Page 40 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit

“To His Coy Mistress”
by Andrew Marvell, pages 17-18

Vocabulary
hue – shade, color
transpires – emerges, happens
amorous – loving
languish – decay

1. What does the speaker entreat of his love?

The speaker is asking his mistress to make the most of their time together, and to “devour”
and “tear” each other.

2. What justifications or reasoning does the speaker employ to persuade his mistress?

Answers may vary. Examples: time stops when he and his mistress are together, she
deserves him, he loves her, time is moving quickly so they ought to act now, she is still
young enough to enjoy him, and the sun, or happiness, cannot be fully enjoyed until they
enjoy each other.

3. Identify the allusion in line eight.

The speaker says he would love his mistress for “ten years before the Flood.” This alludes
to the Great Flood in Christian history, which killed all but Noah and those on his ark.

4. Identify an instance of hyperbole in this poem.

Answers may vary. Examples: the reference to the conversion of the Jews; his love growing
as vast as empires; needing a hundred years to praise her forehead; two hundred years to
adore each breast; thirty thousand years to adore the rest of her body.

5. How would you describe his tone? Do the tone and message remain constant throughout, or
is there a shift in the poem?

The poem’s tone is one of excitement and attempts at persuasion. The speaker is trying to
woo his mistress to act on her feelings. The tone shifts throughout the poem from one of
detached observer to needy persuader. As the poem progresses, the speaker’s attempts at
winning over his mistress come more frequently and remain more pointed.

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