Thou know’st that this cannot be said A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead ; Yet this enjoys before it woo, And pamper’d swells with one blood made of two ; And this, alas ! Throughout the … In " The Good-Morrow ," for example, he explores this theme in transcendent and religious terms. Fleas were a popular subject for ribald humour during the Renaissance. 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 creatures were everywhere in both real life and in erotic poetry (inspired by the writing of the Roman poet Ovid) – their ability to freely roam ladies’ flesh making them the envy of John Donne ’s poetic narrator as well as many others. He was born in 1572 to Roman Catholic … He uses a flea, which has bitten both of them, as an example of an innocent mixing of bodily fluids (blood from both their bodies) that mimics sexual intercourse. Flea is a metaphor for the union of the two lovers and the relationship between them The flea is personified not only as the lives of itself, the speaker, and the woman but also the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit Persuasive, witty, and pleading First, a flea and togetherness can be reasonably demonstrated to be similar, thus, on a basic level, showing the trivialness of one’s love and physical attachment. Second, the poem represents a mental exercise. The speaker uses the occasion of a flea hopping from himself to a young lady as an excuse to argue that the The Flea (1633) 2. ‘The Flea’ is a seduction lyric: in summary, the speaker of the poem is trying to convince the woman to go to bed with him. This is a rare poem which is erotic in tone. Theme: This poem demonstrates a few key themes. However, John Donne uses his words carefully and never shows any obscenity even when he discusses about private matters such as sex. The flea transforms into a symbol of the conscience that is the main obstacle to the physical love that the speaker seeks. John Donne (1572-1631) 3. He says to her that by killing the flea she has lost all the honor now there was no point for her to feel shy or feel honorable. Also, the theme of carpe diem, or “seize the day,” that is present in this poem was reflected in the wanton nature of Donne’s early life. is more than we would do. The poem starts with the speaker trying to grab the complete attention of his beloved. A Statement From The Flea – Dec 2020. Click to see full answer He uses the word “Mark”, which is used to convey something very important. The flea here is presented so that his comparison of sex involving the two of theme mixing, in the same way that the flea mixes their blood. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Flea. Another underlying theme of the poem is the social restrictions that prohibit the freedom of physical love. The second stanza develops the argument by introducing religious and theological imagery and language. 2020 has been a momentous year wherein The Flea has faced tremendous challenge, growth, and transformation. The argument of "The Flea" is that the speaker and the beloved are already joined physically, so any sexual relationship between the woman and the speaker is a natural consequence of the "marriage" that has occurred through the flea. Poet makes a mention of shyness of his beloved and her family that come in the way of him. “The Flea” is a love poem with a difference. Major Themes in “The Flea”: Love, sex, and seduction are the major themes crafted in the poem. The speaker then claims that what this flea has done, cannot be called sin "nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead" (6) which refers to virginity. Free, fun, and packed with the most important details! It reflects a new approach toward poetry. “The Flea” is a poem by the English poet John Donne, most likely written in the 1590s. Sex and seduction are the primary themes John Donne explores in "The Flea." The predominant theme in this poem is seduction which is illustrated using a persuasive conceit of a humble flea. “The Flea,” by John Donne, is a poem based on the speaker’s desire to have sex with another person who continues to reject the speaker. Poems about the seduction of a chaste mistress were a staple of the English Renaissance. "The Flea" by John Donne Tori Hopkins, Taylor Jones, and Victoria Stone Theme -sin is natural and it can't be avoided -the sin of premarital sex is better than killing an animal -guilt and blame play a big part in this, as the speaker thinks that making his lover feel guilty will As with many poems by John Donne and the Metaphysical Poets, there’s an elaborate conceit (a sort of extended metaphor yoking together deliberately incongruous ideas) used by the poet throughout ‘The Flea’ to help him make his ‘argument’. The flea is the main metaphor/character in the poem, symbolizing the union between the man and the woman, the other two subjects of the poem, who are inferior to the power that the flea holds upon them and their