The Poem Sonnet XIX - Essay Example

Milton says that he would continue to serve God despite his blindness so that he can present a true account of his life to God after death, and thus succeed. In this poem, Milton’s immense faith in God reflects that provides him with the courage to continue living and facing the hardships of life despite his blindness. This faith lends Milton the patience to cope with the circumstances and also inculcates hope in him that he would get salvation if he remains patient.
In To His Coy Mistress, Marvell emphasizes the need for his mistress to abandon her coyness and engage in sexual pleasures with him because the time they have is finite, and they should do all to make their experiences of this world memorable and cherished in every possible way they can. Marvell refers to his mistress’s coyness as a “crime” given the finiteness of time they have in this world. Had the time been infinite, Marvell would have had enough time to wait for his mistress’s consent for sexual engagement with him to form, but the fact is; time is finite. Marvell refers to the darkness and loneliness that comes with being in the grave which deprives man of all pleasures and leaves nothing behind but ashes and dust. Before, that happens, Marvell and the mistress should use their time in the most satiating way. Marvell frequently uses enjambment in the first two stanzas by putting stops in between the thoughts whereas he does not pause to think in the last stanza; the poem’s flow depicts the sexual act for Marvell wherein the first two stanzas led to orgasm in the third stanza.
The two poems have themes of religion as well as love, though the two poets are on opposite extremes of the two themes. While Milton is an extremely God-fearing man and follows religion by not committing suicide and continuously serving God despite his blindness, Marvell also remembers death but that empowers the idea of using the finite time he has to satiate his bodily pleasures in a religiously illegitimate way i.e. with his mistress rather than his wife. While Milton shows his love for God, Marvell shows his love for lust. Analysis of the approaches of the two poets suggests that Milton is concerned with pleasure in the world hereafter whereas Marvell wants to have pleasure in this world. Read More