Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Irony in "To His Coy Mistress"

The speaker of this poem intends on convincing a women to chose him over all others. He uses a lot of flattery to try to get her to pick him, and even says that her fate is in jeopardy if she does not. "And your quaint honor turn to dust, and into ashes all my lust." (lines 29 & 30) He says his love for her has been and will be forever and that he will praise her. " I would love you ten years before the flood...My vegetable love should grow vaster than empires and more slow." (lines 9, 11-12) The irony in this poem is that the speaker seem more egocentrical than focused on his mistress. He states how he has loved her so long and will wait and that if she doesn't chose him she may die lonley and that time is running out so she should decide quickly. His speach makes him look overly confident, which his mistress may find offensive.

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