‘The Otter’ by Seamus Heaney Versus ‘The Mower to the Glow-Worms’ by Andrew Marvell: Comparative Aalysis

In this assignment, I will compare ‘The Otter’ by Seamus Heaney (page 191-2 in The Faber Book of Beasts) to ‘The Mower to the Glow-Worms’ by Andrew Marvell (page 159 in The Faber Book of Beasts) and explore the ways in which these poets write about animals.

‘The Otter’ is a twentieth century poem and comprises seven quatrains, with no regular rhyme scheme or meter, and the lines differ in length. Throughout the poem, Heaney uses the otter as a conceit to describe a woman who swims with the smooth and graceful movements of an otter. The mood throughout the poem is reflective and emits admiration, intrigue and romantic desire, and Heaney likely uses the image of the otter to convey sensuality. Otters are beautiful and graceful animals, but they are also playful and intriguing, and Heaney attributes these characteristics to the woman.

The first three stanzas are written in the past tense, and the speaker recalls watching as the woman “plunged” and “swung” into the pool, remarking how “the light of Tuscany wavered” from her dive, emphasising the swimmer’s strength and agility, comparable to that of an otter. As the woman swam, the speaker appreciated her “wet head” and “smashing crawl” and admired her “fine swimmer’s back and shoulders”, which serves to further emphasise her powerful strength and her otter-like appearance in the water. The ‘s’ sound is repeated throughout the second stanza, perhaps to emphasise the description of woman’s strong physical build. In the third stanza, the speaker recalls observing the woman as he sat “dry-throated on the warm stones”. The contrast between the “dry-throated” observer and the swimmer’s “wet head” suggests a barrier between the two, and this idea is further reinforced when the speaker addresses the woman directly, stating “you were beyond me”.

From the fourth stanza onwards, the speaker writes in the present tense. He says, “thank God for the slow loadening”, suggesting that his relationship with the woman developed slowly, and he thinks about how when he holds her, they are as close as the water and the atmosphere, implying that the couple are now united. He states that his hands are “plumbed water”, suggesting that his hands are now like the water, holding her. In the fifth stanza, the speaker envisions the woman as an “otter of memory”. The memory of her is “palpable” and “lithe”, almost able to be touched, but she is swimming in the “pool of the moment,” and is soon gone. This suggests that the division between the speaker and the swimmer conveyed in the third stanza is now only a memory in the speaker’s mind, as the two are now unimpeded in their love, as an otter is free in the water. The speaker’s focus then returns to the woman swimming before him, and he watches as she turns to swim on her back, like an otter, and swims with “silent, thigh-shaking” kicks, once again highlighting her great physical strength. Then, fast as an otter, she gets out of the water, “heavy and frisky” in her “freshened pelt”, personifying the appearance of an otter. She is dripping with water, “printing the stones”, perhaps representing the couple’s unification, as the speaker previously sat on the “warm stones” alone, observing the swimmer. This could also symbolise that the woman has ‘left a mark’ on the speaker, like she marks the stones with water.

Throughout ‘The Otter’, Heaney uses imagery heavily to play to the reader’s senses. He recalls the “warm stones” and the “grape-deep air”, appealing to the reader’s senses of touch and smell, and he describes the woman’s physical appearance, citing her “wet head” and her “fine swimmer’s back and shoulders”, painting a visual picture of her in the reader’s mind. He also portrays the woman as swimming with great energy and strength by using harsh adjectives to describe her movements in the water, such as “smashing crawl” and “thigh-shaking kicks”.

‘The Mower to the Glow-Worms’ is a sixteenth century poem and is significantly shorter than ‘The Otter’, comprising just four stanzas. Each stanza is composed of four lines of iambic tetrameter, each of similar length, with a rhyme scheme of ABAB, unlike ‘The Otter’ which lacks both a rhyme scheme and meter and has lines of differing lengths. The poem is spoken by a mower, who addresses the glow-worms lighting his way through the dark field. He praises them for providing light but laments that their light is wasted because he is not focused on mowing the grass, as he is distracted by thoughts of Juliana, the woman he loves. However, his love for Juliana is unrequited, a theme that runs throughout the poem. This theme of unrequited love is also evident in the first three stanzas of ‘The Otter’ but differs from the fourth stanza, in which the woman returns the speaker’s love. The mood throughout the poem grows progressively gloomier and what begins as an appreciation of nature’s beauty, ends as an expression of hopelessness evoked by the mower’s one-sided love for Juliana, a stark contrast to the reflective and admirative mood of ‘The Otter’. Furthermore, Marvell plays with the contrasts of light and dark throughout the poem, which could be interpreted emotionally as well as literally, due to the speaker’s glum outlook. Unlike the otter in ‘The Otter’, the glow-worms are not used as a conceit, straying from the fashion of conceits that was popular in European poetry in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (Traditions, 2019, p. 182).

