Till the conversion of the Jews.” This is an obvious over exaggerated point as it would take forever for all the Jews to convert despite this, the woman would feel special as he someone would wait a long time for her to become prepared for her to lose her virginity.

Finally, Marvell chooses to only write about the mistress beauty and rather than her company. In spite of the fact her outer-appearance is not mentioned a great deal her personality is not referred to once. “Thy beauty” in the second stanza is concerning her attractiveness over her thoughts which is a product of the 17th century society which did not see women as people but more as things that may take a bit of flattery but are needed give pleasure to men.

Cousin Kate

The very first thing that Christina Rossetti makes apparent in her poem “Cousin Kate” is about her storyteller and her social ranking; “I was a cottage Maiden.” Her job as cottage maiden was important at the time so people she met could make assumptions about her and whether they will pay much attention to her. Furthermore a “cottage Maiden” is not a very respectable job therefore we sympathise with her and making her social ranking apparent shows it was so important it to state ones social ranking in the 1800s that it was the very first thing one would say. The social ranking of the “great lord” is made evident and seems sarcastic as she calls him a “great Lord” rather than just a lord. This also makes her aware of the social hierarchy in place and where she stands, not only that she is women, who are looked down on, but her lower class of job.

In Rossetti’s poem status is referred to again as she carries the view that her child out of wedlock lead her “to lead a shameless shameful life”. Albeit children are often seen as joyous things which create her “shameless” mood because of the environment around her it causes her to live a shameful life”. This oxymoron shows the conflicting ideas inside her. From this poem I can see that

women are the ones who take the consequences of being an “outcast”, after having sex rather than the men who just continue on with their lives.

The poem is written as a ballad which usually contains the love the two people share however in “cousin Kate” the love is one-sided and the narrator is treated as an object that once used is discarded for example; “a glove”. This implies that once the lord had sex with her he left her to fend for herself. This was an idea that was believed in by many men as they used women like objects for sex rather than for other things. The possessive objectification of women is also regarded even when the lord marries Cousin Kate and “he bound you with his ring”. The word “bound” connotes she is enslaved to him as slaves were bound to each other before they boarded slave ships.

Porphyria’s Lover

As my final poems by Robert Browning, before you even start reading the poem the title “porohyria’s lover” suggests a lot. The name “porphyria” is a disease that symptoms include mental disturbances and extreme sensitivity of the skin to light. Naming the love interest in Borrowing’s poem after a disease proposes that the man is a victim (“lover”) of the disease. On the other hand it could be seen that women are a disease that cause men to think irrationally and act almost like they have a disease like porphyria’s lover.

The story is told from a male perspective that posses the women poerphri and she “give herself to me for ever.” Browning writes that Porphyria is giving herself to him and this shows that she is happy to submit herself to the man and “Porphyria worshipped” him and “she was mine, mine”. If the narrator seems to be insanely mesmerised by her and when he has her it is a revelation so he repeats himself. Porphyry’s name is not mentioned and instead pronouns are used for her which implies that the narrator does not give too much care for name anymore as she has betrayed him by having an affair.

Browning, like many 19th century poets, uses pathetic fallacy. In this case the weather is utilized to illustrate a “sullen” mood. We are reminded of the mood that the weather created when he remembers “she was come through wind and rain”. I also believe Browning uses the weather to show how the emotional state of porphyria’s lover changes just like the weather and that is why she ends up a murder victim in the end. There are other poetic devices used such as a caesura, this is to make us pause in shock at her passing: “”And I strangled her. No pain felt she;” As well the odd rhyming scheme of ABABB further shows the madness of the narrator as the disease takes over his mind.