"To His Coy Mistress"

               Figurative language is present in abundance throughout the poem “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell and plays a significant role in illustrating the central themes of experiencing and enjoying love in the fleeting instance that life on earth lasts. For example, Marvell articulates the idea that life on earth is not indefinite by using a metaphor in the following passage: “But at my back I always hear time’s winged chariot hurrying near” (Marvell, 804). By comparing time to a winged chariot in this manner, the author conveys the idea that time passes rapidly and that the remainder of their lives on earth shrinks with each passing day. Furthermore, by describing time as a winged chariot approaching him from behind, he alludes to the fact that death is constantly in pursuit of man, consistently drawing closer and closer to him, yet behind his back, where he cannot see for sure when it will catch he. Therefore, in using this metaphor of a winged chariot to express the fleeting nature of time, Marvell reinforces the speaker’s sense of urgency to convince his coy mistress to cast aside her shy nature and embrace their love before they become prisoners to the effects of time and lose their lives.

                Marvell also employs figurative language in the poem by incorporating similes into his descriptions of the mistress and his love for her. For example, he describes the youthful hue of his young mistress as resting on her cheeks in the manner that morning dew rests gently upon the earth. In comparing the skin of his lady to something so gentle and beautiful in nature, he highlights the fact that his mistress is delicate and likely to be shy rather than the type of woman who would embrace every aspect of life, such as love. Furthermore, the speaker describes his own soul as firing at every pore, and this figurative comparison advances the meaning of his work by articulating his own desire for his mistress. The fact that he describes every pore of his being as being afire serves as a strong indication that the speaker has no intentions of wasting any more time than he absolutely has to; rather, he would prefer to embrace life while he still possesses his youth rather than waiting for their encasement in marble graves to love one another.

                Finally, Marvell concludes the poem with the statement, “Thus, though we cannot make our sun stand still, yet we will make him run” (Marvell, 804). I believe the sun to be symbolic of the couple’s time together and their lives at large. The speaker is intending to express the idea that they cannot prevent the time of their youth from fading away just as they cannot prevent the sun from rising and falling each day; however, they certainly can embrace every instant of their time together. All of these examples of figurative language therefore emphasize the speaker’s key purpose of convincing his mistress to forsake her coyness to as to enter into a loving relationship with him before the winged chariot of time takes either of them prisoner.