The speaker begins by referring to the glow-worms as “living lamps”, who provide the nightingale with light as she sings late at night. This depiction connects natural light to man-made light but suggests that these “living lamps” are naturally beautiful and attain a level of magnificence that artificial light cannot. The speaker then describes the nightingale’s song as “matchless”, suggesting that the nightingale is without a mate, indicating a theme of unrequited love. In the second stanza, the glow-worms are labelled “country comets” – up to the sixteenth century, comets were considered bad omens foreboding coming catastrophes, from natural disasters to political turmoil (Observational history of comets (2020)). However, the speaker states that the glowing presence of these “country comets” does not forecast tragedy, such as “war” or a “prince’s funeral”, and instead simply foretells the “grass’s fall”, denoting their beautiful simplicity. The speaker then continues to commend the glow-worms for their “officious flame” that guides him through the field at night. However, his reference to “foolish fires” can be interpreted as symbolising the burning fires of desire and passion that illustrate unrequited love. In the final stanza, the speaker tells the glow-worms that their “courteous light” is wasted on him, as his mind is not focused on mowing the grass because it is “displac’d” by thoughts of Juliana. The speaker then states that he shall never “find [his] home”, suggesting that without Juliana, he will never feel a sense of belonging so no matter how brightly the glow-worms shine, they will never lead him home.

Unlike ‘The Otter’, ‘The Mower to the Glow-Worms’ is not steeped in imagery. Marvell uses little descriptive language but through the speaker’s addressing of the glow-worms, the reader can construct a vague mental picture of a field lit up by glow-worms in the darkness.

Comparative and Contrasting Analysis of the Ways Used by Andrew Marvell and Seamus Heaney to Write about Animals

The “Faber Book of Beasts,” (Muldoon, 1997) is an anthology of poems based around the theme of animals. Muldoon has created this anthology around the opinion that these poems are “a selection of the best animal poems,” (Muldoon, 1997). The two poems that will be discussed, “The Otter,” (Heaney, 1997) and “The Mower to the Glowworms,” (Marvell, 1997) both use animals as the protagonists in their poems. They do this in both comparable and contrasting ways.

Traditionally, when a poet uses animals, they use them metaphorically to highlight the similarities between the animal and another object- quite often a human (Brown, 2019a). Throughout these poems, the use of animals as metaphors contrasts significantly. In “The Otter,” Heaney uses the technique of anthropomorphism to create an image of a woman he loves. This is seen through, “I loved your wet head and smashing crawl,” (Heaney, 1997). Similarly, Marvell writes about his love for a woman, however, uses the glowworms as a metaphor for light, rather than to describe the woman herself, “ye living lamps,” (Marvell, 1997). Marvell is giving the glowworms elevated status as they are essential to the job of the mowers as natural light, “to wand’ring mowers shows the way,” (Marvell, 1997). Throughout these poems, the theme is similar, however, their use of anthropomorphism differs.

Both authors have written their poems in the first person. Heaney writes the poem from his own perspective, speaking of the actions that he sees and commits, “I sat dry-throated on the warm stones,” (Heaney, 1997). This is effective in allowing the audience to travel through the poem with Heaney and experience the poem through his eyes. Similarly, Marvell also writes his poem in the first person, however, he speaks to the glowworms and ends the poem by speaking from his perspective, “your courteous lights…that I shall never find my home,” (Marvell, 1997). This narrative style from Marvell enables the reader to connect with his images of the glowworms as natural light and understand the reader’s thoughts from his perspective.

Heaney creates a powerful image through the use of sibilance in the description of the otter, “swimmer’s back and shoulders surfacing and surfacing,” (Heaney, 1997). This creates a lyrical element within the poem. In conjunction with the lyrical element, it also slows the pace of the poem down for the reader, focussing on the description and movements of the otter, creating a vivid image. Similarly, Marvell uses consonance to describe the light of the glowworm as an “officious flame,” (Marvell, 1997). This creates quite a stark image in the reader’s mind, such as, a roaring, bright flame, that leads the way for the mowers. These two similar techniques, used for different purposes, are effective in portraying the theme and the stories they are trying to convey.

With regards to the theme, Marvell makes use of a metaphor to describe the role of the glowworm. Describing the glowworms as “country comets,” gives sustenance to the theme of the poem. During the Renaissance, comets were viewed as an omen to predict unfortunate events to come, (sounds, 2020). However, the metaphor in this example, initially suggests, the inevitable cycle of grass cutting. Nevertheless, on a deeper level, it could be Marvell’s elaboration on how the poem ends, perhaps the woman is not reciprocating his love. Heaney also uses metaphors in this deep, elaborate way; however, they are contrasted to Marvell’s technique. The initial description of “the light of Tuscany,” combined with, “otter of memory… re-titling the light,” (Heaney, 1997), gives the reader the impression this is a fond memory that Heaney holds onto, embedded within nature and untouchable in his mind. The end description of the “re-tilting the light,” suggests their relationship came full circle and ended on a happy note.

