Donne’s “pampered” flea swells with importance as well as blood, and shortly approaches godhead, as represented in the Christian concept of the holy trinity, three persons in one God. Then, they multiply like crazy in southern climates. Donne, John. Note the spondee in line 21 and the rhythmic anapaests in line 22 (in that A spondee ends line 25 - strong energy involved here as the speaker makes his point.
However, John Donne uses his words carefully and never shows any obscenity even when he discusses about private matters such as sex.
John Donne's "The Flea" is an erotic metaphysical poem employing a conceit, or extended argument. Then iambic calm returns with just that final spondee midway through the end line to remind the reader that the flea is dead and with it the speaker's hope?No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. The speaker, having temporarily stopped his would be female lover from killing the flea - In addition, the flea is a symbol of the marriage bed and marriage temple (the human body being a temple of the Holy Spirit according to Paul in the bible, Corinthians 1).Marriage is also one of the seven Catholic sacraments so to kill the flea would be an act of sacrilege, violation. So is the speaker, a suitor well aware of the contrivance, exaggeration and contradiction of his ingenious but wobbly argument. The lead role is the humble flea, which sucks the speaker first then the woman. All in all, they're a disgusting nuisance. ), and read some of his most romantic poetry to her--this wasn't one of them!Once i read a poem bt i ddnt understand it, through this analysis l have understood .thanksInteresting metaphor.
Note the opening strong trochee (The third couplet keeps the iambic beat, the enjambment maintaining the flow into the next line. The male speaker wants to make love to a woman, who resists. Significant Quotes From John Donne; Meaning and Poetic Devices in “Love’s Alchemy” by John Donne Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites.This is a beautiful exegesis of the poem - clear, thoughtful and engaging.
“The Flea” is a poem by the English poet John Donne, most likely written in the 1590s. What a shame so little English is formally taught this way nowadays...I remember reading this poem in college. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so. HubPagesCopyright © 2020 HubPages Inc. and respective owners.As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. The triplet is likewise iambic except for, interestingly, line 8 which echoes line 4 with a spondee (Two spondees are used in lines 10 and 11 to reinforce meaning: (Two trochees start the first and second lines, giving strong emphasis to those first syllables, establishing Cruel and Purpled as vital ingredients in this final stanza. A ludicrous image of physical intimacy provides a suitor with a feeble wooing ruse – and us with sharp romantic comedy And pampered swells with one blood made of two, Will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee.This flea is a comical and complex figure. Holy matrimony has become a flea-shaped cathedral.Towards the end of the second stanza, the speaker seems to shift identity. Donne was one of my favorite poets.Off the cuff, did you ever try killing a flea? Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. Their blood is mingled in the flea, a symbol of sexual union. It's interesting to note that she is silent throughout the poem yet is the one who has all the power. To provide a better website experience, owlcation.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Thank you, Andrew. The woman has crushed the flea, even in death a noble martyr: “Cruel and sudden, hast thou since / Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence?” By turning this accusation into a question, Donne nicely maintains the comic pitch.While the woman doesn’t speak in the poem, her reported comment is so plain and sensible that we’re in no doubt she has won the argument. Full rhyme bonds together meaning.There are subtle half-rhymes in lines 10/11 and 19/20 : The Flea contains strong religious imagery in the second stanza. Once bit, the bite itches!So, I can see how the poor lady didn't feel very loving at the moment. Rather, the male pursuer should have positioned her in a cleaner environment, presented her with roses, offered her some dark chocolate (did they have that during Elizabethan times?
She's having none of this religious symbolism or hyperbole.