union, whether intimate or otherwise. One of the basic themes of the poem is physical love in contrast to other ppems where he propagated platonic love. John Donne's 'The Flea': Poetry Analysis 786 Words | 3 Pages. As an erotic seduction poem, the primary focus of "The Flea" is sexual union: the speaker attempts to convince his beloved that her honor will not be compromised if they have sex before marriage. Repetition of the word "suck" can also be seen as adding to the central theme of sex. "Spanish Flea" featured Alpert's trumpet over a Latin rhythm backing. John Donne: Poems study guide contains a biography of John Donne, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The Flea is structured to mirror the three protagonists, flea, man and woman, so there are three rhyming couplets, a triplet in each stanza and three stanzas. In " The Flea ," though, he uses the whimsical image of a flea sucking blood, an extended metaphor, or conceit, that Donne sustains through the entire poem. Around the time this poem was written in Europe, the flea was a popular representation of unbridled erotic expression. Throughout the poem he compels his beloved for physical love. The theme of the poem is disguised in the form of a simple insect such as the flea representing lust and seductive desires. This method is used as an extended metaphor, in this case the flea itself. Through the speaker and overstatement, Donne satirically asserts that physical love is not important, mocking a theme of contemporary carpe diem poems. In it, he uses one of his brilliant conceits to convince his love to sleep with him. 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. A very avid theme of poetic conceit is used in the duration of this poem. The poet used a persuasive conceit of flea to show how effectively this tiny insect unites them by sucking their blood. John Donne was a cleric in the Church of England, making sense with the rife of Christian/religious imagery within the poem. While it is easy to assume that the speaker is male and desires a woman through words that refer to virginity (such as “maidenhead”), there is no actual indication of this. By sucking him first and then sucking her, "In this flea our two bloods mingled be" (4). This is a rare poem which is erotic in tone. The insect has enjoyed their blood and it is neither a sin nor a shame, so he questions the idea of the beloved about her rejecting his advancements. In the United States, the song is closely associated with the long-running game show The Dating Game, for which it served as the "Bachelor’s Theme". The speaker of the poem attempts to convince his beloved to... See full answer below. The speaker compares th… The poem is a satire on platonic love. The theme of love is found in many of Donne's poems, but the tonal range is quite broad. I wouldn't say that John Donne 's " The Flea " expresses the theme of love so much as sexual desire. This Study Guide consists of approximately 12 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - ; In the first stanza the speaker is cool and logical and uses mostly plain, positive language to highlight the flea's actions. tells his beloved to look at the flea beforethem and to note “how little” is that thing that she denies him.For 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 principles of those living in the 16th century. MARK but this flea, and mark in this, How little that which thou denies me is ; It suck’d me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be. This Study Guide consists of approximately 12 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Flea. One of the basic themes of the poem is physical love in contrast to other ppems where he propagated platonic love. He shows the flea and by exemplifying its act of sucking their blood, tries to show how trivial her denial is. " The Flea " is an erotic metaphysical poem (first published posthumously in 1633) by John Donne (1572–1631). The Flea by John Donne is a metaphysical love poem which takes the form of an erotic humorous narrative. You might be surprised, then, to learn that one of the oldest poems dealing with seduction and flirtation uses a bug - specifically a flea - to explore this popular literary theme. In “The Flea,” the speaker tries to seduce his mistress with a surprising (and potentially gross) extended metaphor: both he and she have been bitten by the same flea, meaning their separate blood now mingles inside the … Report Card: 1. The image of the flea is John Donne’s main vehicle for conveying his message. The English writer and Anglican cleric John Donne is considered now to be the preeminent metaphysical poet of his time. ‘The Flea’ by John Donne is the poet’s most famous poem. However, her gestures and attitudes are brought out by references to them on the part of the lover. In that regard, Donne was able to draw on an … Also, this mingling of their blood does not involve any sense of shame, sin, or guilt.