In terms of tradition, Marvell’s poem can be viewed as a poem of conceit, a popular trend in European poetry throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth century, where the animal is used as a “vehicle for saying something broader about the world of human experience and their emotions,” (Brown, 2019b). This can be clearly seen by Marvell using the light of the glowworms to depict his journey of love for this woman, that ends unfortunately for him. This contrasts with Heaney, who uses the anthropomorphism to describe the human in question, rather than human experience and emotions.

Formal structure of the two poems are similar as they both are written in quatrains. However, “The Otter,” has more stanzas. This creates the effect of a more elongated depiction of Heaney’s vision of this woman and the journey they go through to be together. This is given sustenance using enjambment in the fifth and sixth stanzas, “in the pool of the moment, Turning to swim on your back,” (Heaney, 1997). This creates a faster pace to enhance the movements of the otter and the poignant image it creates in the reader’s mind. Heaney also uses the stanzas to create a change in tone. The poem begins in the past tense and in the fourth stanza, it changes into the present tense. This could suggest the turn of events in Heaney’s relationship with the woman, where they have grown closer. This contrasts with Marvell’s shorter poem, consisting of four quatrains. Each quatrain describes the light of the glowworms using different metaphors, “living lamps…officious flames,” (Marvell, 1997). All of Marvell’s stanzas are written in the past tense. This allows the reader to create many images of the light the glowworms produce and their elevated position in nature.

Finally, most significant contrast between both of these poems is their rhyme scheme. Marvell’s poem has a traditional ABAB rhyme scheme, written in iambic tetrameter, “iambic lines with four stresses,” (Brown, 2019c). This is effective as it has a lasting impact on the reader, through the regular rhythm it creates. A regular rhythm also makes the poem predictable to the reader, reinforcing the glowworms role in the poem; lighting the way for the mower and the inevitable cycle in which it contributes to. On the other hand, Heaney (1997), has written “The Otter,” in free verse, with no rhyme scheme. This style of writing depicts the poem as a story, emphasising the journey that Heaney and the woman’s relationship endures. It reinforces the actions of the otter, making them more vivid for the reader, viewing the scenes through Heaney’s eyes.

In conclusion, both these poems are very similar in their use of animals as a metaphor for the theme they are trying to convey. The otter and the glowworms are successfully depicted to reflect both poet’s experiences with the women in their poems. However, their use of descriptive techniques contrasts significantly. Heaney’s descriptions of the Otter, both metaphorically and through the literally, describes Heaney’s views of the woman and his experience at going full circle in the relationship. Whereas Marvell uses the glowworms, metaphorically, to highlight his fleeting love. The lights they emit are used to portray the foretelling of the journey and that it did not end in the same fashion as Heaney’s did. Both poems reinforce the fact that they are entranced by their respective animals within the poems and that particular moment is consumed by the images and actions of them.

References

  1. Brown, R. D., 2019a. Chapter 4 Reading Poetry. In: J. Brown, ed. Traditions. Milton Keynes: The Open University, p. 153.
  2. Brown, R. D., 2019b. Chapter 4 Reading Poetry. In: J. Hughes, ed. Traditions. Milton Keynes: The Open University, pp. 182-183.
  3. Brown, R. D., 2019c. Chapter 4 Reading Poetry. In: J. Hughes, ed. Traditions. Milton Keynes: The Open University, p. 178.
  4. Heaney, S., 1997. The Otter. In: P. Muldoon, ed. The Faber Book of Beasts. London: Faber and Faber, pp. 191-192.
  5. Marvell, A., 1997. The Mower to the Glowworms. In: P. Muldoon, ed. The Faber Book of Beasts. London: Faber and Faber, p. 159.
  6. Muldoon, P., 1997. Introduction. In: P. Muldoon, ed. The Faber Book of Beasts. London: Faber and Faber, p. 15.
  7. Muldoon, P., 1997. The Faber Book of Beasts. 1st ed. London: Faber and Faber. sounds, S., 2020. Comets in Ancient Cultures: The Harbinger of Doom or Messengers of the Gods?. [Online] Available at: https:strangesounds.org202004comets-ancient-history-culture-harbinger-doom-messenger-god.html [Accessed 13 January 2021].

Comparing and Contrasting the Poetic Techniques Used by Andrew Marvell and Seamus Heaney

This essay will show how the tradition of animal poetry is present in both ‘The Otter’ by Seamus Heaney and ‘The Mower to the Glow-worms’ by Andrew Marvell. This essay will portray this by comparing and contrasting the poetic techniques used in these poems.

Firstly, Heaney’s poem is what one would call free verse as it has no rhyme or metrical rhythm, whereas Marvell’s Poem is in a sense more traditional as rhyme, a metrical rhythm called an iambic tetrameter, and an alternating rhyme scheme consisting of ABAB CDCD EFEF etc, are all present. All of which are very typical in animal poetry. Both poems are written in quatrains. Heaney’s poem has 7 quatrains whereas Marvell has 4. In terms of formal differences, they are very similar. Marvell chose to lay out his poem like this as he was born in the 17th century (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography) when this was a traditional way to write poetry. Heaney writes in this form to connect with the tradition of poetry in an unconventional way as usually rhyme is an important part of traditional animal poetry however, there is no rhyme present in Heaney’s poem. There is, although, a good flowing pace in his poem, possibly referencing the elegance of the swimming otter woman.

