Carpe Diem In Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress

Andrew Marvell uses hyperboles, rhyme schemes, and synecdoche to develop a theme of carpe diem in a coquettish manner in "To His Coy Mistress". The speaker uses unequivocal diction to persuade his mistress to lose her virginity to him. Throughout the poem he attempts to impress upon her that she should stray away from her coy mentality with him because life is too short. The narrator shares the consequences of not acting on the lust for her that he expresses. Hyperboles are used throughout this piece frequently. A hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or claim that's not meant to be taken literally. In line two of the poem the speaker suggest that if his mistress does not take to his advances it may amount to a crime. "This coyness, Lady,

The literary device synecdoche is used when a part of something represent a whole or vice versa. He uses these parts, to her whole (her body) along with an extensive amount of time that foreshadows its decay. In line eleven the author states "My vegetable love should grow". It is meant to be meaningful to the mistress because in that time frame vegetables grew naturally. He was trying to emphasize on the fact that his love for her will grow with time. In line fifteen of the poem the author makes a reference to the mistresses body. "Two hundred to adore each breast:" He is saying that he would admire her body if she was naked. Synecdoche is used frequently to make the mistress feel more comfortable with opening up to the narrator because he will supposedly end up loving her in the end. The idea of carpe diem is timeless. It is in modern day synonymous to peoples belief in the idea that you only live once. "To His Coy Mistress" addresses this belief in a blunt manner by use of hyperboles, rhyme schemes, and synecdoche. The poet uses these devices in an attempt to persuade the audience to live in the moment and enjoy her aesthetic beauty while her hour glass is still top