Love in Pre-1914 Poetry :: Poetry Poems Love Emotions Essays

Love in Pre-1914 Poetry Compare and contrast the ways in which writers’ present ideas about love in a selection of pre-1914 poetry Poetry is usually used to convey strong feelings and emotions which may be difficult to express in any other form. Poems are especially good at portraying feelings of love because they have set rhythms which can flow better than ordinary speech; poetry can also be good at expressing anger as the rhythms are capable of being very harsh. From times pre-dating the Tudors, poetry has been used by men to win the affections of their prospective mistresses because, by using verse, they could show emotion without embarrassment. The technique of using poetry to woe was used by Andrew Marvell in his poem ‘To His Coy Mistress’. The traditional, model woman, particularly in the 17th Century, was supposed to maintain a state of coyness until after she was married off to a suitor who met with her fathers’ approval. Andrew Marvell’s ‘To His Coy Mistress’ speaks of the passage of time moving on and of a man’s frustration at his mistress’s coyness. â€Å"Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime.† (Lines 1-2) In the above the man is telling the lady that if they had ‘all the time in the world’ then her coyness would be fine and he would not mind it at all. These first two lines of the poem are the beginning of the ‘if’ section. Marvell goes on in this section to say: â€Å"Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side Should’st rubies find: I by the tide Of Humber would complain. I would Love you ten years before the flood: And you should, if you please, refuse, Till the conversion of the Jews.† (Lines 5-10) The Ganges is an exotic river and, especially in the 17th Century when travel to India was rare, it was the source of much fascination. By saying that she is by the Ganges and yet he is by the Humber, a very unexciting river, he is flattering her. She is worthy of a glamorous river whereas he is not. Marvell writes that he would love her even before the two rivers are joined in a second Biblical flood. He also says that she could refuse to heed his advances until the â€Å"conversion of the Jews† this, like the second flood, is a very unlikely event. The poem then continues with Marvell writing of a â€Å"†¦vegetable love†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Line 11) This love would continue to grow with time and the man and woman’s platonic relationship would carry on without hindrance if only they had the time. If the man had forever then he could take the time to