Secondly, this essay will compare the way the animals are represented in both poems. In Marvell’s poem, there are real animals, the poet is directly referencing the animals he observes when he is out mowing. He does this to show the point he is getting at in the poem, where the light that the glow-worms give off is not nearly enough to bring him ‘home’ as the home is with Juliana. Heaney’s poem, on the other hand, is more of a conceit. He uses words that could suggest both animal and human. An example of this would be ‘smashing crawl’ which would suggest an animal whereas “swimmers back and shoulders” (Heaney, Muldoon (1998) suggest human in this case a woman which is assumed to be his wife. A conceit is very popular among the tradition of animal poetry. John Donne uses this in a similar way in his poem ‘The Flea’ (Donne, Brown (2019) as both Heaney and Donne use their conceit to portray their sexual themes and love throughout their poems. Brown (2019) describes conceits as ‘far-fetched’; conceits are meant to be ridiculous and use comparisons that the reader would not expect. A similarity connecting both Heaney and Marvell’s poems is the way they view the animals, both poets have a fondness for their animals used in their poems, they see them as majestic and are a sight to behold. Heaney feels this both about his love and the otter. Another animal present in Marvell’s poem is a nightingale who is perched on a tree branch tweeting in tune to which the poet refers to singing. The glow-worms give light to the nightingale to perform. A nightingale can also be another word for a good singer this might be what the poet is referring to when he says ‘Her matchless songs does meditate’ this could be suggesting that nobody could match that of a nightingale’s voice, however, ‘matchless’ could also mean in the sense of without a match this could suggest she is alone which the poet notices and sympathises with her as he also feels alone as he is not with Juliana giving ‘matchless’ (Marvell, Muldoon (1998) a double meaning.

Thirdly, the use of metaphors is predominant in both poems however, they use them in very different ways. Marvell uses metaphors to exaggerate or get his point across, how bright the light of glow-worm really is comparing it to ‘comets’ and ‘lamps’ both natural lights like stars and fire. Comets in his day were referenced as a sign of foreboding, he also references this in his poem when he says ‘Ye country comets, that portend No war, nor prince’s funeral… Than to presage the grass’s fall;’ (Marvell, Muldoon (1998). This depicts that he sees their light as majestic as a comet itself however does not come with the same warning which was believed to come with a comet. The glow-worms are only there to signal the mowing of the grass. Also, where he uses “home” (Marvell, Muldoon (1998), this is not in a literal sense he is not saying he cannot find his house where he lives, but more emotionally in his heart, his home is with his love who we presume he can not be with her, either because it is unrequited love or they have parted. In Heaney’s poem, he uses an extended metaphor of an otter to represent a woman. He cleverly intertwines these metaphors to make you think of an otter as well as the women he loves. He clearly is very fond of both otters and his wife which is why it works so well. He even directly refers the women to the otter saying ‘otter of memory’ suggesting she is swimming gracefully in and out of his memories. At one point in the poem, however, it seems like he is watching an otter in his memories which might be why he can compare them so well because he has observed an otter swimming, we see this when he says ‘plunged’ … ‘wet head’ this paints a picture of the otter he observes jumping in the water then coming up to the surface. ‘Wet head’ (Heaney, Muldoon (1998) suggests an animal characteristic because if he were talking about his wife, he would have used a human characteristic like hair.

Lastly, the use of repetition is used very sparingly in both poems. We see this at the start of Marvell’s poem he uses the word ‘ye’ to open every stanza, bar the last one, where he uses ‘your’ for effect because he is directly addressing the glow-worm by calling them by their names instead of a comparison to their light. ‘Ye’ gives the impression that he is talking about an object such as the “comet” (Marvell, Muldoon (1998) however then switches to a more possessive pronoun which suggests he has started to see the glow-worms as more than just their light, but even suggest that they are lending their light to the mower. ‘to wandering mowers shows the way’. This technique is called anthropomorphism, giving the glow-worm human emotions. In Heaney’s poem, there is little repetition. ‘This year and every year since’ (Heaney, Muldoon (1998). He used this to stress that he has thought about this memory a lot and suggests that he has been with the woman for many years. This is a very clever way of using repetition as it is the only one present in the poem which means it sticks out and it has a double meaning.

In conclusion, the tradition of animal poetry is present in both “The Mower to the Glow-worm” by Andrew Marvell and “The Otter” by Seamus Heaney. Both use poetic techniques to effectively show the tradition being used however Heaney’s poem is less traditional than Marvell’s poem as there is no rhyme scheme or metrical rhythm unlike Marvell’s who hosts all of these.

