"To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell

D I A N A * C H A N
K A T R I N A * W O N G



1. “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell
2. A woman claiming to be Marvell’s widow but was probably his housekeeper published the poem after Marvell’s death.
3. coy - artfully shy or reserved; slyly hesitant; showing reluctance
vegetable - lively, growing, animate
quaint - out of date (but also a pun for female reproductive organ)
transpires - breathes forth; to be revealed, known, or apparent
languish - to become feeble, weak, or depressed
4. To whom is the speaker of the poem addressing? Think of different definitions of “Mistress”. (The “other” woman, a teacher, a woman with power, an unmarried woman…)
What does the speaker of the poem literally and figuratively want?
How does the speaker personify time? Find three instances. How does the personification contribute to the poem?
Does the narrator love his “Mistress?”
What do you think of the speaker of the poem? What do we know about him? Do you support him? Why or why not?
5. In the first stanza, the speaker of the poem enumerates the things he would do with the mistress if they had all the time in the world. He would sit with her, walk with her, and admire her eyes, her forehead, and all her features for great lengths of time. Also, if they had all the time in the world, the speaker would accept the mistress’ coyness or would enjoy chasing after her; however, in the second stanza, the speaker acknowledges the effects of time. Time, which is passing quickly, ages the couple, and brings the two closer to death. So the speaker in the third stanza concludes that while they are both still young and beautiful, they should have sex now because there isn’t enough time to be coy.