April 12, 2021 at 6:37 am […] The Flea is a poem that takes the reader into the heart of an intimate space. "The Flea" is an erotic metaphysical poem (first published posthumously in 1633) by John Donne (1572–1631). The importance of the first two stanzas is seen in how Donne uses metaphysical poetry to touch upon the themes of sex and religion. "The Sun Rising" is a poem written by the English poet John Donne. The poem "The Flea" is about a man trying to cunningly argue a woman into bed. But his beloved denies his wish, knowing that it is a sin. A very avid theme of poetic conceit is used in the duration of this poem. Published in 1633, the poem is about a man trying to convince a woman to have intercourse with her and he shows that it is not a sin as flea already mingled their blood. It is indeed a very humorous method of extending the metaphor to add life to the poem. Prezi partners with Cisco to usher in the future of hybrid work; May 4, 2021. Donne, although, isn’t one to give up. This idea stemmed from an event that happened in a literary salon. In-depth explanations of the themes found in The Flea. The Flea by John Donne is a revolutionary poem when one compares it to the principals of those living in the 16 th century. Blog. Get started + This is a premium product. In the middle portion of the poem the speaker refers to the flea with high esteem: “This flea is you and I, and this our marriage bed, and marriage temple is” (14). May 5, 2021. However, John Donne uses his words carefully and never shows any obscenity even when he discusses about private matters such as sex. A reading of Donne's poem which compares the blood a flea takes from his lady friend with the blood of her virginity that he wishes to take. The image of the flea is John Donne’s main vehicle for conveying his message. Another underlying theme of the poem is the social restrictions that prohibit the freedom of physical love. This poem illustrates the religious notion of how one must sacrifice themselves to God through the use of an altar. The poem exemplifies Donne’s imaginative use of language, the outlandish and fanciful metaphaphysical conceit — the extended metaphor of the flea as a representation for sex. This poem consists of an erotic theme where a flea is used as a metaphor in order to demonstrate the affair between the speaker and their lover. The Poem; Summary; Analysis; Themes. In ‘The Flea’, the speaker of the poem endeavours to invalid the young lady’s moral concerns and to convince her to surrender her virginity to him by taking the advantage of a flea. The Theme of the Poem. In the first stanza Donne’s opens up with “Mark but this flea, and mark in this,/ How little that which thou deniest me is;/Me it sucked first, and now sucks thee,” (Donne 1373). 'The Flea' is a 17th-century English poem by John Donne and uses a flea as a metaphor to explore the sexual union between a man and a woman. In 1633 when the poem was written, sex before marriage would be considered a sin and that’s why the speaker is trying to convince otherwise. The two love poems, “The Flea” by John Donne and “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell were written from the 1600s with the mutual objective to court... read full [Essay Sample] for free This method is used as an extended metaphor, in this case the flea itself. The exact date of its composition is unknown, but it is probable that Donne wrote this poem in the 1590s when he was a young law student at Lincoln's Inn, before he became a respected religious figure as Dean of St Paul's Cathedral. Thank you, teachers, for what you do; April 29, 2021. … There are 4 shifts in poem. Contents. The poem "The Flea" is about a man trying to cunningly argue a woman into bed. All three of these poems share a common theme in love and are alike in many ways but all three poems also differ in many ways too. The ingenious play of words, metaphors, wit and the love theme makes “The Flea” one of the best poems in literature. Poet makes a mention of shyness of his beloved and her family that come in the way of him. I wouldn't say that John Donne's "The Flea" expresses the theme of love so much as sexual desire.In that regard, Donne was able to draw on an existing convention for the central conceit of … The theme that each poem has in common with the other is love. Satire on Platonic love The poem is a satire on platonic love. Free, fun, and packed with the most important details! In Donne’s poem, “The Flea,” the writer chose to express his love with a brief poem, highlighting exactly what he felt was necessary to move forward with his goal. 1 October 2013 ENG 210 The Flea by John Donne- Analysis In John Donne’s poem, The Flea, an extended metaphor of a flea is utilized to persuade a woman, a woman whom the speaker lusts after, to sacrifice her purity and her innocence to him. Read John Donne poem:Mark but this flea, and mark in this, How little that which thou deny'st me is; It sucked me first, and now sucks thee. Donne wrote a wide range of social satire, sermons, holy sonnets, elegies, and love poems throughout his lifetime, and he is perhaps best known for the similarities between his erotic poetry and his religious poetry.Much of his work, including "The Sun Rising," was published after his death in the 1633 collection Songs and Sonnets. Donne, in the poem The Flea, is in the mood to convince his lover to get physical with him even though they aren’t married. In "The Flea," for example, the woman's killing of the flea ostensibly ruins his argument for their physical intimacy, but from this death he is able to form a positive proof that their union would not have any greater effect than the loss of the blood she has just obliterated. The Flea is amongst such an unusual love poem, where the poet uses a flea to reveal his sexual interest with his lover. European poets, such as Lopez de Vega, used this in some of his poems. Valentine and The Flea Through a close analysis of language, structure and theme, compare and contrast the poets' attitude to love in Valentine and The Flea.