Sense of Condemnation of Society in the Poem the Garden by Andrew Marvell

Andrew Marvell was a renowned Metaphysical poet, politician, and satirist. He was the son of a clergyman and was born in Winestead-in- Holderness. He was a tutor to the daughter of Lord Fairfax and wrote the best poems during this season. Marvell was a friend of Milton and protected him from the royals. He was the Member of Parliament for Hull from 1659 until he died. ‘The Garden’ is one of the most complex poems with a blend of passion and wit, mixed with imagery, by Andrew Marvell. The poem can be analyzed with reference to the Bible. The beauty of the poem is magnified by its striking conceits and psychological insights.

Andrew Marvell’s poem ‘The Garden’ is a unique poem that blends metaphysics, romanticism, and classicism. The poet condemnation the labors of men for being insignificant. The man chases materialistic pleasure despite the fact that nature weaves tranquility for the mortal. Quietness and Innocence are not found in men but are found in nature. We can’t enjoy the delicacies of solitude in society. Green is a symbol of amatory and freshness. Men are admiring the beauty of a maiden but they don’t notice the beauty of nature. Nature is pure and blissful, with the ripe apples and melons rolling on the ground and the grapevine crushing its juices on the poet’s mouth. Like a bird sings on the boughs, the soul frees itself from bodily attachment. The poet says that no other company was needed to enjoy the Garden. If the poet can relish this Paradise in solitude, it would be double paradise.

The poet praises the Almighty as he created a garden of elements like herbs and flowers that act like a sundial and bees who work to compute time. The poet condemns men for their disregard towards Mother Nature, the tranquility and serenity she has to offer and for losing themselves in the chase for earthly gains. Nature is celebrated in the purest form throughout the poem. The poem deals with the theme of isolation and the predominating theme of rejoicing with Mother Nature. The world full of materialistic pleasure absorbs the spectrum of our thought, keeping us from divulging into the depth of our own being. When the poet says society is rude to solitude, he righteously points out that society can’t be happy with nature’s peace and tranquility. Nature’s gifts can only be assessed through solitude. The poem ‘The Garden’ enhances Nature’s elegance, helps us contemplate the futility of the man-made world, and indulges us in deep rumination about the benefaction that Mother Nature offers us. Nature provides a satisfying journey beyond the reach of earthly desires.

The poem provides deep psychological insight and gains a remarkable position in the history of literature. Andrew Marvell was a renowned Metaphysical poet, politician, and satirist. He was the son of a clergyman and was born in Winestead-in- Holderness. He was a tutor to the daughter of Lord Fairfax and wrote the best poems during this season. Marvell was a friend of Milton and protected him from the royals. He was the Member of Parliament for Hull from 1659 until he died. ‘The Garden’ is one of the most complex poems with a blend of passion and wit, mixed with imagery, by Andrew Marvell. The poem can be analyzed with reference to the Bible. The beauty of the poem is magnified by its striking conceits and psychological insights. Andrew Marvell’s poem ‘The Garden’ is a unique poem that blends metaphysics, romanticism, and classicism. The poet condemnation the labors of men for being insignificant.

The man chases materialistic pleasure despite the fact that nature weaves tranquility for the mortal. Quietness and Innocence are not found in men but are found in nature. We can’t enjoy the delicacies of solitude in society. Green is a symbol of amatory and freshness. Men are admiring the beauty of a maiden but they don’t notice the beauty of nature. Nature is pure and blissful, with the ripe apples and melons rolling on the ground and the grapevine crushing its juices on the poet’s mouth. Like a bird sings on the boughs, the soul frees itself from bodily attachment. The poet says that no other company was needed to enjoy the Garden. If the poet can relish this Paradise in solitude, it would be double paradise. The poet praises the Almighty as he created a garden of elements like herbs and flowers that act like a sundial and bees who work to compute time. The poet condemns men for their disregard towards Mother Nature, the tranquility and serenity she has to offer, and for losing themselves in the chase for earthly gains. Nature is celebrated in the purest form throughout the poem.

The poem deals with the theme of isolation and the predominating theme of rejoicing with Mother Nature. The world full of materialistic pleasure absorbs the spectrum of our thought, keeping us from divulging into the depth of our own being. When the poet says society is rude to solitude, he righteously points out that society can’t be happy with nature’s peace and tranquility. Nature’s gifts can only be assessed through solitude. The poem ‘The Garden’ enhances Nature’s elegance, helps us contemplate the futility of the man-made world, and indulges us into deep rumination of the benefaction that Mother Nature offers us. Nature provides a satisfying journey beyond the reach of earthly desires. The poem provides deep psychological insight and gains a remarkable position in the history of literature.

Essay on Metaphysical Poets: George Herbert, Andrew Marvell, and Henry Vaughn, Abraham Cowley, Richard Crashaw

Introduction:

In 17th century a new sensation atmosphere of spirituality was blowing in the history of English Literature that was none but Metaphysical Poems by Metaphysical poets. They shook the Literary world to give immortality to philosophy and spiritual love in the name of Metaphysical. This term is related to metaphysics, derived from the Greek word, meta means- beyond and physics means Science. So, metaphysical poems are not discussed in the sense of science.

