The+Flea

= The Flea = Written by John Donne - Composition date unknown



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John Donne
(OG Metaphysical Poet)



=__ Biographical Information __=


 * Born in London (England) to a devout Roman Catholic family
 * Practice was illegal during that time
 * Studied for three years at Hertford College, Oxford
 * Moved to Cambridge
 * However, no degree :(
 * Traveled across Europe, got into some fights (naughty)
 * Spent his stacks of cash mostly on women
 * Also literature, travel, and "pastimes" ;)
 * Married Ann More - 1601
 * She dies in 1617, after giving birth to their twelfth child
 * During this time Donne worked as a lawyer
 * Held a series of prestigious titles until his death in 1631
 * Thought to be of stomach cancer (unproven)
 * English poet and cleric
 * Worked at the Church of England
 * Most works circulated during his lifetime

"The Flea"
Mark but this flea, and mark in this, How little that which thou deniest me is; It sucked me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be; Thou know’st that this cannot be said A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead, Yet this enjoys before it woo, And pampered swells with one blood made of two, And this, alas, is more than we would do.

Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare, Where we almost, nay more than married are. This flea is you and I, and this Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is; Though parents grudge, and you, w'are met, And cloistered in these living walls of jet. Though use make you apt to kill me, Let not to that, self-murder added be, And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.

Cruel and sudden, hast thou since Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence? Wherein could this flea guilty be, Except in that drop which it sucked from thee? Yet thou triumph’st, and say'st that thou Find’st not thy self, nor me the weaker now; ’Tis true; then learn how false, fears be: Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me, Will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee.

=__ TIME Elements __=

= Theme - = John Donne = Renaissance womanizer ;)


 * John Donne is courting a female
 * She appears to be his lover
 * Afraid to engage in sexual acts with Donne (family, pride)
 * //"It sucked me first, and now sucks thee, and in this flea our two bloods mingled be"// (Lines 3-4)

>
 * Donne seeks to emphasize his love
 * Squashing the flea fails to impact the female lover
 * Did not hurt her pride
 * "So basically have sex with me" says Donne
 * // "Yet thou triumph’st, and say'st that thou, find’st not thy self, nor me the weaker now" // (Lines 23-24)
 * //// " ////// Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me, w ill waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee" // (Lines 26-27)

= Imagery - =
 * //"// //Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence?"// (Line 20)
 * The female lover has squashed the flea
 * Splat
 * //"And in this flea our two bloods mingled be"// (Line 4)
 * Got blood? The flea certainly does
 * Sucked the lovers
 * Entire poem is a huge metaphor
 * Compares love to the mingling of blood
 * Describes the false validity of the female lover's fears
 * Blood in flea = Marriage temple AND John Donne's bed ;)

= Meter - =
 * Form - Alternates between iambic pentameter and iambic tetrameter
 * Structure - Three stanzas, with a rhyming final line and final couplet
 * Rhyme Scheme - AABBCCDDD

= Emotion - =
 * Donne uses humor - the poem is supposed to be funny
 * He grasps at straws in order to come up with an argument towards sex
 * Reasoning is "interesting"
 * Reader left slightly impressed
 * Great argument?

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Works Cited ""The Flea"" //SparkNotes//. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.  "John Donne." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.  Saroyan, Aram. "The Flea." //Poetry Foundation//. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.  Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Flea Summary." //Shmoop.com//. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.