John Donne wrote the romantic poem “The Flea” in his youth before he later became a minister. It was initially published as a part of his songs and sonnets. Donne initially wrote “The Flea” in 1630, but it started to appear in 1635, 1650, and later in 1669. The poem uses the flea as an object of mingling two lovers’ blood together, after the flea has sucked the blood of both people (Brackett). The flea also represents the sex between the two romantic partners. He tries to seduce his lover, even though she doesn’t want to have sex, to lose her virginity. The woman denies his use of imagery to provoke her to have sex many times. Donne wrote this poem to try to convince his love to have sex for the first time, noting that the flea has theoretically
…show more content…
Donne’s poem uses humor to refer to the flea as a way that wouldn’t make people call it a sin, a shame, or a loss of maidenhead. At first, this poem seems to be about a horny man who is trying to convince a girl to give into his sexual wishes. She denies her lover because she believes that the act of sex before marriage is a sin in the eyes of the church. The lady ends up killing the flea and symbolically killing the image the man had constructed in the flea. After the woman kills the flea, he notes that even though the flea could have been killed in a second, and it represents such an important part of their marriage. This poem has been known for its humorous way of using the flea as an image of marriage, and how the speaker tries to seduce his lover to lose her …show more content…
Most critics also believe that Donne wrote this poem in his early years of life before becoming a minister. He creates a parody of the approach used by Cavalier poets, who through flawed logic attempted to convince virgins to engage in sex. Donne presents a circular argument that focuses on the flea's activity as an excuse for conjugal relations (Brackett). Arthur L. Madison believes that “The reader is left with the impression” that the speaker’s argument “is successful.” The drama “can be looked upon as a little intellectual game indulged in by the two lovers, both of them knowing what the outcome will be, but enjoying the game for its own sake.” “The Flea” by John Donne is a highly criticized poem with its humorous ways of seducing a woman, and Donne using imagery in the
Donne’s poem uses humor to refer to the flea as a way that wouldn’t make people call it a sin, a shame, or a loss of maidenhead. At first, this poem seems to be about a horny man who is trying to convince a girl to give into his sexual wishes. She denies her lover because she believes that the act of sex before marriage is a sin in the eyes of the church. The lady ends up killing the flea and symbolically killing the image the man had constructed in the flea. After the woman kills the flea, he notes that even though the flea could have been killed in a second, and it represents such an important part of their marriage. This poem has been known for its humorous way of using the flea as an image of marriage, and how the speaker tries to seduce his lover to lose her …show more content…
Most critics also believe that Donne wrote this poem in his early years of life before becoming a minister. He creates a parody of the approach used by Cavalier poets, who through flawed logic attempted to convince virgins to engage in sex. Donne presents a circular argument that focuses on the flea's activity as an excuse for conjugal relations (Brackett). Arthur L. Madison believes that “The reader is left with the impression” that the speaker’s argument “is successful.” The drama “can be looked upon as a little intellectual game indulged in by the two lovers, both of them knowing what the outcome will be, but enjoying the game for its own sake.” “The Flea” by John Donne is a highly criticized poem with its humorous ways of seducing a woman, and Donne using imagery in the