Other poets’ point of view:

According to Augustan poet John Dryden, John Donne was inspired the essence of metaphysics in his ‘Discourse’ and Dr. Johnson borrowed this Metaphysical term from Dryden’s phrase and used it for Metaphysical poets, On the other hand, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote, about metaphysical ‘The unnatural, that too is natural’.

Metaphysical poets and Metaphysical elements:

The most prominent metaphysical poet is John Donne and other works were for George Herbert, Andrew Marvell, and Henry Vaughn, Cowley, Crashaw. Elements of metaphysical poems are – the technique of Conceit, touchy imagery, complicated thought, expression of Philosophy, Religious atmosphere, power of wit to express spirituality. Irony point of view and satire to non- living objects, Metaphor tendency, frequent paradox, from sexual to immortal love.

Metaphysical poets and their poems:

John Donne:

John Donne, the originator of the ‘metaphysical school of poetry’. His Metaphysical poem ‘ Sun Rising’ about the love of lover and beloved that was boundless and criticized to the sun who are responsible to break their love. ” The Good Morrow ‘, also a Metaphysical poem, the mixture of love with dramatic nature and development of thought, metaphysical conceits, and intellectual imagery are available in this love poem. To Canonization’ is another example of a Metaphysical poem by John Donne. This poem is about religion and the essence of spirituality with Romantic love and is full of imagery.

Andrew Marvell:

Another famous Metaphysical poet in the 17th century is Andrew Marvell. His ‘ To His Coy Mistress’ is the beyond compare exemplification of Metaphysical archaic rime in the poem, he euphemistic pre-owned both love and sexuality, complicated imagery, lots of Metaphor, lengthened self-admiration and abstract ideas. He furthermore use the characteristics of understandings , unification of sensibility, carpe diem,hyperbole. Marvell’s furthermore noteworthy archaic rime are Garden, Upon the Hill, The Gallery are examples of Metaphysical poem.

Henry Vaughan:

Henry Vaughan is a Metaphysical versemaker for his poem ‘Retreat’. It is a spiritual supported metaphysical rhapsody in where he lamented outstanding to deprivation of childhood and how he or literary draw nigh back once again that situation with the euphemistic pre-owned of imagery, Metaphors and ingenious self-admiration and the effectiveness of first-class intellectuality. His other far-reaching effort furthermore accompanying to Metaphysical are ‘Silex Scintillans’ ‘Thalia Rediviva’ and ‘Olor Iscanus’.

Abraham Cowley (1618-1667):

According to Dr. Johnson, Abraham Cowley was a Metaphysical poet. The Mistress (1647) is his well-nigh far-famed work that was the essential nature of the Metaphysical appreciation poem. His imaginativeness and gracefulness of language reached him in the standings of a Metaphysical poet. Abraham Cowley celebrated the grandness of scriptural themes. His Miscellanies (1656) furthermore throw back the subject matters of metaphysical poets.

George Herbert (1593-1633):

He is a considerable metaphysical poet.

His verse ‘The Altar’ is an exemplar of his realistic poetry, an ingredient of the Metaphysical poem. This archaic rime demonstrates how an impoverished affection buoy be molded into a configuration of an altar. ‘The Temple’ is of preponderant grandness in humanities creative writings in the denomination of Metaphysical poem. The verse of George Herbert are always attractive and unremarkably perspicuous that was appropriate for a Metaphysical poem. The ideas, in his metrical composition, are verbalized in communication of faultlessness are the exemplification to became a Metaphysical poet.

Richard Crashaw (1613-1649):

He is truly a metaphysical poet. His endeavor is understandably related the metaphysical tradition. Although he is a metaphysical poet all the more his workplace spread apart from the work of over-the-counter metaphysical versemakers much as poet and Herbert. Crashaw put into practice conceits not as a necessitous constituent of a lyric on the other hand as belonging of aesthetic embellishment. love versification is noble-minded in nature. He put into practice in his appreciation of metrical composition stimulating communication to categorical churchgoing emotion. virtually of his metrical composition appeared in ‘Steps to the Temple’. His supremacy of the graeco-roman representation and the metaphysical resource is at its beyond compare therein collection. He is recognized for his contemplative drawing near to religion. The spiritual verses of Crashaw are completed with embarrassing imagery.

Conclusion:

Metaphysical poets are very important not only 17th century but also more time. Their creativity to write such kind of poetry that is beyond science and hit the Psychological atmosphere with Philosophical Witty thoughts. Every Poet of Metaphysical, show their versatile creativity that involves with love, religion. In the history of group of poems in 17th century of English Literature, Metaphysical poets are flourished their positions to contribute such kind of Metaphysical poems.

The Use of Metaphysical Elements in Andrew Marvell’s Poetry

Andrew Marvell (1621–1678) was an English poet, satirist, and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1678. During the Commonwealth period, he was a colleague and friend of John Milton (1608-1674). His poetry shows many of the qualities that are associated with what has come to be known as metaphysical poetry.

