The flea John Donne (1572-1631)

Ideas

John Donne uses a layers approach, which is ruthlessly logical in order to get his point across that sex before marriage is harmless "This flea is you and I".
He introduces the idea of sex with the symbolisation of the "flea".
This is in order to show how harmless the flea is and how harmless his intentions are too.
He uses religious arguments in order to legitimise their relationship, "Cloistered". "temple", "marriage" and "sacrilege".
He tries to get the point across that you can still keep your honour whilst loosing your virginity.
All in all throughout this poem John Donne is trying to convince this women to have sex with him. He uses a variation of different arguments including religious, sexual, and dramatic. His main aim is to show how sex is just as harmless as a flea bite and that nothing is going to happen once they have sex.
During the 17th century the idea of sex was that it meant the mingling of blood, just how a the blood mingles inside a flea once it has take blood, this point is central to the argument.

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"The Flea", is an elaborate metaphor for how insignificant sex is. This analogy is used for effect to offer an argument (logical and intellectual), to prove a point
Repetition of "mark", in order to warn the women/reader to take note.
"It ****'d me first, and now ****s thee", suggestive and rude language, talking about the flea. Direct address-coloquial feel minimises voice of persuasion.
Line 4 is introducing the idea of sex through the flea
"pamper'd swells", double meaning mixing of blood in flea, and erection
religious symbolisation "cloistered".
"Purple thy nail, in blood of innocence?", personification, showing how harmless the idea of their blood mingling is. Along with "Except in that drop which it ****'d from thee?", they are rhetorical questions.
They are used in order to turn her argument around. He states loss of virginity is no worse then a flea bite. Killing the flea hasn't harmed them...therefore surrendering virginity will be equally painless.
Persuasive: overcomes coyness through argument

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An innocent flea, in which blood is mingled "and in this flea. our two bloods mingled be".
jealousy and regret "we would do", the image we get if that he is fed up of having to explain why they should have sex.
Dramatic argument- lovers actions are murderous and sacreligious as breaking the holy bond of marriage encapsulates in the flea.
"****'d" flea ****ing up blood from both the man and women
The poet is painting a picture that she is trying to "kill me", by not allowing herself to loose her "maidenhead".
sexual and religious imagery
The last stanza shows how the women has won and the poet is fed up as he tries to desperately salvage his argument.

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Cyclical argument- clever almost an intellectual exercise e.g the flea starts and ends as nothing. The poem begins and ends with the argument that surrendering verginity is a trivial matter.
Rhyme scheme is ABABCCDDD
Stanza 1 and 2 lady attempts to kill the flea
Stanza 2 and 3 she attempts again and manages to succeed.

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