The Flea by John Donne, published in 1633, is an erotic metaphysical poem in which the concept of a flea serves as an extended metaphor for the relationship between the speaker and his beloved. In comparison George Herbert’s The Altar, also published in 1633, demonstrates through the conceit of an altar how one should offer himself as a sacrifice to the Lord. This essay will compare and contrast; the poetic techniques, the shape of the poems and the use of meter. This essay will also highlight how these features link in with the main themes of sexual desires, religion and repetition to evoke the meaning of each poem. Both poets present the speaker differently through the use of poetic devices. For example, the metaphysical conceit in The Flea begins when the speaker states ‘And in this flea, our two bloods mingled be’. (4) This metaphor suggests that the speaker believes the mixing of two bloods is similar to the consecration of marriage and this is the argument the speaker sets up to woo his lover. The speaker uses direct address when he says ‘how little that which thou deniest me’. (2) By using the determiner ‘little’ it shows how he is trying to convince his lover of the unimportance of sexual intercourse. In addition, the possessive pronoun ‘me’ suggests he is trying to assert his authority, thus highlighting his sexual desire even more. In complete contrast, the speaker in The Altar is ambiguous as Herbert refers to a ‘servant’, (1) which implies anybody could be