Metaphysical poetry deals with abstract ideas such as religion, faith, love, etc. His poems are highly philosophical and reflective. Much of his poetry deals with love, the nature of the human soul, and religion. “To His Coy Mistress” is a love poem in which the poet has applied the ‘carpe diem’ theory. In the poem “The Definition of Love”, the speaker is an anonymous lover who contemplates the nature and definition of love. Thus, Marvell’s poetry is nothing else but metaphysical from a thematic perspective.

There is plenty of passion in metaphysical poetry, but it is combined with intellectual thinking. “Passionate thinking” is the chief mark of metaphysical poetry. “To His Coy Mistress” is the most outstanding example. Here the poet becomes passionate in his expression of feeling towards the end, but the whole poem is based on logical reasoning. Passionate thinking abounds in the poem “The Definition of Love” too. The speaker of the poem emphasizes the pure passion for love which almost does not exist in the lovers because of just physical attraction. We can quote here:

The fusion of thought and emotion in poetry is called the unification of sensibility. The term ‘unified sensibility’ applied by Marvell is unique because he is just like John Donne (1572-1631) in this case. In the poem “To His Coy Mistress”, unified sensibility is paramount that is why T.S. Eliot in his critical essay “The Metaphysical Poets” has appreciated Marvell as the perfect successor of John Donne. The passion of this poem has been connected with “if, but and therefore”. The speaker persuades his shy beloved in such a way that we cannot but accept it as the vehement expression of passion mixed with convincing thought. Overall, the lover means to say that human beings have been given a limited and short duration of life span and they are all forced to utilize their time. So, this shyness may not have any objection if the time were unlimited.

Therefore, the poet wants to get the result of his passion having spent a memorable time together which is in stark contrast to the platonic concept of love. No person in the world will not agree with Marvell regarding the passion and thought expressed in this poem.

Conceits are the guiding force of metaphysical poetry. As the perfect successor of John Donne, Marvell’s poetry produces metaphysical conceits that are strange, logical, and difficult to grasp but having force for surveillance and acceptance. He opens “The Definition of Love” with conceit.

Andrew Marvell is next to Donne in respect of dramatic quality. It is thought that metaphysical poetry is the paradigm of a morality play. This genre of poetry is engulfed with dramatic qualities. Abrupt beginning confers the fuel to dramatic quality. Besides, the conversational manner of writing creates a dramatic sensation. Terseness is prolific for metaphysical poets.

To sum up, it is mandatory to say that Marvell is the best successor of John Donne. Here it will also be interesting to mention that the future of metaphysical poetry has been bright especially because of its vivid and transparent characteristic features.

Biography of Andrew Marvell

Andrew Marvell is surely the single most compelling embodiment of the change that came over English society and letters in the course of the 17th century. In an era that makes a better claim than most upon the familiar term transitional, Marvell wrote a varied array of exquisite lyrics that blend Cavalier grace with Metaphysical wit and complexity. He first turned into a panegyrist for the Lord Protector and his regime and then into an increasingly bitter satirist and polemicist, attacking the royal court and the established church in both prose and verse. It is as if the most delicate and elusive of butterflies somehow metamorphosed into a caterpillar.

Andrew Marvell was a 17th century English metaphysical poet and an infrequent member of the English Parliament’s House of Commons. Marvell was known as a strong supporter of Republican ideals during the English Revolution of 1649.

Andrew Marvell was born in 1621 in Winestead-in-Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire to a clergyman father, also named Andrew Marvell. The younger Marvell matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge, when he was 13 years old. During this time, Mavell briefly converted to Catholicism and moved to London, but, at the urging of his father, he returned to Cambridge and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree.

After graduating from Cambridge, Marvell spent the next decade traveling abroad. He eventually took a position as the tutor to the daughter of Lord Fairfax and moved into their home in Nun Appleton, Yorkshire. His time in Fairfax’s employ inspired one of Andrew Marvell’s most well-known poems, ‘Upon Appleton House.’ He also wrote several lyric poems during this time. Later, Marvell wrote poems to honor Oliver Cromwell, the military leader who led the English Revolution and eventually became the Lord Protectorate of the Commonwealth. In 1653, Marvell took a position as the tutor to Cromwell’s ward, William Dutton. Four years later, Marvell became the assistant to John Milton while the controversial poet served as the Latin Secretaryship to the Council of State.

After Cromwell died, the monarchy of Charles II was restored. Marvell publicly defended John Milton against the royalists, contributing a poem praising Milton to the second edition of Milton’s epic, Paradise Lost. Marvell then served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hull from 1659 until his death in 1678. During this time, Marvell became known for his satirical pamphlets and political writings, especially The Rehearsal Transposed, his infamous attack on Samuel Parker, the Archdeacon of Canterbury. Marvell’s sudden death was a shock because of his seemingly good health, and led to rumors that political adversaries had poisoned him. However, these notions were later proven false.

A Short Analysis of Andrew Marvell’s ‘The Definition of Love’

‘The Definition of Love’ is a poem by Andrew Marvell (1621-78), an English poet who lived in Hull and whose work is closely associated with the Metaphysical Poets of the seventeenth century. In this post we offer a short summary and analysis of ‘The Definition of Love’, paying particular attention to its language, meaning, and themes.

