Andrew Marvell - To His Coy Mistress

Momento mori = translates from the Latin as 'remember death' or 'remember you have to die' Medieval Christian theory of reflection on the transcience of life & mortality

Carpe Diem = translates from Latin as 'seize the day' has no regrets & life is for living 

To His Coy Mistress

The fact that is that it's not to wife, but a mistress implies something sordid & dishonourable between the speaker & lover

adjective "coy" implies fliratation that is false in modesty & shyness 

WHAT IF 

ideally, he would spend eternity loving her before having sex 

verbs asoicated with slowing down "sit...think...walk" 

"long love's day" alliteration adds to romance & 

"vegetable love would grow" affection grows & phallic image of passion 

"hundred years...two hundred...thirty thousand" time & size exaggerated, hyperbole 

BUT

Reality comes in, counters the argument laid out in stanza 1 

"time's winged chariot hurrying near" urgency, the speaker is bound by time & it is out of his control 

"desert" contrasts the river ("indian ganges") in stanza 1, devoid/lack of life 

"long-preserved virgnity" what sociey expected of women at the time 

Carpe Diem (so) 

Draws out his argument with his real intentions 

"youthful hue" Superficiality of his interest in her looks, perhaps admiration of her youth 

"devour" passion & primal desires of lust 

"now let us sport us while we may" implication of asking for sex 

"like amorous birds of prey" predatory image of animals, following instincts 

Poem is set out in a 3 part argument 

• flattery (what if) 
• scare her into having sex (but) 
• carpe diem (so) 

regular rhyme scheme throughout, suggests the persona's motives do not change 

direct address