Symbolism, Literary Style and Form in John Donne’s ‘The Flea’
‘The Flea’ is a satirical love poem by medieval poet John Donne. In the poem, the speaker uses the flea as an example in attempts to persuade his lover into having intercourse with him. While the poem is humorous and satirical in nature, the poem is also one that is both erotic and uses some important literary devices and reflects upon the experience of love and romance in medieval Europe.
The speaker in his attempts to persuade his lover to have pre-marital sex with him, sees a flea that has crossed between him and his lover, uses the flea to his advantage as the speaker compares aspects of his relationship. As such, his lover should not be too worried about her honor as they ‘mingle’ …show more content…
In this particular case, the most obvious symbol would be the flea. Fleas during that time period are considered common pests and is more annoying than serious, which would also reflect upon the state of affairs between the speaker and his lover. The speaker also uses the flea as a symbol of erotica between two lovers. He uses the imagery of the flea that has bitten the speaker and the speaker’s lover to express that their blood has already been mingled and therefore nothing of sinful nature would come when the speaker and his lover performs premarital sex. ‘Thou know’st that this cannot be said, A sin, nor shame, nor loss of …show more content…
While the speaker does not explicitly mention sexual intercourse in ‘The Flea’, there are various metaphors and symbols that suggests the sexual nature of the poem. For example, the word ‘maidenhead’ is perhaps implied to suggest the speaker’s lover’s virginity. At the same time, the poem quite consistently uses the mingling of two bloods to argue for pre-marital sex. This is perhaps a reference to the penetration of the hymen as virgin female has sex for the first time and the resulting bleeding, as most certainly we know that the act of intercourse does not actually involve the transfer of blood but rather bodily fluids. Through the use of these imageries and metaphors, the speaker intelligently places the flea as a symbol of eroticism in a funny and humorous
‘The Flea’ is a satirical love poem by medieval poet John Donne. In the poem, the speaker uses the flea as an example in attempts to persuade his lover into having intercourse with him. While the poem is humorous and satirical in nature, the poem is also one that is both erotic and uses some important literary devices and reflects upon the experience of love and romance in medieval Europe.
The speaker in his attempts to persuade his lover to have pre-marital sex with him, sees a flea that has crossed between him and his lover, uses the flea to his advantage as the speaker compares aspects of his relationship. As such, his lover should not be too worried about her honor as they ‘mingle’ …show more content…
In this particular case, the most obvious symbol would be the flea. Fleas during that time period are considered common pests and is more annoying than serious, which would also reflect upon the state of affairs between the speaker and his lover. The speaker also uses the flea as a symbol of erotica between two lovers. He uses the imagery of the flea that has bitten the speaker and the speaker’s lover to express that their blood has already been mingled and therefore nothing of sinful nature would come when the speaker and his lover performs premarital sex. ‘Thou know’st that this cannot be said, A sin, nor shame, nor loss of …show more content…
While the speaker does not explicitly mention sexual intercourse in ‘The Flea’, there are various metaphors and symbols that suggests the sexual nature of the poem. For example, the word ‘maidenhead’ is perhaps implied to suggest the speaker’s lover’s virginity. At the same time, the poem quite consistently uses the mingling of two bloods to argue for pre-marital sex. This is perhaps a reference to the penetration of the hymen as virgin female has sex for the first time and the resulting bleeding, as most certainly we know that the act of intercourse does not actually involve the transfer of blood but rather bodily fluids. Through the use of these imageries and metaphors, the speaker intelligently places the flea as a symbol of eroticism in a funny and humorous