We’ll begin with a short summary or paraphrase of ‘The Definition of Love’ before we move to analyse it. Marvell’s speaker announces that the love he feels is rare because it was born of despair – despair of knowing that the one he loved would never be his (‘Impossibility’). Indeed, only Despair, rather than Hope, could have shown him what it was like to experience ‘divine’ love – in other words, the truly special love is that which is hopeless, because we know we cannot have the person we desire.

Hopeless love often strikes us so much more powerfully than hopeful love where we think something may come of our desire. Marvell’s speaker blames Fate for this: he could easily obtain his love, but Fate – jealously realising that he and his lover would be perfect for each other – keeps intervening and preventing such a match from ever taking place. Though the two lovers are made for each other, they will never be together.

Marvell’s title says it all: ‘The Definition of Love’ is not just about defining what love is, but about understanding how definite it is, how clearly marked out as hopeless and lost.

This much constitutes a brief summary of the poem; but how should we interpret it? What does ‘The Definition of Love’ mean, and what is Marvell saying about love? Marvell likens the course of love to geometric lines, arguing that ‘oblique’ lines (i.e. lines which slant, or are not parallel) often meet, just as imperfect lovers will often find their match; but lines which are truly ‘parallel’ will never meet (since they will never converge), and so it is with perfect true lovers – despite their love being eternal (just as the parallel lines are ‘infinite’) and perfect, these lovers will never meet and become an item. Their love will remain unfulfilled.

We started off by mentioning that Andrew Marvell is associated with the Metaphysical Poets, and ‘The Definition of Love’ offers a similarly ‘Metaphysical’ idea of love to that seen in, say, John Donne’s poetry (see, for instance, ‘The Good-Morrow’). For instance, like Donne, Marvell uses the idea of the world as a metaphor for his relation to his lover: in the fifth stanza of ‘The Definition of Love’, Marvell likens himself and his lover to the two poles of the Earth – North and South Poles – which have the whole world between them, and are themselves destined never to meet.

The world, in other words, will always get in the way and prevent them from meeting. They are, if you will, polar opposites – except, of course, this is only true in spatial or geographical terms (in that Fate keeps them separate) because, in terms of temperament and desire, Marvell says, they are a perfect match. As he concludes, their love is based on ‘conjunction of the mind’ (i.e. of one mind) but, sadly, ‘opposition of the stars’. Their temperaments deem them well-suited; fate dooms them to remain apart.

This idea of the two lovers being like opposite poles of a world is neatly developed – as so often in Metaphysical poetry – through the (impossible and purely hypothetical) notion of the world being reshaped into a ‘planisphere’ (i.e. a two-dimensional depiction of the Earth on a flat surface). In the sixth stanza, Marvell argues that if Heaven fell and the Earth was torn apart, then he and his lover, those two ‘poles’, might meet – but it’s not very likely that the heavens are going to fall and the Earth be torn in two. In other words, there isn’t much hope for the two lovers. (Marvell wrote another poem titled ‘The Unfortunate Lover’, which nicely complements ‘The Definition of Love’.)

Elsewhere, too, the metaphors Marvell uses – metaphors being the stock-in-trade of Metaphysical poetry – give an extra twist of the knife to the unfortunate plight of the poet’s speaker. So, in the poem’s opening stanza,

My love is of a birth as rare

As ’tis for object strange and high;

It was begotten by Despair

Upon Impossibility.

We cannot be sure at first whether ‘My love’ refers to a person or a thing, namely to the speaker’s lover, or to the abstract love that he feels for someone (who may or may not be his lover). In the opening line of another poem that begins with the words ‘My love’, namely Robert Burns’s ‘My love’s like a red, red rose’, we apprehend that the ‘My love’ being referred to there is Burns’s lover rather than merely his feeling of love.

In Marvell’s opening line, ‘My love is of a birth as rare’, we remain unsure whether he is referring to a person or a thing, a lover or merely a love. (He could, after all, be referring to his lover’s high social status, her good breeding – hence being of rare birth.) It is only with the introduction of the pronoun ‘it’ in ‘’tis’ in the second line that we realise he has a love, but not a lover. Then we have the extra twist of the knife in the metaphor of childbearing: the speaker’s love is the product of a union between Despair and Impossibility, and the resulting ‘child’ of this sexual congress is the speaker’s hopeless love.

But unlike Despair and Impossibility, we recognise that the speaker and his lover will never become sexual partners, much less conceive a child together. Part of what makes ‘The Definition of Love’ such an effective poem is this sharp use of metaphor to render in graspable language such abstract ideas as ‘love’ and ‘despair’.

Andrew Marvell often wrote about such hopeless love, and a good poem to analyse and discuss alongside ‘The Definition of Love’ is his brilliant ‘The Mower to the Glow-Worms’. For more marvellous Marvell, check out our analysis of his classic seduction poem, ‘To His Coy Mistress’. We also strongly recommend The Complete Poems (Penguin Classics), which contains all of his poetry along with extensive notes.